14 replies to this topic

[Limp Lizard]

I some old land records I have run across the notation of "8 miles N 80 E of (town)" and "9 miles S 85 W of (town)" (I put town as landmark...records have specific town). Do they mean, respectively, "8 miles on a line 80 degrees E of North", or "9 miles on a line 85 degrees W of South"...in other words, on a 360 degree reckoning, 80 degrees and 265 degrees, respectively?

Inquiring mind wants to know.

[goldenfrog]

Sounds like metes and bounds description. You can look up online how to read it.

[Stiff Arm Frog]

That is a metes and bounds description, which I don't think is widely used anymore, least not in Texas. I think you've got the degrees right.

FYI, to find exactly where the land described is, those coordinates will be tied to a marker somewhere, placed by the US geological survey. Often a brass marker set in concrete.

A surveyor, which i am not, will be able to give you the specifics.

[Spike]

Check ur PM Limp.

[BillupsFrog]

Yes, that is a metes and bounds description and are very widely used nation wide for accurately describing tracts of land.

There are computer programs and apps available that will deed plot those coordinates and draw you an outline of the plot of land.

[PhormerPhrog]

That is a metes and bounds description, which I don't think is widely used anymore, least not in Texas. I think you've got the degrees right.

FYI, to find exactly where the land described is, those coordinates will be tied to a marker somewhere, placed by the US geological survey. Often a brass marker set in concrete.

A surveyor, which i am not, will be able to give you the specifics.

Metes & bounds are still used in non-platted areas. My grandparents have acreage in Keller and they have three adjacent parcels described by metes and bounds. Also, brass markers are often a luxury. I've seen cow skulls, fence posts, seedlings, and even a double-barrelled shotgun handle up buried in the ground used as a call.

[Stiff Arm Frog]

Metes & bounds are still used in non-platted areas. My grandparents have acreage in Keller and they have three adjacent parcels described by metes and bounds. Also, brass markers are often a luxury. I've seen cow skulls, fence posts, seedlings, and even a double-barrelled shotgun handle up buried in the ground used as a call.

Ha, good to know. My (limited) experience is with plats.

Gotta love Texas.

[PhormerPhrog]

I some old land records I have run across the notation of "8 miles N 80 E of (town)" and "9 miles S 85 W of (town)" (I put town as landmark...records have specific town). Do they mean, respectively, "8 miles on a line 80 degrees E of North", or "9 miles on a line 85 degrees W of South"...in other words, on a 360 degree reckoning, 80 degrees and 265 degrees, respectively?

Inquiring mind wants to know.

That's how I interpret it but depending on the age of the survey and location of the property it could be interpreted differently. For instance, old surveys in the Czech and German settlements here in Texas could have a different interpretation from what is a modern standard because English was a second language to many and the sentence structure is different in their native tounge. Like was said before, it would do you good to utilize a mapping program that could give you the exact acreage according to the calls. Most legals end with "...to the point of beginnging being x.yz acres of land more or less." (or something to that effect). The acreage on the original doc may be off a tenth or two but most title companies will insure if the number is relatively close.

[PhormerPhrog]

Ha, good to know. My (limited) experience is with plats.

Gotta love Texas.

Plats are title's best friend...except in Oklahoma where their motto is "Plats? We doan need no stinkin' plats."

Seriously, you'd be surprise how many semi-permanent and temporary objects are used as reference points. Fence post...well let me just dig a hole 10 feet out and move the fence. I guess the honor system was in use back then.

[Limp Lizard]

The documents are from the late 1870's to the early 1880's in Montague County.

[PhormerPhrog]

The documents are from the late 1870's to the early 1880's in Montague County.

Ha! Perfect example. I'm a sucker for that stuff. I kind of miss abstracting.

[Stiff Arm Frog]

Ha! Perfect example. I'm a sucker for that stuff. I kind of miss abstracting.

I've got a question. How would one get into the business of composing title abstracts, if one were so inclined?

I'm in real estate, but still a young guy. Always interested in branching out and expanding my skill set.

[PhormerPhrog]

Go to grad school, work full-time, intern at your church, sleep maybe 3 hours a night, have a job where you have to be there at 6 AM, oversleep one too many times, get fired, become desperate and apply with a temp agency, have them send you on a crappy assignment to a title company making $7.50 an hour, hate every minute of it, three months later accept their offer to go full-time with a whopping $3/hr job, get promoted, get promoted again, continue to hate every minute of it, eventually make decent money, jump to a few more title companies, continue to hate every minute of it, stay in it long enough to where you get to finally tell people what to do, and finally sit back and realize you've been in a business for 10 years and you've hated 95% of what you've done.

Now, if you're asking about landman type stuff ask FOAP. He's a good source of knowledge and is always willing to give you a few minutes to explain the good, the bad, and the ugly. I know there are a few others that do that as well. I'm actually considering it myself. My company is going down the turd chute fast. On March 30 approximately 95 people will be laid off (unbeknownst to them) and their jobs will be given to Tiffany, Jonathan, Michael, and Jenny in India. Luckily my position requires someone actually living stateside but I'd be a fool to not be looking.

[Spike]

I would love to do title research all day long. I have done several gigs for smaller oil and gas brokerages. Tracking a piece of land over 100 plus years can be interesting to me. I have absolutely no background in mapping but the deedplotting and trying to figure out which tract was which was one of the more fun parts of the job.

The work itself is fun and pay rate is decent, heck we got meal stipends and were paid mileage for driving to court house. The problem is you are an independant contractor and are often brought in for a few projects, then you can be let go, or offerered to follow the group to wherever they pick up a new client or project. Brokerages seem to be fairly informal arrangements. Training can be lacking and management can be rather unprofessional. Then again, that describes about every job I've ever had. I can't speak for the bigger outfits as I never worked for one.

I got all of my land jobs through friends, and it seems to be a good ole boy field where networking was everything. I would think it would be a great addition to your knowledge base and skill set as a realtor. If you do the leasing side of oil n gas you will be expanding your contact base. You will also be more aware of foreclosures and other such activities as you are learning about various tracts of land.

[Spike]

I would love to do title research all day long. I have done several gigs for smaller oil and gas brokerages. Tracking a piece of land over 100 plus years can be interesting to me. I have absolutely no background in mapping but the deedplotting and trying to figure out which tract was which was one of the more fun parts of the job.

The work itself is fun and pay rate is decent, heck we got meal stipends and were paid mileage for driving to court house. The problem is you are an independant contractor and are often brought in for a few projects, then you can be let go, or offerered to follow the group to wherever they pick up a new client or project. Brokerages seem to be fairly informal arrangements. Training can be lacking and management can be rather unprofessional. Then again, that describes about every job I've ever had. I can't speak for the bigger outfits as I never worked for one.

I got all of my land jobs through friends, and it seems to be a good ole boy field where networking was everything. I would think it would be a great addition to your knowledge base and skill set as a realtor. If you do the leasing side of oil n gas you will be expanding your contact base. You will also be more aware of foreclosures and other such activities as you are learning about various tracts of land.