Valuing Leases

Dallas News

Meanwhile, McClain's daughter, Carolyn McClain, appears to be sitting on the better end of what might be the city's most lopsided lease.

Written by Little for a term of 99 years, the lease guarantees that Folsom or his estate will pay the McClain family tens of thousands of dollars a year for what is, by itself, an all but useless piece of land.

"That's a tough lease," Little said, "and it was drawn that way because ... [Hazel McClain] wanted to protect herself. She had many, many chances over the years to sell along with other properties. She was just not ever a seller."

Newt Walker, a well-known Dallas real estate broker who has been closely involved with deals involving the hotel land, called the lease highly unusual because it tied Folsom and his estate personally into payments for nearly a century.  
 


When one reads the above article in totality, they may ascertain what happened in this situation is that the owner is asking for all 99 years of rent commitments rather than the capitalized value of the leases.  The article misapprehends that rents are to be capitalized rather than to be added together to determine property value.

Be Cautious Before Signing Leases

Weekly Almanac, Editorial

Some Wayne County landowners, particularly in the northern part of the county, have the opportunity to make royalties off their land by singing leases with natural gas companies that have been looking to acquire drilling rights here. Residents have been advised to find out as much as possible about the process before signing anything.

The companies’ interests will take precedence over the interests of the landowners.

Landowners were advised to join together, pool their acreage and hire a lawyer or agent to negotiate for them as a group.

-This editorial is one of the brightest and well written editorials that could be provided to the owners. The editorial realistically advises owners that they should look to what rights they have and pool their acreage. In most States, there is a State statute which allows pooling, thereby allowing the individual owners to maximize their values.  This will likely result in the highest possible royalty percentage.