Thursday, December 23, 2010

What will the new year bring?

If I or any one else for that matter, really new the answer to what the new year would bring, we would get rich. I am not going to pretend to know. I just hope I am still in business when it is all said and done and this recession is behind us. Really behind us. That recession that was supposed to be over in 2009, yet still looms large for many of us today.

I try not to talk politics with people most of the time, but I want to rant a little today. I am going to do this because I want to gripe about BOTH parties especially the Republican and Democrat leadership. I tend to be ultra conservative. I would prefer to get nothing that I did not work for. I wish the government would just get the hell out of my way and let me do my work.

As you might guess I was pretty happy with the election in November. It looked like my party was taking back control or at least going to inject what I consider to be some common sense back into Washington. I have not seen anything, so far, that looks like common sense is anywhere near Washington. Everything that I have seen on the news has shown that any of the bills that have passed are so full of pork and things that have nothing to do with the title of the bill, that they are of little benefit to ordinary Americans. I am not bashing any one side. BOTH parties are at fault.

I do think there are a few people in Washington that are trying to do a good job and some go by Democrat and some by Republican. I just think, for the most part, it does not matter who is in charge. Its the American people that are getting screwed. Pardon my French.

O well, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

Gregg

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

HALF way there....

Greetings...

It is now less than two weeks until Christmas and the real estate market is slowing down. I hope this is only temporary, but time will tell. I am not terribly busy at the moment so I am going to take this opportunity to talk about some things I do for fun in my life.

I took my daughter (who is five years old) Christmas shopping last night. It was supposed to be a trip to Wal-Mart to pick something out for her mother for Christmas. Five year old daughters don't keep secrets very well. Jordan (that's the daughter) picked out an I tunes gift card for her mother, but then decided she wanted one for herself. I guess if I had been smart I would have gotten her one, because when her mom was reading Jordan her bedtime story she told her mom how she wanted an I tunes gift card because we had gone to Wal-Mart and gotten her mom one for Christmas. Ok... lesson learned.

Now to the title of Half way there. I took up running about nine months ago. I am currently training to run a half marathon at the White Rock- Rock N Roll Marathon in March. I have some friends that I try and get together and run with at least once a week. I came up with the bright idea that we would try and run a length of 13.5 miles this past Sunday. A half marathon is 13.2 miles. I am happy to report that three of us started at 5:30 AM on Sunday morning and ran and ran and ran. I believe it was about 30 degrees outside and I think the wind was blowing about 30 miles an hour and while it was cold for a while the stars where very pretty and it is pretty quiet that early in morning. My current pace is an eleven minute mile so that gives me about 2:30 hours to reflect on life and try and solve a few problems. Notice that I said try, it never really seems to work but it is nice to reflect.

Until next time, do what you enjoy and enjoy what you do.

Gregg Saxon

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Get to the Point!...

First of all.. Merry Christmas. I hope you are ready because it will be here before you know it.

All kidding aside all of us with Saxon Surveying would like to wish you a Merry and Joyous Christmas this season. We are blessed to still be here to serve you in this tough economy and chances are that if you need our services, then you are doing okay too.

When we get orders, the first question from the client is usually how much. I will gladly put an estimate together for you, but I need a little information first. The most useful thing is a copy of the deed or a previous survey that has a metes and bounds description or the property. This lets me know what I am up against and what I am likely to find in the field. The estimate is then based on the amount of time that the job is expected to take, taking into consideration the liability and complexity involved. The State Board of Professional Land Surveying sets minimum standards that all surveyors are supposed to follow so what may look very basic and simple to the untrained eye may involve a lot of research and liability on the part of the surveyor.

A plat of survey is generally going to show what is marking the property corners, the acreage of the property, and the improvements on the property. It should also show the source of the description for the property and the source of the description for the adjoining properties. The surveyor is required to mark the corners of the survey on the ground.

Do you need the property line marked to put up a new fence? Are you and the neighbor at odds over where the property line is? Do you need to divide the property? A competent surveyor can help you with these things if they know what you are needing. It helps greatly if these things are discussed when the work is originally ordered. Yes it is the surveyors job to ask questions to help determine what you need, but you might be surprised how hard it is to find out what a client is truly needing. A lot of services can be done for little additional cost if we know they are needed, but the cost can increase greatly if additional trips on site are required to perform services not originally agreed to.

For survey examples and some useful definitions you can view our website at http://www.saxonsurveying.com/

Merry Christmas

Gregg Saxon and everyone at Saxon Surveying, Inc

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

But I have a survey, why do I need a new one?

I get this question all of the time. It is not easy to answer, but I will try.

How old is your survey? The statute of limitations is generally four years, so if your survey is over four years old, no one would be liable for a problem with the survey. Lets face it, this is all about liability. The title company and the lender are using the survey to decide if the property is unemcumbered.

Who did your survey? The average age of a surveyor in the State of Texas is close to the retiremenet age and I have seen about three companies close due to the economy over the last three years just in my area alone. If the surveyor that sealed your work is out of business or retired, who will be liable if there is an issue?

A survey has a natural copyright. Like software or games or movies, copies should not be made or used except for the initial transaction. If you reuse the survey, you will likely waive any liablity or warranty the survey carried. Saxon Surveying certifies to one entity for one transaction. We also carry professional liability insurance which is very expensive, but it protects me and protects my clients.

A current survey by a registered professional land surveyor that carries professional liability insurance and a current title policy with the survey deletion ( this means the title company is insuring the property that is described by the current survey) is the best peace of mind you can have when you purchase real estate.

Saxon Surveying, Inc
No Shortcuts

http://www.saxonsurveying.com/