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Comment by sesport on May 27, 2009 at 15:24

Thanks Baron & Parker. The survey that I have was done by an independent professional when I bought the property.
Best - sesport :0)

Comment by Joel on May 27, 2009 at 4:25

Sesport, you have an interesting situation. When you buy property what the transaction is supposed to do is grant you title what the seller offered, and the documentation on what they offered is in the purchase contract (lot xyz of a subdivision, or a description of the boundaries, etc.)

Assuming you had a survey done when you bought it, and assuming your transaction included title insurance for the you, the purchaser, my guess is that the survey plus your title insurance coverage would mean that you either own what the survey said the description in the purchase agreement meant, or the title insurance company will make you whole.

Anyone could make a mistake - your surveyor, the assessor's office. The comments by parker and The Baron are good advice.

If they have been assessing you and making you pay taxes on land that isn't yours, then you should indeed contact them to get that addressed. On the other hand, if you believe the assessor thinks you have less than you think you do, consider whether that is truly a problem worthy of your time and effort to resolve..... :)

Best,

Joel

Comment by Bobi Carr ("parker") on May 26, 2009 at 15:09

Sesport,
The tax assessor's job is to assess the value of your property FOR TAX PURPOSES ONLY. In general, they are the best place to START to find out information about a piece of property. However, they are no substitute for professionals. A surveyor is the professional that can tell you the area of your property. Just as their ownership maps and assessments are no substitutes for a Title Opinion from an Attorney. I know of instances where tracts of land were assesses that didn’t exist. The Assessor’s office is just the place to start, not the final word on anything (except your valuation for property taxes). Though, for the most part, their information is accurate.

Comment by The_Baron on May 26, 2009 at 3:43

I would take the survey first. The surveyor would have used the assessors info, as well any previous property descriptions. If the survey was included with the paperwork recorded in the conveyance records, the assessors office will review it when they worked your deed.

Comment by Bobi Carr ("parker") on May 23, 2009 at 19:13

Thanks Baron,

I haven't been to Caddo in a few years, but your recomendations are very well written.

Comment by sesport on May 22, 2009 at 16:25

Baron - I also have a survey that was done when I bought, came with my mortgage paperwork. Which one trumps ... assessor's or mine?

Thanks - sesport :0)