HLS on the Radio

We hope everyone had a wonderful President's Day Holiday!  Our staff is all very excited about the newest Hogan Land Services campaign... have you heard it yet?

That's right, we are running a radio ad on the Sonoma County KZST and KJZY!  Over the years Hogan Land Services has helped out thousands of clients all over California, and we want to share with everyone what we can do for you!

Whether you wave next time you see the Permit Mobile, or decide to give us a call regarding that home improvement project, we thank you for tuning in!

Our dedicated staff of professionals are excited to share our knowledge and help homeowners and developers reach their land development and services needs.

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

An Update on Wet Weather Testing

The 2015 season of Wet Weather testing has been a busy one!  We have successfully completed multiple Wet Weather Percolation tests over the last month and a half.  The testing window for Wet Weather Percolation testing opened the first week of January and is projected to remain open until March.

Coincidentally, the window for Groundwater testing just opened this past Monday, February 9.  If you are in need of a Groundwater test, now is the time to call us to get on the schedule.  

Are you unsure if you property requires one of these tests? Contact our office and we will explain the process and if these Wet Weather Tests align with your project needs.

To leave you with a laugh, we never know what we are going to encounter in the field.  This horse was clever enough to drink the fruits of our labor.  At least the water wasn't going to waste!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Above the Flood Line

Have you ever heard of an Elevation Certificate?  Perhaps if your insurance has been asking you to get one, it is a very familiar term. If not,  FEMA, or the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has developed certain guidelines for communities located in  flood hazard areas to allow homeowners to obtain flood insurance.      

So what exactly does this mean?  Certain areas have been designated as  "SFHA's" or Special Flood Hazard Areas by FEMA.  The SFHAs indicate there is a potential for the area to be affected by rising water levels and flood zones.  An Elevation Certificate is a document prepared by a Land Surveyor to provide accurate information to insurance providers about the relationship between a homeowners house and property and the Base Flood Elevation (BFE).  The BFE is determined by FEMA and is subject to change. Therefore, specific information about a house or property may show the risk of flooding is less, and thus lowers or removes the obligation to obtain insurance that some loan providers require.

Our experienced Land Surveyors have completed many Elevation Certificates over the years.  If your insurance is asking you for one, or if you have questions about the process, the professionals at Hogan Land Services are here to help.

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Top Ways to Improve Your Property Value - Part 3

This week's post is Part 3 of our reoccurring theme, "Top Ways to Improve Your Property Value".   Today we will be looking into projects or enhancements you can do to increase your property's value throughout the years.  Adding entitlements to your property is a great way to give your particular parcel its highest and best value.  An entitlement is a legal agreement with a governing municipality to allow a certain building type to occur on the site.

There are a few ways you can add entitlements to your property.  An example is adding a pond or a well onto your land.  With these types of entitlements, project coordination is typically required with multiple agencies.  For example, the California Regional Water Board will most likely be involved, along with the local permitting agency to ensure regulations are upheld.  Other entitlements can be in the form of special zoning or land-use improvements.

Although coordination and management of a project with multiple agencies sounds daunting, it is something the pro's at Hogan Land Services do on a daily basis.

If you have an existing feature on your property such as a pond or stream, contact us to find out if we can help you add entitlements, and increase your property value!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Our Favorite Field Shots of 2014

Did you catch our photo from last week's blog post?  If you missed it, you can view it here.  This week we want to share some of our favorite landscape shots from 2014 that our surveyors have snapped while they are in the field. 

“It is one of the joys of my profession, that my “office” extends to such amazing places.  I am lucky to experience so many wonderful places and witness moments as shown in photos such as these; that convey only a glimmer of the magic and joy that I get from “working” in such places.” - HLS Surveyor.

 From lush forests, to views stretching out to the San Francisco bay, our team is excited to share these photos with you!  We can't wait to see what views 2015 will bring.

                                         

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls

Groundwater & Wet Weather Testing Window

Happy 2015!  With a new year, the window for Sonoma County's Groundwater and Wet Weather Percolation testing has opened for a limited time.  As many of you know, 2014 was a record dry year for California.  The impact of the low rainfall can be seen throughout the state.  The lack of rain these last few years caused the 2013/14 window for Wet Weather Percolation and Groundwater testing to last a mere few weeks, creating a disadvantage to many pre-construction projects.

Luckily Sonoma County has been saturated with a few storms over the last few weeks, and the window for Wet Weather Percolation and Groundwater testing looks promising for 2015. The testing window for Percolation has just opened for Petaluma, Sonoma, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol, Guerneville and Cloverdale.  If you have been needing a Wet Weather test, please call us to get on the schedule!   The window for Groundwater testing can be conducted 10 days after rainfall of .8 inches within a 48 hour window for the specific geographic location.  We monitor the rainfall daily in our office, therefore our staff will be able to respond quickly and effectively if your project opens for Groundwater Testing. We don't want anyone to miss out on this opportunity.  Once the testing window closes the next possibility will be in 2016.  So make sure you don't miss out! See you on our next view from the field! Hogan Land Services Team #hoganls

Happy New Year!

Happy New Years Eve!

2014 has been a fantastic year for the Hogan Land Services team.  We are thankful for our great clients, amazing staff, and everything in between.

Cheers to a successful 2014, and best wishes to all as we enter 2015!

See you on our next view from the field!

Hogan Land Services Team

#hoganls