November-December 2018 Volume 31, Issue 6 PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE Happy New Year! I hope everyone’s holiday season was a joyous one. In the blink of an eye, Christmas 2018 came and before I knew it, the clock struck and was already into 2019. We could lament over what we should have done the past year and look forward to things we would like to see done. I am sure a lot of you have your resolutions. For me, a family member suggested making affirmations instead of resolutions. I don’t think there is anything wrong with resolutions as we can be critical of our own selves and resolve to be better. However, we should also look at the positives within and let those be the strengths we can grow from. Even from a negative experience, an affirmation can be made. There’ve been enough times when I have done something that did not turn out as well as hoped for but there was a learned lesson and, from that, an affirmation like “…well…I’m not doing that again…” had been made. We all have our strengths and weakness. Affirming the things we do well can help us with our resolutions. Okay, enough digression. 2019 IS upon us and our conference will be here before we know it. As mentioned in our previous newsletter, we are teaming with the Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council this year to expand our reach to other disciplines as are they. We are very excited with this union and are expecting this to be beneficial to all attending. We would also welcome anyone interested to be on the HLSA Board. I have found it very rewarding to be able to meet and speak with peers on various matters that would not have been possible if not for this association. With that I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year! Take care, Karl Nishio President, HLSA
Transcript
November-December2018
Volume 31, Issue 6
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Happy New Year!
I hope everyone’s holiday season was a joyous one. In the blink of an eye, Christmas 2018 came and before I knew it, the clock struck and was already into 2019.
We could lament over what we should have done the past year and look forward to things we would like to see done. I am sure a lot of you have your resolutions. For me, a family member suggested making affi rmations instead of resolutions. I don’t think there is anything wrong with resolutions as we can be critical of our own selves and resolve to be better. However, we should also look at the positives within and let those be the strengths we can grow from. Even from a negative experience, an affi rmation can be made. There’ve been enough times when I have done something that did not turn out as well as hoped for but there was a learned lesson and, from that, an affi rmation like “…well…I’m not doing that again…” had been made. We all have our strengths and weakness. Affi rming the things we do well can help us with our resolutions.
Okay, enough digression. 2019 IS upon us and our conference will be here before we know it. As mentioned in our previous newsletter, we are teaming with the Hawaii Geographic Information Coordinating Council this year to expand our reach to other disciplines as are they. We are very excited with this union and are expecting this to be benefi cial to all attending.
We would also welcome anyone interested to be on the HLSA Board. I have found it very rewarding to be able to meet and speak with peers on various matters that would not have been possible if not for this association.
With that I wish you all a happy and prosperous New Year!
Take care,Karl NishioPresident, HLSA
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WHY DO I NEED A PROFESSIONAL LAND SURVEYOR
It is imperative that you contact a professional land surveyor if you are selling or buying real estate, dividing any parcel of land for sale and prior to the construction of any structures on the property in which you have an interest. In most cases, your house/home and land will represent your largest assets. Only a map and description of the survey made by a professional licensed land surveyor can defi ne exactly what you have purchased.
Obtaining a professionally performed survey could potentially be the single most important thing you do before fi nalizing any large investment in land or property.
Protecting your investment starts by having a boundary survey (commonly known as a property survey) done to establish or re-establish the physical position and extent of the boundaries of real property. It reveals the existence of other rights affecting the property such as easements, rights of way, prescriptive or adverse possession, etc. Also, the relationship of improvements relative to the property lines. A fence, wall, driveway or carport that has been built on or onto another’s property can create expensive litigation and unnecessary construction costs. By having a survey done, any diffi culties or discrepancies which may be discovered during the survey can be addressed ahead of time so any issues will not interfere with the closing of the sale.
If an adjoining property owner wishes to dispute the delineation of a common boundary line, it would be best to have these concerns handled prior to acquiring the property. Whether these disputes can be resolved or not, at least they will be revealed to the purchaser prior to ownership as opposed to fi nding out later. In the unfortunate event of a dispute which cannot be resolved and goes to court, your surveyor is an expert witness in court and assumes full professional responsibility for the accuracy of the survey performed.
A professional land surveyor will perform the necessary research, survey the property and prepare a survey map, with a legal description if requested. Although a map and description which is provided to the customer is all that is seen. Consider the amount of time which is put into researching and investigating both public and private land and title records a thorough survey encompasses. Not only does the surveyor investigate the record evidence for the subject property, but they must also investigate and research the adjoining properties which often times includes the whole block along with survey control information. They will map this information and while performing the fi eldwork, they compare and determine the survey fi eld data evidence with the recorded evidence to reveal any commonality or ambiguity which may exist with adjoining properties or deeds. Also, any visible encroachments and indications of the rights that may be acquired by prescription or adverse possession are surveyed and identifi ed.
The professional land surveyor’s role is to discover the facts and then report them. A thorough land survey is benefi cial to the purchaser because it allows the purchaser to be well informed about their investment.
FAQS:Question: Should I employ a professional licensed surveyor to do my survey?Answer: Yes, you should employ a professional licensed surveyor who practices land surveying, and who is
authorized to do business in the State of Hawaii. H.R.S. 464 states: “Professional surveyor”, “professional land surveyor”, or “land surveyor” means a
person who holds oneself out as able to practice, or who does practice, land surveying in this State.”
Question: Should I select a surveyor on the basis of price?Answer: No. Competency is of fi rst importance. Our selection should be made when you are sure the surveyor
has all the facts and is completely aware of your requirements.
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Question: Can I hire an unlicensed person to perform my survey?Answer: In Hawaii, as in other states, only surveyors who are licensed to practice can survey boundaries.
Surveying boundaries and solving boundary problems requires a combination of technical expertise, judgement based on legal precedence and suffi cient experience. Retracing original land titles such as kuleanas requires cultural and historical background in addition to the above mentioned qualifi cations.
Question: Why do different surveyors estimate different costs and time frames?Answer: There are various sizes and types of surveying fi rms. Bigger fi rms often combine a number of disciplines
including surveying so that they can provide comprehensive services on large scale projects. The overhead costs for these larger fi rms may be greater as compared to the small, surveying only fi rms. Differences result from factors such as availability of survey controls near the lot, past experience in the area, the distance from the fi rms offi ce to the site and the physical conditions present on the lot. All of these factors are used to estimate the cost of the survey.
Question: Should I explain why I want to have a survey?Answer: Yes. If the surveyor knows why you want a survey he/she can recommend the type of survey you need
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We Repair & Rent! Our Service Department offers in-house service & repair on surveying instruments and laser levels. For questions and / or repair pricing, please contact us.
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Sustaining Members:
Austin, Tsutsumi & Associates, Inc.
Bentley Systems, Inc.
Carlson Software
ControlPoint Surveying, Inc.
Engineers Surveyors Hawaii, Inc.
Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI)
