Unit 6: Land Description Test

Locating Physical Property

Put the steps in the proper order to physically locate the property legally described as follows: Lot 71, Happy Valley Estates 2, located in a portion of the southeast quarter of Section 23, Township 7 North, Range 4 East of the Seward Principal Meridian in Johnson County, MO. 

Place the objects in the correct order from top to bottom by dragging them.

1. Look at the map of the Seward Principal Meridian.

2. Find Township 7 North, Range 4 East

3. Find the southeast quarter.

4. Look for the reference to the plat map for the subdivision known as Happy Valley Estates 2.

A metes-and-bounds description starts at a designated place on the parcel called the point of beginning. (True)

The legal description of a property is based on information collected through a process called a survey. (True)

Datum, Monuments, and Benchmarks

The surveyor relies on three resources to aid in the process of identifying and surveying air rights. For each description, indicate the appropriate resources used by the surveyor. 

Each sentence or phrase below has a number associated with it. Drag and then drop each number to its appropriate target at the top of the activity. When finished, click Submit. Once submitted, each correct number will remain in the appropriate target. Each incorrect number will turn red and return to its original place. Please note you will need to correctly answer each item for the activity to be considered complete.

1. Monument

- Traditionally used to mark surface measurements between points, but may not be accurate

2. Benchmark

- One of many points that have been established throughout the United States, usually embossed brass markers set into solid concrete or asphalt bases.

- Surveyors rely most heavily on these to mark their work accurately.

3. Datum

 - Referenced in condominium plat maps showing the elevations of floor and ceiling surfaces and vertical boundaries of each unit.

- A point, line, or surface from which elevations are measured or indicated.

Benchmarks are permanent reference points that have been established throughout the United States. (True)

When a survey also shows the location, size, and shape of buildings on the lot, it is called a spot survey. (True)

Q : A buyer purchased a half-acre parcel for $2.15 per square foot. What was the selling price of the parcel?

A : $46,827

(Explanation : The answer is $46,827. An acre consists of 43,560 square feet; therefore, a half-acre has 21,780 square feet. If each square foot sells for $2.15, 21,780 sq ft × $2.15 per sq ft = $46,827)

Q : A man buys 4.5 acres of land for $78,400. An adjoining owner wants to purchase a strip of this land measuring 150 feet by 100 feet. What should this strip cost the adjoining owner if the owner sells it for the same price per square foot he originally paid for it?

A : $6,000

(Explanation : The answer is $6,000. Price divided by area (in square feet) gives cost per square foot. The area is 4.5 times the size of one acre, or 4.5 × 43,560 sq ft = 196,020 sq ft. Then, $78,400 divided by 196,020 sq ft = $0.3996 (essentially, $0.40) per square foot. Determining the purchase price of a 100-by-150-foot lot at the same cost per square foot requires finding the area of the lot: 100 × 150 = 15,000 sq ft. Multiply this area by $0.40: 15,000 sq ft × $0.40 = $6,000.)

Q : A parcel of land is 400 feet by 640 feet. The parcel is cut in half diagonally by a stream. How many acres are in each half of the parcel?

A : 2.94

(Explanation : The answer is 2.94. The parcel is 256,000 square feet: 400' ×640' = 256,000 sq ft. Half of it is 128,000 square feet. Each acre requires 43,560 square feet. Therefore: 128,000 sq ft ÷ 43,560 sq ft per acre = 2.938 acres (rounded to three decimal places). The nearest answer is 2.94.)

Q : A point, line, or surface from which elevations are measured or indicated is a

A : datum

(Explanation : The answer is datum. A point, line, or surface from which elevations are measured or indicated is a datum.)

Q : As a legal description, "the northwest ¼ of the southwest ¼ of Section 6, Township 4 North, Range 7 West" is defective because it contains no reference to

A : a principal meridian

(Explanation : The answer is a principal meridian. A property description based on the rectangular survey system must always make reference to the principal meridian and the base line of the survey system area in which the property lies. This description makes no reference to a principal meridian.)

Q : If a farm described as "the NW¼ of the SE¼ of Section 10, Township 2 North, Range 3 West of the 6th. P.M." sold for $4,500 an acre, what was the total sales price?

A : $180,000

(Explanation : The answer is $180,000. Disregard all elements of the description except those showing area. It is a quarter of a quarter of a section, or 1/16 of 640, or 40 acres. When sold, each acre brought $4,500, so the gross selling price is calculated as follows: 40 acres × $4,500 = $180,000.)

Q : In describing real estate, the method that may use a property's physical features to determine boundaries and measurements is

A : metes and bounds.

(Explanation : The answer is metes and bounds. Monuments are the turning points in the metes-and-bounds method of describing property. In this method, natural, tangible features, such as a distinctive rock or a great tree, were sometimes used as monuments. The path of a stream might serve as all or part of a boundary liine. Metes means distance; bounds refers to direction (not boundaries). The description gives distance in a compass direction from the point of beginning (POB) and then from each succeeding monument, until it returns to the POB.)

Q : Rights to the property above the earth's surface are

A : called air rights.

(Explanation : The answer is called air rights. Rights to the property above the earth's surface are called air rights.)

Q : Some traditional terms of measurement NOT often used today include rods, cubic yards, and

A : chains.

(Explanation : The answer is chains. Some traditional terms of measurement are not often used today, but may be found in older deeds. These include rods, cubic yards, and chains.)

Q : The air above a property owner's land may be subdivided into

A : air lots

(Explanation : The answer is air lots. The air above a property owner's land may be subdivided into air lots.)

Q : The LEAST specific method for identifying real property is

A : street address.

(Explanation : The answer is street address. A legal description is a precise method of identifying a parcel of land and includes metes-and-bounds, rectangular survey, and lot-and-block as methods that can be used for identification. A street address is not a legal description and, therefore, not as precise.)

Q : The location and dimensions of a parcel is identified on the survey

A : sketch.

(Explanation : The answer is sketch. The location and dimensions of a parcel is identified on the survey sketch.)

Q : When surveying land, a surveyor refers to the principal meridian that is

A : within the rectangular survey system area in which the land being surveyed is located.

(Explanation : The answer is within the rectangular survey system area in which the land being surveyed is located. No matter how many ranges or tiers it takes, the description must always refer to the principal meridian and the base line of the survey system area in which the land being described is located.)

Q : Which of the following are NOT basic components of a metes-and-bounds description?

A : Base lines, principal meridians, and townships

(Explanation : The answer is base lines, principal meridians, and townships. Base lines, meridians, and townships are elements of the rectangular survey system, not the metes-and-bounds system.)