In the metes and bounds system of legal description, what is the point of beginning (POB)?
Correct Answer
A) A fixed point where the courses start and end
The point of beginning identifies where the described boundary traversal begins and returns to close. It must be appropriately identifiable through the description and survey references; it is not necessarily the highest point, road-nearest point or parcel center. A monument can identify the point, but absence of a visible marker alone is not a legal determination that the description is invalid. Courses include directions and distances.
Why This Is the Correct Answer
Option A is correct because the point of beginning is the identifiable point where the boundary description starts and to which it returns to close. A metes and bounds description traces all the way around the property boundary back to that point. It is fixed by the description and survey references.
Why the Other Options Are Wrong
Option B: The highest point of elevation on the property
Option B, the highest point of elevation on the property, confuses topography with legal description. The POB is defined by its place in the boundary description, not by elevation.
Option C: The point that lies closest to a public road
Option C, the point closest to a public road, is not the definition of a POB. A POB may be near a road, but nearness to a road is not what makes it the point of beginning.
Option D: The geographic center of the parcel described
Option D, the geographic center of the parcel, cannot be the POB because a metes and bounds description traces the boundary. The POB lies on or is tied to the boundary, not the interior center.
Start and finish line
Like a running track, the POB is where the boundary trip both starts and ends. If it does not return there, the description does not close.
How to use: Use this to recall that the POB is both the start and end of the description.
Exam Tip
Distractors often describe physical features such as elevation, road frontage or the center of a lot. The POB is defined by the description itself.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- -Thinking the POB is a physical feature like the highest point
- -Assuming the description can end somewhere other than the POB
- -Believing a missing visible marker alone makes the description invalid
Concept Deep Dive
Analysis
This question tests the definition of the point of beginning in a metes and bounds description. The description starts at the POB, follows courses of direction and distance around the boundary and returns to the POB to close. The POB is defined by its role in the description, not by elevation, road location or the parcel's center.
Background Knowledge
Metes refers to measures of distance and direction, and bounds refers to boundaries and monuments. A metes and bounds description begins at a point of beginning, follows courses with bearings and distances, and closes at that same point. The POB is often tied to a monument or other reference point.
Real-World Application
An appraiser reviews a deed for a rural tract that begins at an iron pin at the northeast corner of an adjoining parcel. The courses run around the tract and end at that same iron pin. The appraiser recognizes the iron pin as marking the point of beginning and relies on a survey to identify the boundaries.
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