What Happens When Commercial Buyers Skip a Land Survey
"Texas, often referred to as the Lone Star State, is a thriving hub for economic growth and innovation, making it an attractive destination for commercial real estate investment." - Chris Evans
What Happens When a Commercial Deal Skips a Survey
Every so often, a commercial buyer tries to move fast by skipping the survey.
Sometimes it’s to save time.
Sometimes it’s to save money.
Almost every time, it costs them more later.
Skipping a survey doesn’t skip the risk
The risks don’t disappear just because a survey wasn’t ordered. They just stay hidden.
That means:
Encroachments go undiscovered
Access issues stay assumed
Easements remain misunderstood
Drainage problems surface during construction
Title coverage stays limited
The problems usually show up later
When survey issues are skipped, they tend to appear at the worst possible moment:
During refinancing
When applying for permits
When expanding the site
When selling the property
When a neighbor raises a concern
At that point, leverage is gone.
Title insurance won’t always save you
Many buyers assume title insurance will cover survey-related issues. Often, it won’t — especially if no survey was provided at closing.
Without a survey:
Title exceptions stay broad
Coverage gaps remain
Claims become harder to support
Why “it worked last time” isn’t a strategy
Just because a previous owner skipped a survey doesn’t mean it was safe — it just means the problems haven’t surfaced yet.
Commercial real estate has a long memory.
Bottom line
Skipping a survey is like skipping an inspection on a building you plan to own for decades. You might get lucky — but luck isn’t a strategy.
At South Texas Surveying, we help Texas commercial buyers avoid hidden problems by uncovering the truth about a property before those problems become expensive.
