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A Problem in the Land Surveying Profession
http://www.facebook.com/dewardkb/posts/272664382841981?notif_t=share_reply Here is something I wanted to point out about a certain sickness that has swept through our Profession (if not the entire American society) over the course of the last 10 years or so.
I am embarrassed for our profession but unfortunately nothing I say or do seems to have any effect on it.
This is one of the reasons that I enjoy Land Surveyors United so much. This site seems to be free of this type of behavior despite little if any censorship.
The Land Surveyor who wrote this very good article that has gone viral in our profession is somebody I knew in New Jersey. The other Land Surveyors who commented on his piece are Land Surveyors who knew me through RPLS.com before I was banned.
By posting this embarrassing piece my hope is that Land Surveyors across this country begin to realize that they are destroying their profession by behavior that is both unprofessional and short sighted.
Thoughts
That whole FB thing had absolutely nothing to do with title companies bypassing the surveyor. GIS and GPS operators are fast becoming a problem. They know how to use the equipment but they don't know how to interpret the results as a professional land surveyor would. This "general informatioin" that they provide and share across the world is doing the profession no service really. Sure, it's a handy place to start but GIS is not going to solve a boundary line issue. You can GPS all you want and apply all the mathematics you have; It's not part of the art of surveying. I think a surveyor should be as involved and as important as a notary. You cannot sell anything without having it notarized. Why should the surveyor be passed by? Why when selling property, nobody wants to spend the money to check the description. The surveyor could have a form to explain how the property closes and a few other items. A statement that the property is within acceptable tolerance for closure could inform the buyer of any potential boundary issues. If you still want to buy without the surveyor solving your issues, you can but there would be a record of the buyer knowing well in advance of a potential problem.
Most of the deeds I come across are pretty good and would not be a problem. The buyer would be aware of that. Some are just really really bad. Buy it anyway without knowing how bad it is and then try to sue someone for selling you a "pig in a poke." That's not a solution. Involving the surveyor in all things property related is a start to a solution.
Just my take on this whole sickness... If I act like a professional, people will see me as a professional whether it's on FB or here or on the phone or anywhere else. I recently found out that I passed the PA State Board exam and now a professional land surveyor and I feel compelled to act like one. I will not bash my colleagues: There is no need. A bad egg will be tossed aside eventually.
Rather than try to discuss the content of the article and the political context in which it was offered some Land Surveyors feel compelled to attack the personal and professional character of another Land Surveyor completely unrelated to the discussion. Why some Land Surveyors feel the need to do this is embarrassing to our profession.
very unprofessional how they chose to gang up on you rather than present something useful and productive.