Survivorship Now » Funerals

Burial Plots – buy, sell or keep?

admin — Thu, 29 Apr 2010 00:06:21 +0000

Sometimes people purchase burial plots as a couple or as a family years before they are ever needed. They do this for various reasons – to give their family one less decision that has to be made, to rest easier in eternity by having their loved ones next to them or just to get a good deal on the real estate.

As time goes by, it is natural to change your mind on this and decide all-together. I have had this happen with a couple of different clients. They bought burial plots and then changed their minds to favor cremation instead of burial. This is becoming more of a mainstream idea since traditional burials are not a “green, good for the environment” practice. So what can you do with a burial plot when you are not going to need it? Can you sell it? The answer is yes in most cases. I became curious about his concept so I did a little research. There are websites built just for this purpose. I was shocked to see how many websites are the “Craigslist” of burial plots. Here are a few that I found:

- - - Grave Solutions
    - The Plot Exchange
    - The Final Arrangements Network
    - Buy and Sell Cemetery Plots
    - Ebay – there were 274 sellers on there looking to sell their burial plots.

These are just a few of the sites I found dealing with the sale and purchase of burial plots and there are an endless stream of these around. I did a little testing to see what burial plots go for. First, from my small home town in NM. There was one for $49. I went to New Orleans, LA and found some over $100,000. California boasted a few pricey ones also with a lot of them averaging $8000 or so. As for Austin, TX? I found them anywhere from a $1000 to $9000 for a double occupancy grave. I found this little cottage industry fascinating! I had no idea there were so many businesses that help you “list” and “locate” your burial plots!

One of the better resources I stumbled across is the website: Funeral Planning 101 This is an interesting site with lots of information and of course some “built in advertising.” None-the-less, it’s a pretty easy to read site of information.

Since most people find this subject hard to discuss and may find themselves holding a valuable piece of property, I thought this would be worth exploring – if only for exposing the issue.

Speaking of funerals, is cheaper better?

admin — Wed, 08 Apr 2009 03:27:42 +0000

I encourage all my clients and audience members in my seminars to shop their funerals so they get a good idea of what it would cost if they pass away. My mom, who is as smart as she is frugal, already planned which funeral home in their hometown they were going to use. The decision was based on an advertised price of a complete cremation for under $1000. Since they are in their late 80s, she saw no reason for any excess expense and there would only be a celebration of life ceremony designed by the family. My parents celebrated their 65th wedding anniversary in early January of this year and within 2 weeks after the party, we had to put my dad in a nursing home as he was ready to make what mom calls “his final roundup.” My siblings and I took turns ever few days to come in and support mom and make sure Dad was resting comfortably. Hospice helped us manage his care and the transition so it was spelled out for us what was going to happen by the end of the month. My sister took my Mom to the “bargain” funeral home to set up the arrangements. A couple hours after they left that funeral home, my sister called and said she just “didn’t have a good feeling about it.” She said she couldn’t possibly feel good about them handling my father professionally, with compassion. They were absolutely not professional in their approach and my sister said we truly get what we pay for there. I guess we should have known when everyone we told that we were going to use this particular home always gave us a look of hesitation and bewilderment. Now, we knew why. On my shift the Monday before my dad passed away, I asked for recommendations from my parents’ friends and they referred me hands down to another funeral home in town. They said we would pay twice as much, but we would be much happier with the experience. I went down there and made the arrangements that day. I felt they were utmost professional, they were very caring and they spelled everything out “including the cost” and the tissue donation process for my dad. The extra funds were well spent for the peace of mind. We said our good-byes to my dad with tears and laughter from great memories. I truly believe that it would have been a different outcome with the “low-cost” funeral home. Shop, visit and don’t base decisions on price – that is my advice to you today.

Burials Are Going Green

admin — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 00:58:02 +0000

You hear a lot about fuel, farming, construction and products going green. Did you know that burials are even going green? The movement is growing! What does it mean? Well, it essentially means burials without any embalming chemicals, non-decomposing caskets or steel vaults. Decomposition takes place naturally and for a lot less money to boot!

The subject of embalming has come up several times in my planning sessions. Essentially, people curdle at the thought of some chemicals being pumped into their bodies after they are gone. However, they never think to let their family know their preferences ahead of time. It’s important because someone WILL have to make that decision.

I was on a radio talk show in the Spring and the question came up if there are any cemeteries in Texas that allow you to have a green burial. The first and only one I have been able to locate is in Huntsville, TX. It’s called the Ethician Family Cemetery. I just thought you might want to know!