Every question deserves a straight answer.

No. Ohio law treats the surface estate and the mineral estate as separate property. Selling your minerals conveys only what lies thousands of feet beneath — your fields, timber, buildings, and everything you can see stays yours, on the same deed it's always been on. Nothing changes about how you farm, hunt, or live on your land.

From data, not a script. We pull actual production records for wells in and around your unit, review permits and operator activity nearby, read your lease's royalty terms if you have one, and compare against what similar minerals have genuinely sold for in your township. Then we show you that work alongside the written offer. If a number can't be explained, it shouldn't be trusted — ours comes with the explanation attached.

Nothing, ever, with no obligation. Title research, production analysis, and the written evaluation are free whether or not you ever sell to us. If you use our number to negotiate a better one elsewhere, you've lost nothing by calling — and we'll shake your hand anyway.

Very often, yes. Inherited interests get divided every generation, and plenty of our sellers own a third, a ninth, or a sliver of a percent of the minerals under a family farm. Small and tangled interests are a specialty of ours: we handle the title work, the estate paperwork, and the courthouse research at our expense. Don't assume a small share means small money until someone has actually run the numbers.

Unfortunately, yes. Shale wells produce most of their oil and gas in the first several years, then decline steeply — it's the geology, not the operator shortchanging you (though deductions are worth checking too). This is exactly why a lump sum today can be worth more than many years of dwindling checks. We'll show you the actual decline curves on the wells that pay you, so you can see where your checks are headed.

Yes — and not just for appearances: we put that recommendation in writing with every offer. An attorney who represents you (not the buyer) should review any purchase agreement or lease before you sign. Our offers stay open 30 days precisely so you have time to do this without pressure. If a buyer discourages you from getting counsel or rushes you past it, that's your cue to show them the door.

For minerals held a long time — especially inherited ones, which typically receive a stepped-up basis at the date of death — sale proceeds are often taxed as long-term capital gains, a lower rate than the ordinary-income rate applied to royalty checks. Everyone's situation differs, and we're not tax advisors, so run the numbers with your CPA before deciding. We're glad to get on the phone with them.

We order a full title examination at our expense (usually the longest step — county records take the time they take), prepare the mineral deed, and schedule closing at your convenience — a notary can come to your kitchen table. You're paid at closing by wire or a check you can deposit at your own bank. Most closings finish within 30 to 45 days, and we'll keep you posted at every step. You never pay a fee, a commission, or a closing cost.

Welcome to eastern Ohio, where half the minerals trace back to a deed from 1912. Unprobated estates, missing heirs, ancient reservations, dormant mineral act questions — we've worked through all of it. We front the cost of curing title issues and work alongside your attorney to get it done. A messy title is a project, not a dead end.

No — and this is the difference between a family office and the letters in your mailbox. We buy minerals to hold them long-term in our own family's portfolio, collecting royalties patiently across decades. We're not brokers, we don't flip, and we have no investors demanding an exit. It's our own money, which is exactly why we spend it carefully and honestly.

Bring it over. We'll tell you honestly whether it's fair, low, or better than what we'd pay — and if it's better, we'll tell you to take it. A second opinion costs you nothing and has saved more than one family from signing away real value under a fake deadline.

Then you're not ready, and that's the end of the pressure. Keep our number in the kitchen drawer. Minerals don't spoil, and neither does our respect for a family that thinks things through. Whenever you want a fresh evaluation — next year or next decade — the answer will still be free.