# Plus or minus 2 acres **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 13, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387 "2017-12-13T12:53:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/1 "2017-12-13T12:53:25Z")
That’s what it said on a sign I saw this morning on my drive in to work. “± 2 Acres” It didn’t say something like “20 ± 2 Acres”, which is an indication that you should fire your surveyor. Just the Plus or Minus 2 acres. I’m tempted to call them up. This sounds like an opportunity to buy what is potentially negative land. But I don’t think I can afford that. It’s OK if I pay the money and luck out and get the “+ 2 acres”. Then I’ve got more land that I can do something with. But what if I’m wrong, and it turns out to be the “- 2 acres”? They could end up taking the land my house sits on! Can anyone tell me what this sign means? Is “± 2 acres” realtor’s shorthand for something else, like, “about 2 acres (but we couldn’t be bothered to actually measure it)” or something? ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 12:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/2 "2017-12-13T12:58:06Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > Can anyone tell me what this sign means? Is “± 2 acres” realtor’s shorthand for something else, like, “about 2 acres (but we couldn’t be bothered to actually measure it)” or something? That would be my take. They are probably figuring ≈2 acres would be interpreted as two acres under water. ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 1:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/3 "2017-12-13T13:10:19Z")
What’s funny is, just reversing the order makes it reasonably correct. “2 acres ±” is a pretty standard way of saying 2 acres more-or-less. ---
**Author:** ![ElvisL1ves](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/5daacb/32.png) [@ElvisL1ves](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ElvisL1ves)\ **Post date:** [December 13, 2017, 1:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/4 "2017-12-13T13:18:27Z")
The land parcel is legally described by a plot number in the county records, or by metes and bounds (Start at this rock, then go north 16.5 rods etc.). The actual area is approximate and given only for reference, so no lawsuits if there’s half a square millimeter less than 2 acres upon closer examination. ---
**Author:** ![WildBlueYonder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/ce7236/32.png) [@WildBlueYonder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildBlueYonder)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/5 "2017-12-14T16:31:55Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The land parcel is legally described by a plot number in the county records, or by metes and bounds (Start at this rock, then go north 16.5 rods etc.). The actual area is approximate and given only for reference, so no lawsuits if there’s half a square millimeter less than 2 acres upon closer examination. This ---
**Author:** ![RetroVertigo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b38774/32.png) [@RetroVertigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RetroVertigo)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/6 "2017-12-14T18:28:58Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The land parcel is legally described by a plot number in the county records, or by metes and bounds (Start at this rock, then go north 16.5 rods etc.). The actual area is approximate and given only for reference, so no lawsuits if there’s half a square millimeter less than 2 acres upon closer examination. Basically this. My family owns some forested property that we have used for camping (and what not) for a few generations. The property has a couple flowing streams, and is bordered on a larger creek. The way the original title was drawn up was that we owned to the middle of the creek bed (which is a gray-area with state law). However this is always in flux as the creek shifts over time in either direction. When we went to sell a sliver of property to a neighbor for them to build a better access road we had to spell out the approximation since it could shift over time. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/7 "2017-12-14T19:35:50Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > The land parcel is legally described by a plot number in the county records, or by metes and bounds (Start at this rock, then go north 16.5 rods etc.). The actual area is approximate and given only for reference, so no lawsuits if there’s half a square millimeter less than 2 acres upon closer examination. The concept is correct, the way they notate it is wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2017, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/plus-or-minus-2-acres/804387/8 "2017-12-14T23:08:56Z")
Here you go. [http://massgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/OnePane/basicviewer/index.html?appid=47689963e7bb4007961676ad9fc56ae9](http://massgis.maps.arcgis.com/apps/OnePane/basicviewer/index.html?appid=47689963e7bb4007961676ad9fc56ae9) You can drill down to and click on any piece of property in the state. Like this random commercial property I clicked on; 4 BURLINGTON MALL, BURLINGTON 01803 Owner: FEDERATED RETAIL HOLDINGS INC Owner Address: 7 WEST SEVENTH ST CINCINNATI, OH 45202 Building Value: $9,291,600 Land Value: $9,910,000 Other Value: $339,400 Total Value: $19,541,000 Assessment data from FY 2013 Lot Size: 17.40 A Last Sale Price: $100 Last Sale Date: 20061109 Use Code: 322 Year Built: 1968 Residential Area: 247,212 sq ft Building Style: Dept. Store Number of Units: 1 Number of Rooms: Book, Page: 1329, 44 Property ID: 52-3-0 Location ID: M\_223635\_914457