I was recently contacted by someone who was doing title research for mineral rights owners in Karnes County, TX. I was shocked to find I owned 1/2 the mineral rights on the property. I was advised Conoco Phillips wanted to send me an oil and gas lease in which I know nothing about. I really need some advice in regards to what I'm getting myself into. I know I should be getting some money out of it but should I hire a lawyer to review the lease or should I do some research and review the lease and negotiate myself. I want to get the best out of this new found situation and I could really use some helpful advice.
Thanks.
Natasha Haskins
I’m not exactly sure. When I spoke to the woman she stated all of the information would be on the oil and gas lease. I guess I waited too long (weekend) to attempt to obtain this information in which I called the Karnes County Appraisal District however they are closed. I do not communicate with my dad’s side of the family whom with which I also share part of the mineral rights with. Does this seem odd that she didn’t provide me with the address?
An address is not a legal description. The description on the lease form will not likely mean anything to you. You will need to look at a county property map, showing Abstract lines.
Natasha; I saw your other post, where you said that the affidavit of heirship would be difficult, to fill out. I understand. When I filled one out years ago I had a difficult time finding a non-family member who knew my father and I [ as my father and I had been estranged for several years ] and who could swear that dad had no debts that he knew of. I think it would be most helpful to have a copy of the probate/s of the will or estate/s of the persons who left you the minerals. There may not have been a will and or a probate may not have ever been done. If there is a family member who would know that you can ask, it might save you a fruitless search. If you have to search, start with the county in which the person/s who left you the minerals resided at the time they passed away. Next best place would be wherever the bulk of their property was, if other than the county in which they resided. On the question of whether you need a lawyer or not ? There are some things that will influence the answer. If you only own a net acre or less; I don’t believe it would be economically feasable to hire a lawyer. If you own 20 net mineral acres or more in a desirable area, I think you’d probably be doing yourself a disservice by not having an oil and gas attorney on your side, even if it cost you the equivalent of half your signing bonus. That being said; I have had experience with Conoco Philips. It was hard to get them to talk to me, [ took about 6 weeks for them to admit that I exist ] in the beginning. They eventually did and were relatively benign from then on. This last bit of advice I give everyone and I’m sure people are tired of hearing it, but; affidavits of heirship aside, you may need to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that you own the minerals leased from you to get paid. I think this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. I wouldn’t want to collect royalty’s for 10 years and have to pay it back because a mistake had been made. Maybe someone else will chime in with more info for you. Since someone has sniped at me for trying to help others I need to give a disclaimer. I am not an oil and gas professional. This is advice based on my opinion that I think may really help you. Good luck, Natasha! I hope your ownership brings you much joy and none of the headaches mine has brought me. RWK
This is great advice thanks. As I continue to do research, I kinda feel hopeful and I kind of don’t. A rep from Conoco Phillips contacted me stating they where doing title research so I thought possibly since she was in house they did the research themselves to find me. I don’t know anything about the property because it was owned by my great, great, great grandparents in the early 1900’s and since the majority of my fathers side family members are deceased with the exception of 9, I automatically qualified as the heir to 1/2 the mineral rights. The rep advised she was sending the lease in which I was to review and it would have the land surveys and all details needed for consideration. I think I’ll wait to see what lies within the documents however will continue to find out more information about getting the minerals recorded in my name. Depending on the size and share of the acres, I’ll contact a lawyer. That was good advice. Someone told me that there are so many companies out there that are working with mineral rights owners however I think only the big companies contact you. The property is in Karnes County, TX and after doing some research, I found the oil industry is highly interested in that area and there are properties in the HOT zone which have a higher chance of being financially compensated. The rep from Conoco Phillips advised I’d receive the oil and gas lease via mail within the next two weeks. How long did the inital process take for you?
Karnes County, TX So far that’s all I know. A rep with Conoco Phillips contacted me advising she was doing title research and discovered I was an heir to 1/2 the mineral rights on property owned by my great, great, great grandparents whom initially purchases the property in the early 1900’s. She said they where farmers so I’m really eager to find how many acres she’s talking about here, lol. The rep also advised all of the details needed regarding the property would lie within the oil and gas lease however I really want to speak to someone at the Appraisal office in Karnes County, TX so that I can find out more about the property and how I would go about getting the minerals recorded in my name. My father is deceased and from what the rep advised, she’s been in contact with an aunt and uncle of mine that live in CA in which she’d been trying to contact me for a while since the number my aunt and uncle gave was no longer in service. I really just want to know what to expect in regard to the entire process. I think I may need a lawyer for guidance purposes because after further research, there are so many options and different negotiations you can make.
Gerald said:
where is it located?
Natasha; The time from first contact to having the lease offer in my hand has varied from 20 hours to two weeks. The time to getting paid a signing bonus should be short if you are represented. I believe that most people who have had problems receiving their signing bonuses and later collecting their royalty’s did not have the benefit of being represented. My brother and I are about to have a 7th well drilled on our minerals and we have never received any money from it. We have just retained an attorney. If you are going to have to retain an attorney I believe that the beginning is the proper time instead of after things go sour. I encourage people to learn from my mistakes. If you are on speaking terms with your aunt and uncle they could be a wealth of information for you. I had to speak with my aunt who i hadn’t talked to in 20 years. There was no animosity between us. We just didn’t have alot in common. My aunt sent me a copy of my grandfathers probate. It saved me alot of work. I think you are well on your way Natasha. RWK
Thanks so much, your response has put me at ease and I'm definitly going to seek counsel. Thanks and bunch and good luck to you and your brother:)
Natasha
r w kennedy said:
Natasha; The time from first contact to having the lease offer in my hand has varied from 20 hours to two weeks. The time to getting paid a signing bonus should be short if you are represented. I believe that most people who have had problems receiving their signing bonuses and later collecting their royalty's did not have the benefit of being represented. My brother and I are about to have a 7th well drilled on our minerals and we have never received any money from it. We have just retained an attorney. If you are going to have to retain an attorney I believe that the beginning is the proper time instead of after things go sour. I encourage people to learn from my mistakes. If you are on speaking terms with your aunt and uncle they could be a wealth of information for you. I had to speak with my aunt who i hadn't talked to in 20 years. There was no animosity between us. We just didn't have alot in common. My aunt sent me a copy of my grandfathers probate. It saved me alot of work. I think you are well on your way Natasha. RWK
Natasha my bro and sister will keep u up to date on whats happening as we to are waiting on paper work.
Look forward to hearing from u cuz.
Dang this is great to find that through this process of being contacted I also was blessed to find family out there. I accepted your face book friend invite. Look forward to hearing from you as well.
Natasha
Gary Masters said:
Natasha my bro and sister will keep u up to date on whats happening as we to are waiting on paper work.
Look forward to hearing from u cuz.