answer:If ± 30’ or so isn’t close enough for you, then you probably need to have a survey. And forget about ‘sticks with colored flags’, which are good enough for builders as (very) temporary guides. You really need permanent stakes such as rebar driven deep enough into the ground (or rebar with some kind of barb) that can’t be pulled out without heavy equipment. (Though these could still be cut off at ground level or below by someone with an acetylene torch, and then covered with dirt so they’d be nearly impossible to find again.) But it might be worthwhile tramping through the woods to look for evidence of previous surveys. Look for iron stakes or small diameter pipe pounded solidly into the ground, or stone benchmarks themselves. Alternatively, you could possibly include language in the purchase contract that requires a full survey and marked property lines, but… you already know that you’d pay for that one way or another. I think if I were you I’d start to make broad assumptions about where the property lines are (conservatively, since you don’t want to make enemies of your next-door neighbors on your first week in the new place) and start collecting firewood (for example) and cutting dead trees from the assumed locations. If the neighbors have a complaint, then they’ll probably tell you soon, and no permanent harm will have been done.