Property Lines/Neighbors

Sounds like it may be time to "out crazy" the crazy neighbor.
I understand wanting to keep the peace though. About 10 years ago I was having trouble with a neighbor who was feeding about 20 feral cats. Her cats started spraying my vehicles and completely ruined one of my vintage convertibles by spraying down the cowl into the vent system. I mentioned it to a crazy friend of mine and told him I could handle the problem, diplomatically, of course. The following Friday afternoon, I was confronting the neighbor about the cat problem when my knucklehead friend drives up and hollers over to us "hey Dave, kill those cats yet?" She nearly fainted. I told her he was only joking. She promised that the cats would not be a problem in the future. She rounded them up, kept them inside, and I never saw them again.

Dang Mark, here in my state, tresspassing can put you six feet under. Only a fool would mess with another man's property line, much less cut their trees. As much as I hate fences, there would be a 7.5 foot high deer fence around my whole property if I had neighbors that bold. Sounds like it's time to put up some posted/no tresspasing signs. "Property protected by Smith & Wesson," lol!! That should do the trick. As mentioned earlier, good fences make for good neighbors.

Mark Mel wrote: She cleared 20' into my property at some spots.

Mark,
I feel Peter's solution with the bees and old junk cars would fit real nice in that 20'.

spend the bucks and get a survey, then get an underground fence and an angry dog. good fences make good neighbors.

A professional survey is the only way to go. Line of site means nothing today with GPS surveying equipment. I agree that if you can find a surveyor who has recently worked in the area, his price will reflect his familiarity with the benchmarks. My neighbor (who is the best neighbor a person could have) had is lot done for $600, which, on paper, took away 12' of my shoreline, which he did not try to reclaim. So I had them do mine for $125 which allowed my to pick up 10' from my peckerhead neighbor on the other side (that house as since burned down, now a vacant lot).
My cottage on the other hand was platted in 1924. The benchmark, some of which are now under water, have all but disappeared. We've been told by a surveyor who worked a lawsuit in the area that the whole subdivision would have to be done and all property owners would have to basically barter for property lines, agree to property lines, and sign quick claim deeds to re-establish new property lines.
Have you tried to find the original pins? It's illegal to move a professional surveyors pins and monuments. You'd be surprised what you can find with an old survey and a metal detector. I have found most of the pins I have looked for when trying to find property lines. I just bought a barn and will be searching for those pins soon.
BTW, where in Michigan are you located.

Riley wrote:    When looking for a surveyor, the guy who's done work in that area is apt to give you the best price.

I agree. When I built my shop last summer, I called the same surveyor who my neighbor used a couple years before. The lot corners were marked well but where the shop was on top of the hill there really wasn't a line of site to the corner stakes. Needing to get the shop as close as the zoning would permit to the line, the surveyor came in for $250 and added 3 stakes next to the shop excavation. The plus to this is if a dispute did come up, I used my neighbors surveyor!!   

levinmark wrote: I agree with Eric, check with city hall and get a plot map. Even though your stakes are gone, look at your map and roughly locate the boundries, there should be a metal stake or two buried at one of the corners and measure from there

From the sound of things, I do not feel Kirk's neighbor is going to believe him if he marks it off himself! What if the next benchmark is 10 propeties or more over?

I agree with Eric, check with city hall and get a plot map. Even though your stakes are gone, look at your map and roughly locate the boundries, there should be a metal stake or two buried at one of the corners and measure from there

Well where do I start? I don't know how many of you out there have had problems with the neighbors and property lines but mine every year thinks their property line moves each year
The original stakes are long gone so I called some surveyors and they want up around a $1000 to mark the four corners
Does any one know any short cuts to find property lines?