I have received a couple of offers to sell my interest in Benbrook, Tarrant County, Texas natural gas wells, my siblings and I share the royalties from five wells that we have the mineral rights to, but don’t own the property. After a 3 way split, I get about $3000 a year or less in monthly payments. I am older, retired, and need advice if I should just sell the rights and enjoy the lump sum or hold on to the rights - the checks go up and down but would take several years to reach the amount that I am being offered. We have adult children who need some help as they lost their jobs. Is it a good idea or not to sell right now, the wells are in the Barnett Shale deposits. I have been offered between $7 and $9 for my interest, and one guy said he could offer more after examining my readouts. Thank you for any advice.
If you personally don’t need the extra income and your children need some help, another alternative would be to gift your undivided interest to them where they could take advantage of a longer term payout and fairly steady revenue stream, perhaps for decades to come. I would advise consulting an Estate Attorney on this process. Also a recent article in the FT Worth Star Telegram, link below, cites Gene Powell, Energy Analyst, as predicting production of up to 94 trillion cubic feet of gas over the next 80/100 years in the Barnett. Gene also predicts that the current low prices are a “temporary lull” and that natural gas prices will rise in the years ahead as natural gas will be the dominant “cleaner” fuel source for decades to come. I would tend to agree with this and it makes sense now to start the conversions.
http://www.star-telegram.com/2010/11/01/2595223/barnett-shale-natural-gas-field.html
Dear Brenda,
Where a lot of people make mistakes (in my opinion) is when they value the sale based on the value of current production yet convey all their right, title and interest in the property.
My suggestion would be if you wanted to make a conveyance, limit the conveyance to the current wellbore and the currently producing formation, if that is how you arrived at the sales price.
ABSOLUTELY NOT!! NEVER SELL YOUR MINERALS!!!
Thank you all for responding. I know that the potential for increased natural gas useage is prevalent and it is a big chance to sell, but I am also 60 years old, and won’t see the real long term benefits in the next 80 to 100 years, ha ha. Also, it would take me several years to obtain the amounts offered by monthly installments. My children need help right now, one is facing losing their home and he is working two jobs. I am retired on a fixed income and have no other way to help them. I would like to keep them in the family but sometimes family needs dictate things we don’t necessarily want to do. Thanks again for responding, you all have been most helpful.
This will sound cold by in my opinion you raised your kids and they should be on their own now. I lived in my car once and it didnt kill me.
If you are 60 you could live to be 90 or more, thats 30 more years…time to think of yourself while helping them where you reasonably can. then even then when you do eventually pass on, they can inherit the minerals and maybe their kids and their kids kids can too. Forgive me if that sounds harsh, Im thinking your future. Also Im a parent and know what a difficult choice that must be. Good luck.