Otherwise, Swanny has nothing to sell, and after surveying what others charge for multifamily syndications in terms of acquisition fees, asset management fees and mentoring I came out with a steal.  

If like any survey the questions are open to the participants written ideas, then yes it's going to be a she said he said rather than using the yes/no method.

At the link below, there is a survey from University Presidents.

I don't think I'd consider any of that to be perfectly fine, you can check your survey that you may have gotten with your purchase to see if it is on your property, if it is I'd see if the neighbor is willing to split the cost with you. 

The seller and his attorney recently paid for a survey to be done and also paid someone to spend a lot of time at the city to persuade them.

I'm an Illinois real estate attorney and have little knowledge of the real estate laws and customs of North Carolina.However, Cash is king and you should make sure you are covered/protected before you complete the transaction.First, yes complete an inspection if you want to and that can take as long as you can to have it completed.Next, although I may feel ok with giving the Seller's attorney my Earnest Money, I would not do the transaction unless a title company is involved as the escrow agent for the parties, takes/receives my payments, and can guarantee me clear title ownership.In Illinois, as a Seller's Attorney, I can be ready for a cash closing in about a week, subject to the time it will take to obtain a Plat of Survey, HOA documents, mortgage payoff letter and city inspections, and cleaning up any title exceptions, if any.  

@Antonio DeFlorioI've also seen:Buyer to pay for survey and provide a sealed copy to seller.Buyer agrees that their attorney has reviewed the contract and accepts all terms.All contingencies waived.Should seller decide to appeal previous year's property taxes, buyer is to pay their pro-rata share of the legal expenses to do so.Like you said - buyer pays all closing costsAnd all of these things are always buried in the middle of 16 pages.

@Don ThorntonThe Annual Census, known as the American Community Survey, is a good resource to consider using. 

I don’t do anything else until that survey hits my inbox.

No worries though, I always get an email at least two weeks prior if Section 8 decides to change the amount of rent that they will pay out, so I'll know ahead of time what they're paying and what my tenant will pay.Personally, I like the program and I plan on getting my new rental property surveyed in order to be able to accept Section 8 tenants.