Purchasing a property is not that simple as it seems. For many it is like signing the agreement and paying the amount required. This is where many of the people go in a wrong direction. They are not aware of the state laws and think that property means the physical form which we can see and feel. But its not correct. There are certain rights the owner of the land can get along with the property provided if they are not sold to any other person. So, in order to be aware of the rights the person gets after purchasing the property he has to know all the rights associated with the property.
In fact there is a particular term called Appurtenance, which is used to describe the rights associated with the real property. So, when a person sells his property he has to sell his appurtenance rights as a part of the deal. However, there is a chance that he can sell them separately. Once we are aware about these different rights we can ask him about it.
If you are going for a fee simple ownership, your rights include a number of appurtenance rights like subsurface rights, access rights, mineral rights, surface rights,water rights and air rights. Basing on the percentage of land the owner owns, he will have all the rights on the surface along with anything over and under the surface. This rights may include mineral and oil rights beneath the surface and certain air and water rights. However, air and water rights tend to be changed depending on the state.
Finally its the land owners interest whether to sell only the surface rights or the mineral rights depending upon the deals he is involved in the oil and gas companies. So, when you are planning to buy a property with mineral rights make sure that you are purchasing the land along with the rights.
