Three months ago my wife and I were engaged in the every day happenings of life in the Pacific Northwest quite content with our routine. Older and somewhat settled. Enter into that....ND mineral rights (20 acres) that my wife is Trustee of forever! After 3 months of rigorous investigation, numerous phone calls, endless late nights of self education prompted by some GREAT help from this Forum, We've come to a conclusion based on our circumstances and we hope that it may help someone reading this with similar circumstances.
We would advise the following: Don't waste time initially on an Attorney if contacted by a leasing company to lease your mineral rights, those costs rise quickly every time you pick up a phone or have an exchange with your Attorney and we have nothing to show for it yet except a 2000.00 + bill and growing. Don't trust the Landman representing the potential Lessee with information that is provided only by him/her. It usually requires more calls to your Attorney. Avoid any costs to you that will be the result of potential Lessee's trying to "get" your mineral rights! Understand that the State of ND will ALWAYS be on the side of the developer whether that is you or a Lessee. Ignore the "excitement" of thinking you've got a bonanza and that you will get tons of money!
Now to the do's! Do educate yourselves through the great information that is on Forum's and blog's like this one! We have been fortunate enough to have some offline direct advise that always ended with, "check it out yourself and decide". Know that you have Zero control of your mineral rights unless you have the financial ability to develop them yourself so be willing to do "nothing"! Do everything you can, to not make an early decision on your rights............you will always regret it later. Finally, don't worry about the best deal..........you don't have control and never will! Just enjoy what ever you get and be quite content in your routine! Hoping the best for you all!
