Totally agree about checking town archives—I refinanced a couple years back and ran into something similar. Turns out the fence line everyone assumed was the boundary wasn't even close. Found an old survey from the '70s tucked away at the county office that showed my lot was actually wider by several feet. So yeah, definitely worth digging around a bit...but also brace yourself for some surprises, haha.
"Found an old survey from the '70s tucked away at the county office that showed my lot was actually wider by several feet."
That's a lucky find—makes me wonder how often these old surveys get overlooked. Did you have to get a new survey done afterward, or was the older one enough for refinancing purposes? Curious how lenders handled that...
Actually, older surveys can be tricky when it comes to refinancing or dealing with lenders. While it's great that you found extra footage, lenders usually prefer updated surveys to confirm property lines haven't changed or been disputed since the original survey date. Did you run into any pushback from your lender about using a survey that's decades old? I've seen cases where they insist on a fresh one to avoid potential title issues down the road...
Yeah, lenders can be pretty picky about older surveys. Had a client recently who thought they'd be fine with a survey from the '90s, but nope... lender insisted on a new one. Might wanna check with yours before getting too far along.
Good point about lenders being cautious with older surveys. Had a similar situation last year—client had a survey from the early 2000s, thought it would be smooth sailing, but lender wanted an updated one before moving forward. It's always smart to double-check these details upfront; saves headaches down the line. Sounds like you're already thinking ahead, though... that's definitely the way to go.
