Project Overview
Surveying a Seven-Figure Decision
A buyer acquiring an occupied retail parcel needed more than a boundary: an ALTA/NSPS survey with Table A extras, easement exhibits for shared drives and utilities, parking and setback analysis against zoning, and a flood-zone determination for the lender — all inside a 21-day due-diligence window.
Cairnstone sequenced title review, fieldwork, and drafting in parallel so the survey certified two days before closing.
Challenge
Shared Drives, Old Agreements
The parcel shared access, parking, and a detention basin with two neighbors under agreements recorded across three decades. We mapped every appurtenant right, plotted the basin's as-built footprint against its easement, and flagged one drive aisle drifting outside its grant.
Approach
Title and Field in Parallel
While the title commitment was still being updated, our crew tied the site and adjoiners; as each exception arrived, it went straight onto the draft. Daily check-ins with buyer and counsel kept the survey ahead of the closing calendar.
Deliverables
What Buyer and Lender Received
- ALTA/NSPS survey with zoning, parking, flood-zone, and access Table A items.
- Separate easement exhibits for shared drives, utilities, and detention.
- Encroachment schedule with photos, dimensions, and curative recommendations.
- Certifications to buyer, lender, and title insurer on the closing timeline.
Outcome
The buyer closed on time with a recorded access correction negotiated from our exhibit — and the lender's counsel now sends Cairnstone its local commercial work. Due diligence done right pays for itself at the closing table.
Related Work
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The foundation every acquisition survey builds on.
ArticleSettling Boundary Disputes with a Clear Survey
How surveys settle lines before they reach a courtroom.
Buying commercial property?
ALTA surveys, easement exhibits, and zoning ties — inside your diligence window.