Name: Mineral Buyer Transparency Report statistics 2026
Creator: American Mineral Registry
Published: 2026-10-08

The mineral buyer transparency report finds that buyer sites say most about speed and least about money. Of 148 buyer, broker, auction and listing sites in a public directory, 90 state a time to close or pay, 44 say who pays costs, and 3 say who keeps royalties earned before closing (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026). None was recorded saying whether its purchase contract can be assigned to someone else.

AMR read the site of every entry in Valor's public mineral buyer directory on October 8, 2026 (Valor, mineral buyer directory, Oct 2026), coded 19 items for each in-scope site, and quoted every statement word for word. This page reports what the sites say, not whether firms do it; a missing statement means only that the pages read did not state it. The full ledger is free to download. American Mineral Registry, which publishes this report, also buys mineral interests and is not in the census.

Key Takeaways

90 of 148 buyer sites state a time to close or pay (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
73 of 148 name the documents they want from an owner (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
97 of 148 show a legal entity name (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
44 of 148 say who pays closing costs or any fee to the owner (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
29 of 148 say their offers are made in writing (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
3 of 148 say who keeps royalties earned before closing (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
None of the 148 was recorded saying whether its purchase contract can be assigned (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
12 sites call their own evaluation an appraisal or a fair market value (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
12 sites point owners to independent advice, a second opinion or an appraiser (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
24 sites say they hold what they buy; 7 say they resell or offer interests to investors (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
The median site states 9 of the 19 items (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
Two coders agreed on 260 of 285 item decisions across 15 double coded sites (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).

What do mineral buyers disclose about how a sale works?

Who they are, where they buy and how fast they move, mostly. Statements about what an owner pays, how the offer is put in writing and what happens to royalties around closing are far less common.

Mineral buyer transparency report: what 148 buyer sites state, from interest types 146 and states 141 down to royalties before closing 3 — Figure 1: Nearly every site says what it buys and where; fewer than a third say their offers are in writing, and three say who keeps royalties earned before closing. Source: AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026. Drawn by American Mineral Registry from the cited source, checked October 8, 2026.

What do most sites state?

What they buy, where, and how to reach them. 90 state a time to close or pay and 70 a time to an offer, usually as a target rather than a record.

American Royalty Buyers says ARB delivers a no-obligation offer within 5 business days of receiving your information. (American Royalty Buyers, LLC, Oct 2026).
Arbuckle Resources says We normally pay within two weeks, and we pay by cashier’s check or bank wire, whatever you prefer. (Arbuckle Resources, Oct 2026).
Appalachian Mineral Partners says Our due diligence process typically takes 60 to 120 days to complete title diligence and prepare necessary paperwork for closing. (Appalachian Mineral Partners, LLC, Oct 2026).

What do few sites state?

Who keeps royalties earned before closing (3 sites), whether they buy unleased minerals (11), and whether offers come in writing (29).

Berlin Royalties says If a check for a prior period shows up in your mailbox afterward, we will tell you exactly what belongs to whom, in writing, before closing. (Berlin Royalties, Oct 2026).
Longhorn Mineral Partners says Your royalty checks keep coming to you until the sale closes and ownership transfers. The purchase and sale agreement sets an effective date that determines who is entitled to production revenue from which point. (Longhorn Mineral Partners LLC, Oct 2026).
Berlin Royalties also says our preliminary offer puts a number in writing within about two business days and holds it still for 7 days while you think. (Berlin Royalties, Oct 2026).

Does a missing statement mean anything?

Only that the pages read did not state it. A firm may explain its terms by phone, in its offer letter or in its contract, and a site that states more is not shown to deal more fairly.

Pointer Minerals, for example, says No documents are needed to receive an offer and asks for them only at closing (Pointer Petroleum, LLC d/b/a Pointer Minerals, Oct 2026).
The Taurus Corporation says of its offer amount: This amount is not intended to be an assessment of a lease, wells, or royalty/mineral interest's actual market value. (The Taurus Corporation, Oct 2026).

Which buyer sites were read?

Every entry in Valor's public mineral buyer directory, 289 in all. 173 had a reachable site, and 148 of those buy, broker, auction or list oil and gas mineral or royalty interests for owners.

From directory entry to site read: 289 directory entries, 173 reachable sites, 148 that buy, broker, auction or list mineral interests — Figure 2: Of 289 directory entries, 116 had no site to read and 25 reachable sites were funds, managers or other firms that do not buy from owners. Source: AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026. Drawn by American Mineral Registry from the cited source, checked October 8, 2026.

How were the buyer sites chosen?

From the directory itself, one record per entry, so no buyer was picked by hand. Five buyers AMR already knew of were read the same way but are not counted.

The directory lists 289 entries, each with a page linking the firm's site or an email domain (Valor, mineral buyer directory, Oct 2026).
Each reachable site was read on October 8, 2026, 717 pages in all and a median of 5 per site, each saved with its date (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).

Which entries were left out?

81 entries gave no website and 35 sites did not load, were parked or had closed. 25 reachable sites were out of scope: 13 other firms, 11 funds and 1 royalty manager.

In scope: 137 direct buyers, 8 brokers, 2 listing platforms and 1 auction (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
Sites coded twice under two names count once, using the fuller coding (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).

What do buyer sites say about price, costs and terms?

Little that lets an owner compare offers. 44 sites say who pays costs and 29 say offers are in writing; none was recorded saying whether the contract can be assigned.

Statements on money and terms: who pays costs 44, offers in writing 29, hold what they buy 24, independent advice 12, own evaluation called an appraisal 12, resell 7, royalties before closing 3, contract assignment 0 — Figure 3: Statements about costs are the most common money term, and statements about contract assignment and royalties before closing the rarest. Source: AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026. Drawn by American Mineral Registry from the cited source, checked October 8, 2026.

Who pays the costs?

Most sites that say anything say the buyer pays; brokers and listing sites state a commission. AMR's fee reference compares the published fee terms.

Pointer Minerals says Zero fees, commissions, or closing costs charged to the seller (Pointer Petroleum, LLC d/b/a Pointer Minerals, Oct 2026).
US Mineral Exchange says When you sell mineral rights through US Mineral Exchange, the buyer pays our 6% commission at closing. You never pay anything out of pocket. (US Mineral Exchange, Oct 2026).
Caple Royalty Services says Our services cost you nothing until we make you money. We charge a sliding-scale commission percentage determined by the sales price at closing. (Caple Royalty Services, LLC, Oct 2026).

Do sites separate their offer from an appraisal?

Some do and some do the opposite. Of the 29 sites that say anything about appraisal, 12 point owners to independent advice or an appraiser and 2 say their number is not a market valuation, while 12 call their own evaluation an appraisal or a fair market value. AMR's appraisal reference explains the difference.

Caddo Minerals says It never hurts to get a second opinion. (Caddo Minerals Inc., Oct 2026).
Russell T. Rudy Energy says We offer free professional royalty appraisals and fast, competitive offers. (Russell T. Rudy Energy, LLC, Oct 2026).

Do buyers hold or resell what they buy?

24 sites say they hold what they buy, 3 hold but sometimes sell, and 7 resell or offer interests to investors. None says whether its purchase contract can be passed to another buyer before closing. AMR's guide to comparing mineral rights offers covers assignment clauses.

Tercero Minerals says Tercero is 100% self funded with the goal of buying and holding our minerals for the long term. We will never act as a middle man! (Tercero Minerals, LLC, Oct 2026).
Mineral Royalties Group says We provide minerals and royalties with excellent value to individual buyers for their own direct private ownership and portfolio. (Mineral Royalties Group, LLC, Oct 2026).
Breck Minerals says Our primary strategy is long-term ownership. We are disciplined buy-and-hold investors, while remaining opportunistic when market conditions create compelling divestiture opportunities. (Breck Minerals, LP, Oct 2026).

How complete is a typical buyer site?

The median site states 9 of the 19 items. The range runs from 3 to 17, and 7 sites state 15 or more.

How many of 19 items each buyer site states: 20 sites state 3 to 5, 45 state 6 to 8, 51 state 9 to 11, 25 state 12 to 14 and 7 state 15 to 17 — Figure 4: Most sites state between 6 and 11 of the 19 items; seven state 15 or more. Source: AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026. Drawn by American Mineral Registry from the cited source, checked October 8, 2026.

Which sites state the most?

Seven sites state 15 or more items. This is a count of statements on the pages read, not a rating of the firms or their offers.

Berlin Royalties, 17; Buckhead Energy, LLC, 17; Longhorn Mineral Partners LLC, 16; Pointer Petroleum, LLC d/b/a Pointer Minerals, 16; The Taurus Corporation, 16; American Royalty Buyers, LLC, 15; Aspen Grove Royalty Company, LLC, 15 (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).

What do the fullest sites add?

Title work, documents, costs and timing, usually on an FAQ or process page.

Buckhead Energy says If we find title gaps (a missed probate, an old misindexed deed), we work with you to cure them rather than walking away. (Buckhead Energy, LLC, Oct 2026).
American Royalty Buyers says Once accepted, our team handles all title research, curative work, and deed preparation (American Royalty Buyers, LLC, Oct 2026).

How reliable is the coding?

Two coders read 15 of the sites independently and agreed on 260 of 285 item decisions, 91.2%. Agreement was lowest on the time to an offer, where coders split on whether a vague promise counts.

Coder agreement by item across 15 double coded sites, lowest for time to an offer at 73% and highest at 100% for several items — Figure 5: Agreement ran from 73% on the time to an offer to 100% on 5 items, including title work, heirs and the size a buyer says it buys. Source: AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026. Drawn by American Mineral Registry from the cited source, checked October 8, 2026.

How was the coding checked?

By a second coder on 15 sites, about 10% of the census, and by matching every quote against the saved pages. The plan called for 20% double coding; this release has half that.

Of 1,772 quotes recorded by both coders, 26 were not found word for word in the saved pages, and none of those is published (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
Two items were re-sorted by rulings written after reading every quote: the appraisal item and the holding or reselling item (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).

What are the limits?

The census covers one directory on one day, reads public pages only and records what is stated, not what happens in a deal. Firms that sell through letters or brokers without a site are not in it.

The ledger replaces phone numbers, email addresses and street addresses with placeholders; contact details are recorded only as shown or not (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).
Sites change; each row carries the date it was read and the page URL behind every quote (AMR buyer ledger, Oct 2026).

Methodology and Sources

The frame is every entry in Valor's public mineral buyer directory on October 8, 2026. Each reachable site was read that day and each of 19 items was marked as stated outright, implied or not found, with the quote and page address; only statements made outright are counted. In-scope sites buy, broker, auction or list oil and gas mineral or royalty interests for owners. 15 sites were coded twice. The ledger CSV has one row per in-scope site, is free to reuse under CC BY 4.0, and a firm that finds its site misread can ask for a correction through the changes and corrections page. American Mineral Registry also buys mineral interests and is not in the census.

Glossary

Census: every entry in the frame, not a sample.
In scope: a site that buys, brokers, auctions or lists mineral or royalty interests for owners.
Explicit statement: a site's own words that state the item outright.
Double coding: two people coding the same site without seeing each other's work.
Effective date: the date from which production revenue belongs to the buyer.
Assignment of contract: a buyer passing its purchase contract to someone else before closing.
Appraisal: an independent opinion of value, as distinct from a buyer's offer.
Listing platform: a site where owners list interests for buyers to bid on.

Mineral Buyer Transparency Report 2026: What 148 Buyer Sites Disclose About a Sale