Texas Principles of Real Estate 1 Chapter 8
A legal description is required for - ✔✔Public recording
Creating a valid deed of conveyance or lease
Completing mortgage documents
Executing and recording other legal documents
A legal description of real property is - ✔✔accurately locates and identifies the boundaries of the
subject parcel to a degree acceptable by courts of law in the state where the property is located. Must
be included in a sales contract.
Acre - ✔✔43,560 square feet; 160sq rods
ALTA/ACSM Survey - ✔✔This is a very detailed survey often required by lending institutions and is
strictly geared towards companies purchasing commercial property. Standards created by the American
Land Title Association (ALTA) and the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) are used to
create this type of survey. The location of all improvements in relation to property lines as well as any
easements and setback requirements are shown on this survey as well as any encroachments that exist.
base parallel or base line - ✔✔is the designated line for identifying townships. There is a base parallel
for each principal meridian.
Boundary Survey/Monumentation - ✔✔is the establishment of permanent on-the-ground objects that
mark exact location or surveyed points and lines.
Cadastral Land Surveys - ✔✔typically contain much more information. While house location maps give
property owners a sense of what is present and where, a cadastral document shows exactly where
boundaries, easements, and property lines are located. Surveyors typically go to the property and make
real-time measurements, which are compared with archived land records to create a more complete
picture of what is located where.
Chain - ✔✔66 feet, 4 rods, 100 links
, Construction Survey - This survey uses - ✔✔surveying techniques to stake out buildings, roads, walls,
utilities, etc. This includes horizontal and vertical grading, slope staking, and final as-built surveys.
Cu Yard - ✔✔27 Cu Feet
Geographic Positioning System - ✔✔GPS surveys use portable receiving antennas to gather data
transmitted from satellites which are used to calculate the position of the object being located on the
surface of the earth. The receiving antennas can be miles apart and still obtain very accurate data. GPS
surveys are used to establish coordinate control points for the State Plane Coordinate Systems, large
boundary surveys, and subdivision surveys. It can also be used to collect data for Geographic
Information Systems / Land Information Systems (GIS/LIS), such as the location of streets, homes,
businesses, electric, phone & gas utilities, water & sewer systems, property lines' soil & vegetation
types, water; courses, etc. This data can be used in future planning, preservation and development.
House Location Survey - ✔✔which is also sometimes called a drive-by survey, is designed to show the
location of the house and other large structures on the property, as well as the orientation of those
structures in relation to each other.
In the rectangular survey method, how large is a township in square miles and how large is a township
section? - ✔✔A township is 36 square miles and a section is one square mile or 640 acres.
Land surveys have many applications. They are used to assess: - ✔✔Boundaries for properties
Topography for engineering designs
Outline elevations for flood insurance for home sites
Title for real estate transactions, subdivisions and other construction projects
They are also used to assign government measurements to public land.
Location Survey - ✔✔A location survey is boundary survey with the additional location of all the interior
improvements. Missing corner markers are replaced. The surveyor will prepare a map showing the
boundaries and improvements. This type of survey may be required for obtaining a loan.
Lot and Block Method or recorded plat method - ✔✔this system is used to describe properties in
residential, commercial and industrial subdivisions.
A legal description is required for - ✔✔Public recording
Creating a valid deed of conveyance or lease
Completing mortgage documents
Executing and recording other legal documents
A legal description of real property is - ✔✔accurately locates and identifies the boundaries of the
subject parcel to a degree acceptable by courts of law in the state where the property is located. Must
be included in a sales contract.
Acre - ✔✔43,560 square feet; 160sq rods
ALTA/ACSM Survey - ✔✔This is a very detailed survey often required by lending institutions and is
strictly geared towards companies purchasing commercial property. Standards created by the American
Land Title Association (ALTA) and the American Congress of Surveying and Mapping (ACSM) are used to
create this type of survey. The location of all improvements in relation to property lines as well as any
easements and setback requirements are shown on this survey as well as any encroachments that exist.
base parallel or base line - ✔✔is the designated line for identifying townships. There is a base parallel
for each principal meridian.
Boundary Survey/Monumentation - ✔✔is the establishment of permanent on-the-ground objects that
mark exact location or surveyed points and lines.
Cadastral Land Surveys - ✔✔typically contain much more information. While house location maps give
property owners a sense of what is present and where, a cadastral document shows exactly where
boundaries, easements, and property lines are located. Surveyors typically go to the property and make
real-time measurements, which are compared with archived land records to create a more complete
picture of what is located where.
Chain - ✔✔66 feet, 4 rods, 100 links
, Construction Survey - This survey uses - ✔✔surveying techniques to stake out buildings, roads, walls,
utilities, etc. This includes horizontal and vertical grading, slope staking, and final as-built surveys.
Cu Yard - ✔✔27 Cu Feet
Geographic Positioning System - ✔✔GPS surveys use portable receiving antennas to gather data
transmitted from satellites which are used to calculate the position of the object being located on the
surface of the earth. The receiving antennas can be miles apart and still obtain very accurate data. GPS
surveys are used to establish coordinate control points for the State Plane Coordinate Systems, large
boundary surveys, and subdivision surveys. It can also be used to collect data for Geographic
Information Systems / Land Information Systems (GIS/LIS), such as the location of streets, homes,
businesses, electric, phone & gas utilities, water & sewer systems, property lines' soil & vegetation
types, water; courses, etc. This data can be used in future planning, preservation and development.
House Location Survey - ✔✔which is also sometimes called a drive-by survey, is designed to show the
location of the house and other large structures on the property, as well as the orientation of those
structures in relation to each other.
In the rectangular survey method, how large is a township in square miles and how large is a township
section? - ✔✔A township is 36 square miles and a section is one square mile or 640 acres.
Land surveys have many applications. They are used to assess: - ✔✔Boundaries for properties
Topography for engineering designs
Outline elevations for flood insurance for home sites
Title for real estate transactions, subdivisions and other construction projects
They are also used to assign government measurements to public land.
Location Survey - ✔✔A location survey is boundary survey with the additional location of all the interior
improvements. Missing corner markers are replaced. The surveyor will prepare a map showing the
boundaries and improvements. This type of survey may be required for obtaining a loan.
Lot and Block Method or recorded plat method - ✔✔this system is used to describe properties in
residential, commercial and industrial subdivisions.
