My mother received a call from a gentlemen asking about her deceased family member. He wanted to know how she was related to the deceased. He asked if she could prove the info w/ death & birth certificates. He would send her an affavidit to sign on 10 acres in Canadian co. On mineral rights. He even offered her an Amt/acre w/ royalty. My mom’s bro also was contacted a month or so ago but a different person & company, in regards to this same 10 acres. He was offered a little higher amt/acre & royalty. We are inexperienced in this field …does this sound legitimate? Would these people have been Land men? I’m learning a lot on these forums very interesting. I enjoy learning new things each day so any info you could provide me for my mother would be wonderful. Thanks in advance!
I have also received calls about Minerals that I did not know about and Minerals that were close-by some I do own. It appears these land GUYs? are seeing if they can sell to some speculators Minerals that maybe have unclear title. And they are asking us to represent owning these assets. I am not sure what kind of liability/fraud we would be signing up for, by signing a lease we did not have clear title to, but I don't think it's wise to go down that road. They must be having luck with this practice as I have received well of a dozen of these types of offers. If you would like to get involved I would do a title check at the County Clerk files- to see if you can find a record of any relative of yours for the land in question, and who owns it now. Ask them where they are seeing the ownership information. It may be as simple as needing to file a Probate/will and go to court to have the Minerals placed in your name if you find the Title should have passed to you and was forgotten. At very least ask for the Bonus certified check at the time you sign the lease and make sure they can't claw-back the bonus ; also no warranty cause!! That will probaly stop the whole scam.
It is possible that a land man got information at the court house about your mom's deceased family member and is wanting to by those mineral rights. If you have a right to the minerals it could be worth you time and money to get title to them. Some areas in Canadian County are really good and the price per acre they are offering is great. If you want to post the legal description of the minerals on this site I am sure someone can help you. I would not sell them until you know what you have and what they are worth.
Good comments already, but another thing you can do is ask for a copy of the title opinion paragraph that relates to your acreage so you can have it for your files. Then you can trace the lineage and file the correct paperwork directly with the county. Then other landmen can find you. Since your brother also got an offer from a different landman, that is good news and shows the interest in the area and a higher possibility that the offer has legitimacy.
The most important thing is to get a good lease. The original one that you will be offered is usually totally in the favor of the lessee (the one who wants to lease). Many of those clauses can be negotiated to be more in your favor and in the long run you will make more money in royalties. Do not sell anything that you cannot prove is yours. Also, I am not a fan of selling without a really good reason and especially if someone is rushing you. If someone wants it, then it is usually worth more than they are offering.
Find out which relative they are talking about, get the title straightened out and then several folks on the forum can help you get a good lease. Friend me with the blue icon if you need some help and I can walk you through the clauses you have to watch out for. No selling or buying from me, just free advice.
Thanks for the replies good stuff here. My mother was told by Land man(?) she did not own the land only the mineral rights on 10 acres. Will that change what we need to ask for at county clerk office? We won’t sell, only lease & we’ll b in touch, M Barnes. Thxs!
If you actually do own the mineral rights you might want to check unclaimed property in Oklahoma. There may already be a well in the section, if so you might have some money there. If you have the legal description you can look it up on the Oklahoma Corporation Commision website or post the legal here and someone can look up the location for you and let you know if there is a well on the property or if you are in a hot area.
Very common not to own the land. Friend me with the blue icon and I can tell you some places you can do research for free before you call the county clerk. They are super busy and may not have time to help.
I tried clicking on your blue icon to add as a friend but says Your page is set to private & I need to b friends with u before Viewing your page. ??? So not sure.
Wondering if any others are getting lease offers & for what amounts in Canadian co section 6 t12n, r 6w?