Legal Question in Real Estate Law in Texas

Texas Oil Gas and Mineral interests are a complicated area of law. Your entire chain of title (all documents or deeds affecting the land back to the Spanish KIng's Land Grants) needs to be reviewed to be sure the interests have not been severed off in another written document. In Texas, you can sell off all or part of the minerals without selling the land. IF you have a title insurance policy, you can check the exceptions and exclusions to see if any percentage has been previously sold, withheld by a prior owner or assigned. They can also get you copies of the documents in the chain of title. Your best bet is to do a Title Abstract or limited Title Abstract. If you are in a "hot" area, I would encourage you to check fully and monitor your deed records. Unfortunately, there are folks who aren't always honest out there.