Site Orientation by the Realtor
1. Ocular Inspection
Trips – Methods and References
During
ocular inspection trips to any property site, familiarity of the plans or the
land map and its neighborhood is very essential. Identify in particular all or any pertinent
property data and information in the map of plan, landmarks or points of
reference and position or orient oneself properly in the area with the
following references:
a)
Major roads or highways, natural features such as rivers, creeks, esteros, hills,
ravines, mountains, seas and other visible landmarks.
b)
Proximity from existing access roads and transportation routes.
c)
Distance from the nearest streets and intersections by following the roads
which connects the site of the property, including physical references such as
house number, street name, district or barangays.
d)
Orient the map at the site to its proper direction (north) and/or related
structures, fire hydrants, stores or business establishments.
e)
Number of lots from the closest corner, house or identified mark up to the
subject site. In case of open
agricultural (rice or corn lands) inquire from the land owners of lo locate
irrigation canals, dams and other structures nearby.
f)
Orienting yourself while traveling inside a vehicle may be difficult. The rising (morning) sun can be a useful
guide in the morning and the sundown during the afternoon except during
inclement weather conditions.
g)
Orienting yourself in the covered areas, especially inside a building or a
structure can be easy. Use the street
direction outside as your guide or better orient your map on plan before
entering such building structure.
h) When
the map or plan does not have any meridian or directional mark indicated, use
also the street or other points of
reference as your guide.
i) When
the map or plan contains only the bearing and distance of the property line,
orient the bearing of one or two lines towards the approximate directions.
j) Try
to locate any existing ground corner monuments and ascertain its
reliability. Verify if it was altered or
displaced. You can also measure its
distance by pacing (normal step) method.
One full step is equivalent to about one meter. You may determine your normal or regular pace factor which may be
between 30 to 50 centimeters or as big as one meter.
2. Basic Information/
Contents of a Plan
In real
estate deals, reading maps or plans in a simple and practical manner is very
useful particularly its contents.
Determine first if the basic information are indicated such as the
following:
a)
Lay-out/shape of the subject site of property;
b)
Existing or proposed street or access roads indicated;
c)
Contents or complete details of the map or plan pertinent to the property,
namely:
-
Meridian (North or South) directional sign
- Lot
description with bearing and distance
-
Boundary and corner description as marked in the ground
- Name
of owner or claimant
-
Area,scale, location, survey plan number and title number
- True
line from points of reference to corner 1
- Signature
and legal designations
- Name
of geodetic engineer
- Dates
of survey and approval
The
above can be found in the regular or standard forms used for approved maps or
plans by the Land Management Bureau of the Land Registration Authority (LRA).
d)
Orient yourself and the maps in its proper direction (north). Normally, official maps or plans are always
plotted and oriented towards the North.
e)
Locate the Block and/or Lot Number of the property subject of your interest and
inspection. If the frontage and depth
(dimension) are not indicated, estimate it based on the scale; the distance in
between corner should tally with that of the technical description appearing on
the title.
f)
Determine in its directional orientation whether the frontage is facing the
morning, afternoon sun or otherwise.
