Lander County, NV (Las Vegas, Reno, Elko: mineral rights, sale, real estate)

[jilliew]

About 30 years I bought 10 acres in Lander, Co for $1k. I basically bought it because I had the $$$, it was cheap and intended it to be a long term investment. All this time it's just been sitting there and I've paid the taxes every year, said no to mineral mining and let them spray for beetles. Recently, I have started receiving offers from Real Estate Investment Companies. One offered $1000 just in a letter, but others made me formal offers. My most recent offer is $5k. The one before that was $3,800, and three before that were in the hight $2k's. It makes me wonder if something is going on that I don't know about or should I thank my lucky stars and take the money and run. I don't even know where the property is, I've never gone to see it. I pay my taxes to Battle Mountain tax assessor. Anybody know anything or have any good advice.

Thanks in advance. Jill

[greatbasinguide]

Lander County is pretty big, where is your land? You say you don't know where it is, look at your deed, it gives the location.

[humboldtrat]

Maybe your land is near a mining operation and they're hoping to get it from you cheap. Do some research. And by all means, find out where this land is located.

[greatbasinguide]

Someone else does hold the mineral rights, that is a given. Get some research done.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by greatbasinguide

Someone else does hold the mineral rights, that is a given. Get some research done.

That widely true up that way? The minerals rights are gone from the parcels?

Shades of the bad part of Kentucky.

[greatbasinguide]

Typically, mineral rights are held by whomever held the land before it was subdivided.

[olecapt]

Originally Posted by greatbasinguide

Typically, mineral rights are held by whomever held the land before it was subdivided.

Too bad...shades of the bads parts of Kentucky.

[Dusted Eagle]

First off, Lander county is about 5,000 square miles, with about 4,000 people living in it.

Austin has about 125 full time folks living there, mostly railroad or country employees with their families. The HS usually has a graduating class of about 1 person. Yes, one.

Austin used to be the county seat, but is about 120 miles south of Hwy 80, so the folks up north voted Austin out, years ago. The cops don't even go to Austin, because of the ride south, and the sub-station usually is not manned, except for the day time dispatcher and the ocassional NHP that stops by to use the crapper.

Read the Lander County official website for info on what is going on.

I've been a NV resident for 35 years, currently living in LV for medical care. (Massive heart/lung problems and now, aresnic poisoning. My doctor says I can now drink all the booze I want, because the water isn't safe). DON'T GET OLD. There is a doctor that shows up from Eureka there, on Wednesdays, and the dentist comes out from Elko once every three months, to Eureka, 77 miles east.

I know of a lady who lives south of Austin. She didn't feel right, and her husband drove her for almost 4 hours to Fallon, to the hospital. She had quadruple bi-pass that evening. Tonopah was closer, south, but I don't know if they have heart care, there. Her husband sure should have known, before he needed it. But, I am sure he spent most of his time in the local casino, while the doctors were striping out veins from his wife's legs!

Get a subscription to the Battle Mountain Bugle, number in the phone book, for about 15 bucks a year. Tell them you are a senior and want your discount. They will mail the paper to you each week.

For those who know nothing about Nevada, let me educate you. There are only about 2 (don't haggle with me on this) incorporated towns in the whole state. Reno and Las Vegas, and those two cities are the only ones with paid firefighters/EMT's, as an example. Everywhere is is all volunteer.

There is no infrastructure here. It is a desert, high and low (geographical terms). It ain't like living between Boston and New York. You buy 640 acres somewhere, you might be lucky to be near a paved road. Meaning, no water, no phone, no sewer, and drive 35 miles one way to the dump, which is two empty flat-top semi-trailer's parked at a ramp in the desert. Leave your trash next to your house and the county will cite you for zone violations.

local post offices do not make residential deliveries. You drive 35 miles to get your mail, or to a cluster box 6 miles round trip, from the nearest highway. Try walking it on the third week of the month, as you get low on money, no gas. No cell phone, no TV reception and no radio. No super markets or gas stations, and if a convenience store, $6 (just kidding, but close) a gallon for gas and $4 for a loaf of bread. They drive to Costco, buy it and bring it back to you. The guy who used to own the store in Goldfield, so I heard, used to drive to Wal-Mart in Vegas with a refridgerated truck, to get his "stock." Farmers go to town with 55 gallon drums, and then hand pump the gas into their vehicles, on the farm, later.

In Lander County, several years ago, the County Superintendant of Schools, requested that they stop performing background checks for teachers and other school employees, because they were all found to be ex-felons or child molesters, and could not fill positions with "law" abiding citizens.

In Round Mountain, half the teaching staff was fired, because they lied on their applications, and weren't even high school graduates, let alone college graduates. But, they took home 40 grand a year, until they got caught.

Some of the District Attorney's are local attorneys, on contract to the county. None, by law, of any of the Justice of the Peace', for populated areas of under 25,000 even have to be lawyers. Kind of like traffic court judges, in Philthydelphia, these days.

Can you fix your own car? Willing to wait for UPS to bring you parts? I waited 5 weeks once, for UPS to bring me a bolt for my thermostat housing. How about doing your own tune ups, replaceing your shocks, starter, alternator, belts, hoses, etc.? I even repaired my own flats and replaced and balanced my own tires. Got the tools for all of that stuff? A tow truck from Tonopah costs about $400, one way. Check it out!

How about tools and knowledge to fix anything around your house? Got frozen pipes in the winter? Guess how much a plumber costs, from 250 miles away? You better let it drip, or have the parts and know how to fix it.

Got heat? Check out the propane prices. A 250 gallon tank might cost you $600 a month, that is if you also own several pairs of long-johns, socks, other clothes, and jacket and hat, that you wear in your house while the furnice is burning to keep water in your water tank. The propane company is in Elko/Ely, 200 miles away, and if you got snow on your roads, you wait for propane. Got a backup plan?

So, aside from all of that. What's happenin' in Austin?

I suspect they are building a bigger dump, or putting an extension onto the airport (so your grandkid can land his balsa-wood glider, there). Or, a new combined school, volunteer fire house/ambulance building, or, maybe some realtor is just selling 50 acre retirement lots, just 30 miles away from the nearest power pole.

(Oh, here is something to think about. Buy some land, pay on it for several years, and then give it back to the realtor. Of course, he won't be able to sell it. The sale will be by contract, meaning you reconvey it back to them when you stop making payments. So, then they sell the land over and over again, to the same kind of people who bought it in the beginning. People who don't know how to live in the boonies, but, want that American dream of peace and quiet. Forget about just living there. Got a job? Income? Most people in the boonies already know how to do that stuff. How come you don't? Well, I'll do your roof for $100 a day, plus, you drive 300 miles and get the materials.)

As late as WWI, the President gave land away to returning soldiers, as going away presents. Look at a state map of Nevada. Almost every city is next to a set of railroad tracks. Why? Because the government gave it away to pay rail workers 100 years ago. They are called Platte sales, and you can read all about it on the Internet. How do you think gold/silver mining towns propped up? By Platte lands. You can still Homstead here, but you have to have posssession of the land. Homestead keeps the BK court from taking your land away from you, but not its equity. Owe money on the land? You still have to pay for it!)

Remember, even if the local water company agrees to bring you water at $50 a gallon, you cannot by state law, sink your own well. Wells can only be sunk if the county refuses to serve you. I'm sure they'd love to bring you a truck of 250 gallons of water for about $300 per trip.

I'm not being insulting, so don't misunderstand me.

I've lived in the middle of nowhere, because I grew up in agriculture. I've moved onto a raw piece of land, put in a septic system, dug trenches for telephone and water, etc., BY HAND MYSELF and loved the peace and quiet. Except, that because the power lines were on your property and the wind blew 24 hours a day, you heard them "singing" which drove me crazy.

Sitting in front of your house in the wind, with gnats attacking you until mid-night wasn't fun, either.

But, great hunting and fishing, for sure. Just don't eat rabbits. The poison the city slickers who moved next door last year is probably in the rabbits systems by now, and with no doctors around, your significant other better know how to pump out your stomach.

Oh, just thought of another. You better know how to cook from scratch, and keep more food around than your local Safeway, and know what to do when the power goes off. Know how to bake? 50 lbs of flower costs about 8 bucks at Costco. Great for bread, pizza dough, cookies, etc. All things to think about.

So, welcome to rural living, Nevada style. Wake up, it ain't what you see on TV!!!!

Feel free to send me an e-mail, if you'd like more info.

PS-For those who asked questions abou Reno. Virginia City is the town on Bonanza, not far south of Reno. They have a train ride to Silver City during the summer months, (you can have lunch at the Hotel and take the train back. Pop. probably just the employees at the hotel.) and the historical society rides out in period dress on horses, and robs the train, for donations.

The Ponderosa Ranch is a small theme park near Incline Village, North Lake Tahoe, southwest of Reno, and has a breakfast and hayride in the mornings, in the summer months.

Lots of things to see and do.

Oh, PPS-Water rights are sold seperately as are mineral rights, sometimes. Read your contracts, all the fine print, and if it ain't on paper, it won't stand up in court!

And, your land could be near a mining operation. Gold now is about $800 an ounce. Know how they get it out of the land? They use a hydrochloric acid slush, not to miss getting any of it!

[scirocco22]

hmmm, interesting post, Dusted Eagle.

Thanks for taking the time to post.

[imbobbbb]

yes dustedeagle a very entertaining read