home on the Florida Mesa is in the irrigation district that comes out of Lemon Reservoir. “My irrigation season has already been shut down. We’re done getting water this year,” he said. “Whereas my clients that are on Vallecito water, those folks, their irrigation season is still running, they still have water.” Osborn credits this discrepancy mainly on the CFS (cubic feet per second) at which the water is delivered. His water is delivered at a higher CFS than those landowners who receive their water out of Vallecito. His higher rate of flow ultimately drains the resource a little faster. So, as Osborn states, it’s not necessarily just about the quantity of water you’re getting, but also the quality. The quality of water rights just scratches the surface and if you
are interested in what is further down, you’ll have to look into mineral rights during a land purchase as well. “It’s extremely rare for the buyer to get any mineral rights with the property unless they’re buying property that’s been in the same family for four or five generations-such as when buying an older ranch,” Osborn said. Mineral rights are typically owned by oil and gas companies out of state.
“I’d go so far as saying probably 99% of real estate transactions in Southwest Colorado do not have mineral rights that transfer,” Osborn said. But there is still that one percent, so if you have your perspective eyes on minerals keep looking. Whether it’s minerals or water, the biggest suggestion from area professionals to keep in mind when buying land? Hire a professional. “Make sure to do your due diligence,” Osborn said. “People need to make sure they’re working with a realtor or an attorney that has a lot of experience that is dealing a lot with mineral and water rights.” And once you’ve done your homework, hopefully you can run freely through your well-watered, sun-soaked fields of wildflowers for years to come.
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