Do You Need a Property Survey When Buying a House in Davie, Florida?

If you are under contract on a Davie home, a property survey is one of the few line items that can surface a real problem before you own it. Buyers ask me this question often. The short answer is that the state does not force you to buy one, but your lender may, and your title coverage depends on it. Here is when a survey is required, what drives the cost in Broward County, who pays, and what it protects you from.

What a Property Survey Actually Shows

A boundary survey is a licensed measurement of your lot. It maps the exact property lines, the location of the house and every structure on the parcel, the setbacks from each line, and any recorded easements that give utilities or neighbors a right to use part of the land. It also flags encroachments, meaning anything that crosses a boundary line. Common examples are a fence, a shed, a pool deck, or a driveway that crosses the line.

The survey confirms that what you are buying matches the legal description on the deed. That description is the one in the deed recorded in Broward County Official Records. You can see a summary of it on the parcel’s Broward County Property Appraiser record. A mismatch between the legal description and what is actually built on the ground is exactly the kind of defect a survey catches. On larger parcels, this matters even more. If you are looking at acreage and equestrian properties in western Davie, irregular lot shapes, drainage canals, and shared access easements make a current survey close to essential.

When a Survey Is Required in Davie

Florida law does not require a survey to close on a home. The reasons to get one come from two other places.

The first is your lender. Many lenders require a current survey, or survey coverage on the title policy, before funding. Ask your loan officer early whether yours does. A lender that asks for a survey wants proof that the improvements sit within the setbacks, that the house matches the legal description, and that no encroachment or undisclosed easement threatens the collateral. Lenders usually require a Florida Form 9 endorsement on their title policy. Many title underwriters want a survey before they will issue it.

The second is your owner’s title insurance policy. A title company does not require a survey to close. Without one, it issues your owner’s policy with the standard survey exception, and that exception leaves boundary and encroachment risk uncovered. A current survey is what lets the title company remove that exception, which is the main reason not to waive it.

If you are paying cash, no lender means no lender requirement. You can technically skip the survey. I still recommend one, because a cash buyer who waives the survey is knowingly accepting boundary and encroachment risk with no title coverage behind it. The cost of the survey is small next to the cost of a boundary dispute after closing.

What a Survey Costs in Broward County

The price of a standard residential boundary survey depends on the lot and the work involved, so get written quotes from Florida licensed surveyors before you order one.

Price moves with lot size, access, and complexity. A compact interior lot in a platted subdivision is at the low end. A large western Davie acreage parcel with canals, multiple structures, and equestrian zoning sits higher because there is simply more to measure and more to research. If you want to understand how lot size and setbacks shape what can be built or added on a parcel, my guide to Davie lot sizes and what you can build walks through it.

The survey is a closing cost, and it belongs on your net sheet alongside title, inspection, and lender fees. My breakdown of closing costs in Davie, Florida shows where it fits in the full picture.

Who Pays for the Survey

The buyer usually pays for a new or updated survey. That said, the cost is negotiable and it lives in the purchase contract. In a buyer’s market, asking the seller to cover the survey is a reasonable term. If the survey reveals an encroachment, the contract generally treats it like a title defect that the seller has a period to cure. Who pays for the survey itself can be negotiated.

Whether you can push that cost to the other side depends on the strength of your position. That is a negotiation question, and it is one piece of the larger home buying process in Davie that I help buyers work through offer by offer.

Can You Use the Seller’s Existing Survey?

Sometimes. A title company may accept the seller’s existing survey, often with a signed affidavit that nothing has changed, if no improvements were added and no new easements were recorded. Your title agent decides. If the seller added a pool, a fence, an addition, or a screen enclosure after the survey date, that old survey no longer reflects the property and a new one is needed.

I always ask the listing side for an existing survey early. If it qualifies, it can save you the cost. If it is old, or if it shows anything sitting close to a boundary line, a current survey is the safer call. When something is right on the line, that is precisely when you want fresh measurements, not a document from years ago.

How to Make Sure Your Davie Purchase Is Covered

1. Ask the seller for any existing survey as soon as you are under contract.

2. Send it to your title company and lender to confirm whether it qualifies or a new one is required.

3. If a new survey is needed, order a current boundary survey from a Florida licensed surveyor. You can verify a surveyor’s license through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which oversees the Board of Professional Surveyors and Mappers.

4. Review the finished survey right away. Your contract sets a short deadline after you receive it to give the seller written notice of any encroachment.

5. Resolve anything the survey flags, through a repair, a boundary agreement, or a renegotiation, before you close.

Handled in that order, the survey becomes a routine safeguard instead of a last minute closing surprise.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a survey legally required to buy a house in Florida?

No. Florida does not legally require a property survey to purchase a home. Your lender may require one. Without a survey, your owner’s title policy will usually exclude boundary and encroachment matters.

How much does a property survey cost in Davie?

The price depends on lot size, access, and complexity, so get written quotes from Florida licensed surveyors. Larger western Davie acreage parcels with canals or multiple structures cost more because there is more to measure and research.

Who pays for the survey, the buyer or the seller?

The buyer usually pays, and the cost is negotiable in the purchase contract. If the survey reveals an encroachment, the contract generally treats it like a title defect that the seller has a period to cure.

Do I need a survey if I am paying cash?

Not by rule, since no lender means no lender requirement. I still recommend one, because waiving the survey leaves boundary and encroachment risk uncovered by your owner’s title insurance policy.

Can I use the survey the seller already has?

Possibly. A title company may accept an existing survey, often with a signed affidavit that nothing has changed, if no improvements were added and no new easements were recorded. Your title agent decides. If the property changed, a new survey is needed.

Talk to a Davie Real Estate Expert

If you are buying in Davie and want to know whether a survey is required for your specific property, what it should cost, and whether you can push that cost to the seller, I can walk you through it. Schedule a free 15 minute strategy call at bit.ly/daviestrategycall or call me directly at (954) 235-5783. You can also learn more about Anthony and how I work with Davie buyers.

About the Author

Anthony Spitaleri is a Broker Associate and REALTOR® with Coldwell Banker Realty, working the detached single family market in Weston and Davie, Florida, out of the Coldwell Banker Weston office. Born in Miami and raised in Davie, he sold real estate in Miami for more than a decade before coming back, and he has been licensed in Florida since 2013 (BK3281907). He hosts open houses across both cities and works with luxury and estate sellers, acreage and equestrian owners, relocation buyers, upsizers, downsizers, first time buyers, and investors. He created livingindavieflorida.com, an independent Weston and Davie real estate resource with community guides, live listings, original market data, and interactive tools. Reach Anthony at 954-235-5783 or anthony.spitaleri@cbrealty.com.

Anthony Spitaleri, Broker Associate

Coldwell Banker Realty, Weston Office

2690 Weston Road, Suite 101, Weston, Florida 33331

Serving Davie, Florida and Broward County

Phone: (954) 235-5783

Website: livingindavieflorida.com