No. The first sentence of Paragraph 6C(1) states: "Seller shall furnish to Buyer and Title Company Seller's existing survey." This doesn’t mean that the seller only has to furnish the existing survey if he can find it. Any party to the contract who doesn’t perform a "shall" obligation under the contract would probably be held by a court to be in default unless otherwise excused from performance by the terms of the contract.

The paragraph also states, in bold: "If Seller fails to furnish the existing survey or affidavit within the time prescribed, Buyer shall obtain a new survey at Seller's expense no later than 3 days prior to Closing Date." This means the seller will be responsible for the cost of a new survey if he can’t find the existing survey.

To avoid this situation, sellers should only agree to provide an existing survey if they have it readily available. The seller could try to obtain another copy from the surveyor or title company he used when purchasing the property so that he can fulfill his contractual obligations. Be aware that if the seller agreed to deliver the existing survey to the buyer, he is required to deliver the survey and the affidavit within the specified time.

The purpose of the T-47 Residential Real Property Affidavit (TXR 1907) is to affirm that there have been no changes made to the property—other than those listed on the form—since the date the seller enters in the blank in Paragraph 4. That date should be the date from which the sellers have no knowledge of changes having been made to the property. At the bottom of Paragraph 4, the seller may list changes to the property that have occurred since that date or put "None" if there have been no changes.

The sellers have several options as to what date to fill in. Since the purpose of the affidavit is to affirm the existing survey, the sellers could use the date of the most recent existing survey, which may be a survey ordered by them or by a previous owner of the home. Alternatively, the sellers could use the date that they acquired the property because that could be seen as the earliest date that they have actual knowledge about any changes made to the property. It is ultimately up to the sellers to choose what date to use.