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Hi all. I've been searching West Virginia real estate sites. Most mention "free gas" as a great selling point. What does this mean? Do you seriously get free propane for heating purposes? Do you technically own the "rights" to this free gas? I'm so confused. West Virginia seems like a wonderful state in which to move - a great bonus would be free heating. Any insight would be most appreciated.
The only thing that I can think of is the property has natural gas under it and you get it free while the gas co pays you nothing else. Contact the agency and ask..
I have an uncle who has this. Some property owners contracted with the local gas company to allow the company to tap the natural gas underneath said property in exchange for free, unlimited use of the tapped lines. In the grand scheme of things, I guess it's a crap deal because they are getting a bunch of your gas essentially for free, but, on the other hand, it's not like many people can tap the reserves themselves or anything.
Mineral Rights in some form are being conveyed with the Land Title. In most cases Gas Rights to a vendor are done for a lease period. Usually a 30 year time period, at that time they are renewed or re-negotiated. The vendor( Gas Company) owns the gas for a period of time unless they own the land too. Most leasors pay a royality check to the land owner for these privilegies and also grant "Free Gas" to that owner.
Because of heating costs, the worth of the "Free Gas" can amount to thousands of dollars to the lucky owner. Gas is very valuable in West Virginia and the major companies , Dominion/Hope, Equitable, Columbia,ect. are owned by Rochefeller companies.
It is also the most expensive manner to heat a home. If you can get "Free Gas' with your land purchase, you have a bonus.
Think of it as buying a car and never having to pay at the pumps...
It's cheaper to have electric heating here in WV. Gas is expensive but electicity is not, a ctually , one of the cheapest in country, 3 times less than in MA.
I own property in WV and I was told I have "free gas" by the sellers. I have
learned alot since I bought the land 10 years ago. I live out in the country
because I love the peace and quiet and solitude. It seems that the gas well
which I have been using hasn't been maintained or looked into for the ten years I've been there (except for the maintenance and repairs that I did and paid for out of my own pocket) and that was fine with me since I did all the work myself to hook up the abandoned well to my house gas lines. Now that the big oil and gas fervor is happening, I may be losing what I treasure most about living in the countryside: my peace and quiet. The gas well in question is only about 200 feet or so from my home and the driveway they would have to use to take care of the well and bring heavy equipment etc in is only 20 feet or so from my house. In WV "surface owners" (which is what you are referred to when you own the land but not the mineral rights) have little or no recourse to how they and they land are treated by the oil and gas vultures. Since money trumps all in this country of supposed Constitutional Rights, your rights to peace, privacy and the pursuit of happiness are trashed in your face for the sake of profiteering oil and gas venturers. I would highly recommend to anyone who is unable to purchase both the land (surface) and the mineral rights to think twice about this. You will not in effect have any control over your own property if the oil and gas people set their sights on your land. It can cause you untold misery and expense and they are experts at avoiding paying you anything for the damages they can and will cause to you, your lifestyle and your real estate. "Free gas" is alot like "free lunch".. there is a price to be paid even if it is hidden at first look. For more information and horror tales look at the Surface Owners Rights Organization website [url=http://www.wvsoro.org]WV Surface Owners' Rights Organization[/url] and also google surface owners rights.. you'll find alot of info about this subject. If the property you're thinking of purchasing has a well that is
a considerable distance from your dwelling and the water well and also has it's own access road, then free gas may be an asset as long as they don't decide to start drilling other wells on your land. They have to keep a 200 foot distance from any dwelling, existing gas or water well when drilling so keep that in mind when looking at property. Just trying to save someone the headaches and heartaches of having your home and lifestyle invaded and destroyed. Best of luck!
^ Spot on. Free gas doesn't mean no headaches, that's for sure.
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Free Gas in WV
