A parcel is described as beginning at a point 200 feet north of a monument, then following courses that fail to return to that point. The description is:
Correct Answer
D) Defective — the description does not close
Why this is correct: A fundamental requirement of a valid metes and bounds description is that it must 'close' by returning to the exact point of beginning, forming a complete, enclosed polygon. The original explanation states that courses failing to return describe no enclosed area, creating uncertainty. Why the other choices are wrong: 'Valid, since the point of beginning is clearly identified' is incorrect; a clear beginning point is necessary but not sufficient without closure. 'Valid if the acreage stated matches the assessor's record' is false; acreage cannot be reliably determined from an unclosed description. 'Valid only for parcels smaller than one acre in size' is not a rule; closure is required regardless of size. Exam tip: Think of metes and bounds as a walking tour: you must end exactly where you started.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
The description is defective because it does not close, and closure is the structural requirement that makes a metes and bounds description define land at all. Without a return to the point of beginning there is an open perimeter and therefore no enclosed parcel. That defect cannot be cured by anything else in the document, however precise the individual calls may be. The appraiser's proper response is to note the discrepancy, rely on a current survey for area, and disclose the reliance.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option A: Valid, since the point of beginning is clearly identified
A clearly identified point of beginning is necessary but not sufficient. Knowing exactly where the walk starts is useless if the walk never comes back, because the land in between is not bounded on all sides. This option mistakes one requirement for the whole set.
Option B: Valid if the acreage stated matches the assessor's record
Matching the assessor's acreage cannot validate a description, because assessor records are compiled for taxation and are not legal determinations of boundaries. Acreage sits at the bottom of the hierarchy of calls, below monuments and below courses and distances, so it yields to them rather than controlling them. An open traverse also cannot generate a reliable area figure to compare in the first place.
Option C: Valid only for parcels smaller than one acre in size
No rule ties closure to parcel size, and a description of a quarter-acre lot must close exactly as a description of a thousand acres must. Small parcels are if anything more sensitive to error, since a few feet of gap represents a larger share of the whole. The threshold in this option is invented.
End Where You Started
Read a metes and bounds description as walking directions around a field. Every turn matters, but the only fatal error is not arriving back at the gate. If the walk does not close the loop, no field was described.
How to use: For validity questions about metes and bounds, answer closure and nothing else. Point of beginning, acreage, and adjoining owner names are all secondary and none can substitute.
Exam Tip
Distinguish a closure failure from a mere discrepancy between deed acreage and survey acreage. The first means no parcel is described; the second means two sources disagree about a parcel that is defined.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- -Treating a clear point of beginning as sufficient for validity
- -Relying on assessor acreage to resolve a boundary question
- -Computing value from deed acreage without reconciling it to a survey
Concept Deep Dive
Analysis
A metes and bounds description works only if it encloses something. It begins at a point of beginning, which must itself be fixed to an identifiable monument or reference, and then recites a sequence of calls, each giving a bearing and distance or naming a monument to follow, tracing the perimeter until it returns to that starting point. Surveyors verify the return mathematically by summing the north-south and east-west components of every call in a closure calculation; if the sums do not return to the origin within tolerance, the traverse fails to close. A description that does not close leaves a gap in the perimeter, so no bounded area exists and the parcel's extent cannot be determined from the document. Here the point of beginning is well fixed at 200 feet north of a monument, which satisfies one requirement while leaving the fatal one unmet. Closure failures are cured by a new survey, a boundary line agreement between neighbors, or a corrective deed, not by the appraiser.
Background Knowledge
You need the anatomy of a metes and bounds description, point of beginning, courses, distances, monuments, and closure, and the concept of a traverse closure calculation. You should also know the hierarchy of calls placing natural monuments first and area last, and the limits of assessor data as evidence of boundaries.
Real-World Application
An appraiser reviewing title work sees a surveyor's note that the deed traverse fails to close by several feet. She reports the parcel size from the current survey rather than the deed, discloses the source of her area figure, and recommends the client obtain legal advice about a corrective instrument.
More Property Description Questions
A property is located in FEMA flood zone AE with a base flood elevation of 485 feet. The lowest floor is at 487 feet. What is the significance for the appraisal?
In a leasehold estate, the tenant's interest in the property is called:
A ground lease typically involves:
An appraisal of a rented single-family home where the lease runs another four years at below-market rent is valuing which interest, from the owner's side?
A duplex operates legally in a zone later rezoned single-family. What is its status, and the key appraisal question?
Which component carries roof loads down to the foundation in a typical wood-framed house?
A property owner wants to operate a daycare center in an area zoned for single-family residential use. What would they most likely need to obtain?
A deed restriction that prohibits the construction of fences over 4 feet in height is an example of:
Room count in residential appraisal conventionally excludes:
Type I construction classification typically refers to buildings with:
People Also Study
Real Estate Market
13.6% of exam
Land or Site Valuation
4.5% of exam
Sales Comparison Approach
16.4% of exam
Cost Approach
13.6% of exam
Income Approach
8.2% of exam