What are the current bonus/acre in your area ?
Joel:
I believe that numerous leases in these areas will be expiring in 2012/2013.
It sounds like you don’t own any land or mineral rights as of yet. So this lease is not your business… if that is the case…
Ms. Atkisson, being heir to your mothers estate, I think that the contents of the estate are your business, but the lessee might not talk to you because the estate isn’t settled. Was your sister appointed trustee / personal representative in the will , or did all of you have to sign something designating her to the position? If you all had to agree on her, she could be removed as easily as she was set in the position. Ms. Adkisson, I wouldn’t say that the bonus your mother signed for doesn’t matter, but it isn’t going to change, and may not be the most important matter you should be concerned with. In your position, with my sister not answering questions, I would tell her I need to know and she very likely has a fiduciary responsibility to me and could be sued. Possibly your sister is embarrassed because it was her who advised your mother to sign that poor lease. It may be that it makes your sister feel important to know what you would like to know, I have an aunt who acted that way after my grandmother passed. There was nothing underhanded involved, with my aunt, she just needed to feel important. The lawyer should be filing papers with the court including listing the contents of the estate and their value, and this will be public record. If your sister remains uncooperative, checking the records of the court may give you information months in advance of any announcements your sister might make. I wish you well, and I and I am sure others would be happy to help if we can.
Is the mother dead… I don’t think this is a question of inheritance… I don’t think martha has a deed… I think ownership is the first step to discussing a lease. If martha has her name on the deed then she has ownership and therfore rights to knowledge of the land… If she does not have a name on the deed all we have is a kid wanting what her mother has. Her post is read to me like her mom is still alive
Right. 
you are sir but the mom is not spoken of in past tense. The whole post is missing information Grammar is very fun and interpretations are great. They get people talking Maybe the mom knows the kids fight and want yo lay out a plan for dividing it whilst being alive… maybe. Maybe the mom only trusts one of her kids. If the mom is alive and has full ownership currently. Then the mom has a right to keep or share news of her assets.
When you get oil companies and landman competing againest each other that is when usually you get a high offer.
Who is the oil company ? and the landman?
So a two year lease ? Or just two renewal ? You will most liklely get the $600.00 with 20% but do you want it ? If you can hold off until spring you may get the $1000.000 you were hoping for…just a sugguestion !
mlh and Joel:
Pay the most attention to the 20% and length of lease as the bonus/acre is important but in my opinion, comes in third. The % royalty will be yours for the life of any well drilled.
mlh:
I have been informed that bonuses ranges from $800 - $900/acre but no proof that is accurate. Oasis has a well just to the East and G-3 has a well to the NE and several permits exist in my immediate area. Again, the 3 year lease term and the 20% royalty is my main objective although I want to recieve a decent bonus.
Charles
Those term are in Golden Valley County ?
Ms, Adkisson, apologies if my assumption that your mother had passed was incorrect.
My apologies Get a lawyer and find out what is yours then sue your sister for lack of communication and added grievance as you cannot put your mother to rest in your mind until this estate is settled Etcetera etcetera etcetera
Martha:
You don’t say where the mineral acres are but in terms of Golden Valley and the time frame you indicate my feeling is that the lease terms you mention would have been sound terms
Ms Piethawn: I would appreciate it if you would not assume, as you did in the post below. I was not aware that mineral rights came in the form of a deed. I have the court paperwork when my mother transferred them from her father to herself, after his death. I have a 25% interest in the mineral rights per my mothers will and wishes.
Lastly, I am 60 years old and hardly a kid so I would appreciate it if you would show me the respect I deserve.
I thank those of you who have tried to help me understand and navigate through this. RW Kennedy, you hit the nail on the head when you said that this situation is making my sister feel important and I understand that completely.
I realize that there is much more to this situation and I should not have asked this question as it seemed to cause more confusion that I could not explain in a few sentences.
Martha, You are in tough situation for sure. I would first find out just exactly how many mineral acres your mother had not land acres. That will give you an idea of the worth of the minerals. It is likely that your mother got the same amount as your aunt. But the courthouse will have that information on the transfer to your mother. It may cost you money to remove your sister but you may lose much more if you are not on the deed or lease. It maybe easier to talk to your siblings and see how they feel about removing your sister and if they are on the mineral deed.
Sadly when asset are to be passed the more worth the family trouble can occur. It is very common.
Matching bonus means if they give you $800 an acre for 3 years,than if they want to extend two years they pay ANOTHER $800 for those 2 years!! Profitable upfront for you; encouraging to drill for them!!
I’ve been following the posts and I am beginning to think that my mother signed a very bad lease. She signed a lease in September 2008 for Petro-Hunt through Empire Oil. (5 year lease, 15% Royalty) My sister, who is the trustee of my mothers estate, has flatly refused to allow me to see the lease my mother signed but I have a copy that I got from the Golden Valley County Recorder. It does not state the bonus amount and I have called Petro-Hunt requesting they give me the signing bonus amount per acre. (They have never responded) My other sister told me that she thought my mother got $3,000 as her signing bonus for 609 acres. Reading the posts on here that amount seems very low. It would mean she got about $5.00 per acre. Does anyone know how I can get this information? Can I have an attorney get me the information? My sister (trustee) says she has started the process to have the mineral rights divided a few months ago but since she refuses to share 99% of the information with her siblings I have no idea what she is doing and I’ve already spent thousands just to force her to administer the basic trust. If I posted this in the wrong place I apologize.
It sounds like the siblings want to force the mother to split up her estate while she is still alive.
I got the impression that Ms. Adkissons mother had passed, why else the division of property among the siblings ?