By Trisha Atwood
A property survey home buying in Texas relies on is easy to overlook, especially when a seller already has an older one on file. Understanding what a survey actually protects, and what happens if you skip it, matters before you decide this step isn't worth the cost.
Key Takeaways
- A Texas survey shows boundary lines, easements, encroachments, and improvements, along with setback compliance and flood zone determination.
- Without a current survey, your title insurance policy includes a standard exception excluding coverage for boundary disputes, encroachments, and easement conflicts.
- Sellers can often reuse an existing survey by signing a T-47 affidavit, or the newer, non-notarized T-47.1 introduced in January 2025.
- Resolving a boundary dispute after closing without survey coverage can cost $5,000 to $10,000 or more in legal fees, far exceeding the $400 to $900 a new survey typically costs.
What a Survey Actually Shows You
Before understanding why a survey matters, it helps to know exactly what information it actually contains. This document does far more than confirm a lot's general shape.
What Appears on a Standard Residential Survey
- Boundary lines with precise measurements, along with visible improvements like the home, fences, sheds, and driveways
- Recorded easements, including utility access that a homeowner may not realize crosses part of their own lot
- Setback and building restriction lines, confirming whether existing structures actually comply with local requirements
- Flood zone notes, which matter directly since certain classifications trigger mandatory flood insurance that can add $500 to $2,000 or more per year to ownership costs
A survey essentially answers the question of exactly what you're buying, down to the physical details a deed's legal description alone can't capture.
The Survey Exception: What Your Title Insurance Won't Cover Without One
Skipping a survey doesn't just mean missing out on nice-to-have information. It directly limits what your title insurance policy actually protects.
How This Exception Actually Works
- Without a current survey, your owner's title policy includes what's called the survey exception, excluding coverage for discrepancies in boundary lines, encroachments, or overlapping improvements
- In practical terms, this means your policy wouldn't protect you if a neighbor's structure turns out to be sitting partly on your property
- Providing a current survey often allows the title company to amend or delete this exception, meaningfully expanding your actual coverage
- Buyers who skip the survey to save $400 to $700 upfront risk losing the ability to dispute an encroachment or easement conflict entirely after closing
Given that resolving a boundary dispute without this coverage can run $5,000 to $10,000 in legal fees, the survey's upfront cost is a modest price for the protection it provides.
Understanding the T-47 and the New T-47.1 Affidavit
Not every purchase requires a brand-new survey. If a seller already has one on file, Texas has a specific process for reusing it, and that process recently got a bit simpler.
How This Affidavit Process Actually Works
- If the seller has an existing survey, they can provide it along with a T-47 affidavit, swearing that nothing material has changed on the property since the survey date
- The traditional T-47 requires notarization, while the newer T-47.1, introduced in January 2025, accomplishes the same purpose without needing a notary
- Not every DFW-area title company accepts the T-47.1 yet, so confirming with your specific title company early in the transaction matters
- If physical changes have occurred since the survey—a new fence, an added pool, a room addition—the existing survey generally can't be used to clear the exception, and a new survey becomes necessary
Most title companies want a survey reflecting genuinely current conditions, so a five-year-old survey with no changes is typically fine, while a twenty-year-old survey on a home with new additions usually isn't.
What to Actually Look For When You Review the Survey
Once you have a survey in hand, whether new or reused with an affidavit, actually reviewing it carefully during your option period matters. This is where a seemingly minor detail can reveal a genuinely significant issue.
Questions Worth Asking Before Your Objection Deadline
- Look specifically for encroachments, including fences or driveways that cross onto a neighboring property or vice versa
- Check setback and building restriction lines to confirm any existing structures actually conform to what you intend to do with the property
- Ask the seller directly whether any changes have occurred since the survey date, even ones that might seem minor, like a replaced fence along the same line
- Confirm with the title company whether they'll accept the survey as-is, require a no-change affidavit, or insist on a brand-new survey before closing
Raising any concerns before your option period's objection deadline, rather than after closing, is what actually gives you leverage to address a problem while it's still negotiable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a property survey legally required to close on a home in Texas?
No, Texas law doesn't mandate one, but most lenders require a current survey before funding a loan, and skipping it leaves real gaps in your title insurance coverage.
What's the difference between a T-47 and a T-47.1 affidavit?
Both let a seller certify that nothing has changed since an existing survey was completed, but the T-47 requires notarization while the newer T-47.1 does not.
How much does a new survey typically cost in North Texas?
Generally $400 to $900, a modest cost compared to the $5,000 to $10,000 or more it can take to resolve a boundary dispute without proper survey coverage.
Work With Someone Who Catches the Details That Matter
As a dedicated real estate professional and mother of five, I bring unparalleled commitment, empathy, and expertise to every client interaction. My experience in the real estate industry has given me a deep understanding of this market and a keen eye for matching clients with their perfect homes.
Whether you're a first-time homebuyer, looking to upgrade, or seeking investment opportunities, my personalized approach ensures your unique needs are met with precision and care. If you're preparing to buy in North Texas and want someone who won't let the small details slip through, I would love to help.
Connect with Trisha Atwood today.
