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Under Contract on Commercial Property in Houston? Here’s When to Order Your Land Survey

The purchase agreement is signed. The due diligence period has started. The lender is requesting documents, the title company is reviewing the property, and your engineer wants to begin evaluating the site.

This is exactly when the commercial land survey should be moving forward.

One of the easiest ways to create unnecessary pressure during a commercial real estate transaction is waiting until closing approaches to order the survey. Commercial surveying requires research, fieldwork, analysis, and preparation, and more complex properties can require additional coordination.

For buyers currently under contract on commercial property in Houston, the safest approach is to address surveying early enough that the information can actually be used during due diligence.

When Should You Order a Commercial Land Survey?

Ideally, start discussing the survey shortly after the property goes under contract.

Your exact timeline will depend on the transaction, but commercial buyers should determine early:

• What type of survey is required

• Who requires it

• When due diligence expires

• When the lender needs it

• When the title company needs it

• When the property is scheduled to close

If you're developing the property after acquisition, you should also determine whether your civil engineer needs additional survey information for preliminary planning.

Waiting until the last week of due diligence can leave very little time to evaluate questions that arise.

Ask Whether You Need an ALTA Survey

For many commercial real estate transactions, one of the first questions should be whether an ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey is required.

ALTA surveys are commonly used in commercial transactions involving lenders, title companies, attorneys, investors, and buyers.

If an ALTA survey is required, tell the surveying company when requesting your quote.

You'll also want to provide the title commitment and relevant supporting documentation when available so the surveyor can properly evaluate the scope of work.

Don't assume a basic survey will satisfy everyone involved in the transaction.

Finding out shortly before closing that the lender expected an ALTA survey can create an avoidable problem.

Why Ordering Early Gives Buyers an Advantage

The value of a commercial survey isn't simply having another document ready for closing.

It's having time to understand what that document tells you.

Depending on the survey and property, your team may need to evaluate matters involving:

• Property boundaries

• Easements

• Rights-of-way

• Existing improvements

• Access

• Encroachments

• Other property conditions

If questions arise, you want enough time for your attorney, title company, engineer, lender, or other professionals to review them.

That's much easier with three weeks remaining in due diligence than three days.

Houston Commercial Properties Can Be Complicated

Commercial real estate throughout the Houston market ranges from small urban parcels to massive industrial tracts.

A transaction could involve a:

• Warehouse

• Shopping center

• Medical office property

• Manufacturing facility

• Multifamily development site

• Retail tract

• Industrial property

• Large undeveloped commercial tract

Each property presents different surveying considerations.

An older industrial site may contain decades of improvements and recorded property matters. A large vacant tract may involve multiple parcels and long boundary lines. An infill property may have limited space and numerous surrounding improvements.

This is why commercial survey quotes and timelines need to be evaluated property by property.

Surveying Becomes Even More Important When You're Planning Development

Suppose you're buying 30 acres west of Houston for a new commercial project.

Closing is only the beginning.

Your civil engineer may soon begin evaluating where to place buildings, parking, utilities, detention, internal roads, and access.

Accurate survey information gives the project team a reliable foundation for those decisions.

If you already know you're going to develop the property, tell the surveyor.

Discussing the long-term project can help identify surveying needs beyond the immediate real estate transaction.

What Information Should You Send the Surveyor?

You don't need to know everything about surveying before requesting a quote.

You do need to provide enough information for the surveying company to understand the project.

Start with:

• Property address or location

• Approximate acreage

• Survey type requested

• Title commitment, if applicable

• Existing survey, if available

• Legal description or parcel information

• Due diligence expiration date

• Closing date

• Intended use of the property

If your lender or title company has provided specific survey requirements, include those as well.

The more complete the request, the easier it is to evaluate the appropriate scope.

What If Your Closing Date Is Already Getting Close?

Contact the surveying company as soon as possible and provide the real deadline.

Don't just say you need the survey “ASAP.”

Explain the situation.

For example:

“We're under contract on a 15-acre industrial property in Houston. Our lender requires an ALTA survey, due diligence expires September 25, and closing is scheduled for October 10.”

That immediately communicates the property type, approximate scope, survey requirement, and timeline.

The surveying company can then evaluate the project based on actual information.

Don't Choose a Commercial Surveyor on Price Alone

Cost matters on every development project, but commercial surveying shouldn't be treated like a commodity.

The survey may be reviewed or relied upon by multiple parties involved in a significant financial transaction.

Commercial buyers should consider factors such as:

• Experience

• Accuracy

• Communication

• Capacity

• Commercial project knowledge

• Ability to work with transaction professionals

The cheapest proposal isn't much of a bargain if the scope doesn't satisfy what your transaction requires.

Need a Commercial Land Survey in Houston?

If you're already under contract, now is the time to get the surveying process moving.

South Texas Surveying works with commercial buyers, developers, investors, lenders, title companies, attorneys, and engineers on commercial surveying projects throughout Houston and Texas.

Whether you're purchasing an existing commercial building, warehouse, industrial facility, retail property, or undeveloped acreage, our team can evaluate the property and survey requirements to determine the appropriate scope.

Under contract on commercial property? Request a commercial land survey quote from South Texas Surveying today and include your property location, approximate acreage, survey requirements, due diligence deadline, and closing date.

The earlier you start, the more time your entire transaction team has to put accurate survey information to work.