Can you invest in cemeteries?

Can you invest in cemeteries?

Investors find assets in cemetery lots for sale. Investing in burial plots may be a source of income in difficult economic times. “Burial rights brokers” have established a niche in what might humorously be termed an “underground” market.

Is a cemetery profitable?

Cemeteries also profit through the opening and closing of grave sites, typically charging as much as the plot itself to dig the grave and then again to bury the remains. The fee can run higher if the burial takes place on a weekend or holiday.

How much does a grave cost?

The cost of a burial plot depends on several factors. The kind of space, type of cemetery, and where you live all play a role in how much you’ll pay. On average, burial plots for caskets range from $525 to $5,000 and $350 to $2,500 for cremated remains in urns.

Is cemetery a good business?

Baron says cemetery real estate is a really good investment. Demand is steady, and supply is always decreasing. After all, once people move into a cemetery they don’t leave. So even in less expensive cities grave plots start at around $1,500.

What happens to buried bodies after 100 years?

Eventually these too will disintegrate, and after 80 years in that coffin, your bones will crack as the soft collagen inside them deteriorates, leaving nothing but the brittle mineral frame behind. But even that shell won’t last forever. A century in, the last of your bones will have collapsed into dust.

What is a grave plot worth?

Is owning a graveyard profitable?

How do cemeteries make money?

Instead, the maintenance of the property is supposed to last forever. And to make things more complicated, a graveyard has a limited amount of inventory they can offer to fund those eternally-promised services. Cemeteries make money by selling goods and services, specifically items like burial plots, headstones and grave digging services.

How is the business of a cemetery different from other businesses?

But the business of operating a cemetery is different from other ventures in one key way: the cemetery’s product (burial plots) is ultimately limited. And cemetery owners have to keep maintaining the plots they’ve sold, even after there are no more plots to sell.

Why are burial plots so cheap?

Another reason that burial plots are so cheap is that state family cemetery laws (which cover any cemetery on private property) often require the business to put as much as 10\% of the cost of all plots into a “perpetual care fund” to ensure the space is cared for throughout eternity.

Do cemeteries charge for opening and closing services?

A cemetery has to charge an additional fee for digging the grave and filling it back in so that it can pay its professional staff to complete the task. Opening and closing services can also include the opening and closing of mausoleums or columbariums if the cemetery has those on offer.