Is Land Administration the missing piece to your puzzle?

Through this strange year of 2020, puzzles seem to have made a serious comeback.  One strategy to complete: identify the outside pieces and build the framework, then fill in the rest.  The outside pieces are the easiest to find and put together.  But you don’t get the full image until you fill in the complicated middle pieces.  What good is a puzzle with just the framework?

Is your land project missing the middle?

The framework for your land project is pretty easy to identify.  You need:

• Engineering services to plan your route
• Environmental services to assess the constraints and implications
• Run Title on affected parcels
• Survey the intended route
• Acquire the Rights for the property

But what about your middle?  Is there a strong land administration department providing the missing pieces, ensuring the documents are managed and completed properly?

What does a Land Administration Department do?

Percheron’s Land Administration Department is comprised of experienced industry professionals that have worked on land records across the country for clients in every sector of the energy industry. Some will be analyzing lease packages or generating new leases, while others may be generating easements for a new pipeline. 

Over the years, the industry has realized the need for a specialized and adaptable Land Administration team.  In my 20 years in the business, I’ve seen the development of industry certifications, improved processes, and an emphasis on adaptability. Over the last decade, we learned to assist field offices around the country while working remotely in regional or corporate offices.  A “paperless” process was developed in 2012 to handle the new digital era.  The CPLTA (Certified Professional Lease and Title Analyst) designation was obtained by department supervisors, to provide the best possible leadership to the team.  Keeping up with technological advances has always been on the forefront, along with developing internal systems to provide the most efficient processes for our clients. 

What began in 2000 as a support system to field landmen and right-of-way agents has evolved into a full-service department with specialties in lease records, document generation, database management, and much more. 

How does that help my project?

An experienced land administration department can be that puzzle piece that ensures your project is completed successfully, and issues don’t come back to haunt you later on. 

A client had a complex leasing project, encompassing several counties,  It continued to grow and multiple brokers were brought in to accommodate the project size.  Nearly 3,000 lease records with numerous wells drilled were provided to analyze and complete the lease packages.  Processes had to evolve rapidly to accommodate the project size and a virtual platform was created to share data in real-time. 

More than 30,000 net acres were leased with more than $80,000,000.00 in bonus payments on this project.  After several years, multiple amendments extending the primary term, and many wells drilled, the company decided to divest their assets.  Every lease had been carefully analyzed, defects were identified and quickly corrected, with the exception of minor issues we found along the way and noted.  The results of the due diligence were outstanding, and the minimal defects had previously been identified.

Without an experienced land administration team, a large divestiture would have taken much longer with the potential for many issues and delays.

Adapting in an ever-changing environment

Land Administration teams are such an integral part on all projects, meaning adaptability is key.  In 2017, when Hurricane Harvey hit Houston, centralized land teams had to learn to quickly adapt to working from home.  There was no cubicle to look over and ask a question, supervisors were scattered between their homes and hotels, and project deadlines had to be met regardless of circumstances.

Processes set in place then, primed Percheron to adapt again during this COVID-19 pandemic.  Our Land Administrators, Document Specialists, and Record Specialists are capable of providing you with the same service as if they were working in the field or sitting in your office.  This provides cost-savings to you on your projects.  Additionally, Percheron has developed a system to keep you up to date on your projects as they progress and the ability to access your project information with ease.  We have high-quality assurance standards while maintaining confidentiality and security of information to ensure your project's success.

To discuss your land administration needs, please feel free to reach out to me personally at lori.fisher@percheronllc.com or give me a call at (832) 300-6435.