Article Excerpt:

…She is the last surviving member of her family and none of her children or grandchildren would be using these graves. So what to do with them? She could have sold them, but that might require a lot of traveling from her home over 50 miles [...]]]> Publication: Associated Content
Author: Agnes Farside
Publication Date: May 27, 2008

Article Excerpt:

…She is the last surviving member of her family and none of her children or grandchildren would be using these graves. So what to do with them? She could have sold them, but that might require a lot of traveling from her home over 50 miles away to secure a deal, which she did not want to do. She thought about selling them back to the cemetery, but she would only be able to get what they originally cost, 64 dollars and one-half (64 ½). Not $64.50. The 100 year old deed listed the cost at 64 & ½ dollars. Plus she would only get the cost for each grave, $10.00. She finally decided to donate the graves.

The funeral director recommended a Catholic organization as the cemetery was a Catholic cemetery and suggested the St. Vincent DePaul Society. Mom thought this was an excellent idea and was very excited at just being able to view the original 100 year old deed.

When her and my brother returned home, she asked me, her daughter, to find out how she should go about donating the two graves to the St. Vincent DePaul Society. I looked up the society for the St. Louis area on the Internet and dialed the main number….

Read the whole story at www.associatedcontent.com…

Article Excerpt:

… People could buy three plots for $5 when Riverside opened in 1871, he said. But people often left before using them, or maybe buried one child there and then moved on, forgetting about their plots, he said. “It’s amazing how many are not [...]]]> Publication: Post-Bulletin, Rochester MN
Author: John Weiss
Publish Date: November 20, 2009

Article Excerpt:

… People could buy three plots for $5 when Riverside opened in 1871, he said. But people often left before using them, or maybe buried one child there and then moved on, forgetting about their plots, he said. “It’s amazing how many are not ever used,” he said.

The cemetery with 6,000 plots has started the legal process for reissuing the sites by putting notices in the legal newspaper, he said. It has to go through several more steps but hopes to take over the plots by the end of the year if no heirs can be found. It will sell them — $500 for one, $900 for two, $1,200 for three — and use that money for cemetery maintenance, Johnson said…

Read the whole story at www.postbulletin.com…

Good article on understanding residency requirements for certain cemeteries as well as rules and regulations surrounding approved monument sizes and types.

Article Excerpt:

Friends for 25 years, local businessmen Douglas J. Kruzewski and Joseph J. Spadea of West Brookfield figured they’d spend the afterlife as they’ve spent much [...]]]> Publication: Telegram and Gazette
Author: Kim Ring
Publication Date: November 13, 2009

Good article on understanding residency requirements for certain cemeteries as well as rules and regulations surrounding approved monument sizes and types.

Article Excerpt:

Friends for 25 years, local businessmen Douglas J. Kruzewski and Joseph J. Spadea of West Brookfield figured they’d spend the afterlife as they’ve spent much of their time on Earth — as neighbors.

The men, in 1994, bought 64 cemetery plots in Brookfield. They chose an area carved out in a newer section of the historic cemetery. They paid $2,575 for each plot, and for more than a decade — with the exception of Mr. Spadea’s acquisition of an ornate tombstone — thought little about their purchases.

But a judge will now decide whether their plan was etched in stone or if the town’s Cemetery Commission has a right to buy back the plots after learning the men don’t reside in Brookfield.

Yesterday, the men testified they had no idea cemetery plots were reserved for residents of Brookfield. They said they’d been taking a walk back in 1994 when then-Cemetery Superintendent Harvey Bennett, now deceased, stopped them and asked if they’d be interested in buying plots.

They bought the plots for themselves and their families, who they say are so close they consider one another kin.

Read the whole story at www.telegram.com…

Article Excerpt:

…”The state of the economy has played a big part in our decision making and also our stress in the whole situation,” he said.

He’s not alone. There’s a booming online market with Web sites such as plotbrokers.com and americancemeteryproperty.com.

Ken Brant runs gravesolutions.com and has [...]]]> Publication: King 5 News, Seattle
Author: Brad Goode
Publication Date: November 13, 2009

Article Excerpt:

…”The state of the economy has played a big part in our decision making and also our stress in the whole situation,” he said.

He’s not alone. There’s a booming online market with Web sites such as plotbrokers.com and americancemeteryproperty.com.

Ken Brant runs gravesolutions.com and has seen a 10 percent spike within the past year.

“People sell property at a much cheaper price than what the cemetery sells them for,” he explained.
Sometimes as much as 50 percent less than retail.

Each site works a bit differently, but all charge an upfront fee, and some include a multiple listing service…

Read the article, or watch the broadcast video at www.king5.com…

Article Excerpt:

…”There’s a marked increase in those looking to sell,” says Ward, who estimates that about 10% of the 28 million burial plot owners around the country are part of the secondary market that’s looking to unload. The only factor he sees preventing even more selling? [...]]]> Publisher: Forbes Magazine
Author: Tom Van Riper
Publish Date: October 22, 2008

Article Excerpt:

…”There’s a marked increase in those looking to sell,” says Ward, who estimates that about 10% of the 28 million burial plot owners around the country are part of the secondary market that’s looking to unload. The only factor he sees preventing even more selling? Some of those eager to dump their grave sites for cash are balking at the $100 listing fee. Those going ahead, meanwhile, are finding a tough buying market that won’t meet their initial asking prices. But most go ahead anyway, settling for less.

“People have become desperate to sell, and dropping the price is one way to do that,” Ward says.

Traditionally, unrelenting demand helped cemeteries avoid the kind of huge market swings afflicting the real estate market right now. About 2.4 million people in the U.S. die each year, with most buying property beforehand. Also keeping prices high: Family purchases of burial plots and funeral services aren’t done rationally, given the stress levels involved.

But more and more families are skipping full burials in favor of cremations, a much less expensive formula for laying a loved one to rest. Cremations account for over 30% of all funeral services in the U.S., according to the Neptune Society, a Florida-based company that specializes in the service…

Read the whole article at www.forbes.com…

Article Excerpt:

Even death is becoming high-tech.

The city’s cemetery board hopes to soon have a digital record of graves that would allow people to go online and locate anyone’s final resting place.

“Anyone can get on the Internet and type the deceased’s name and find what [plots] they [...]]]> Publication: Journal-Courier, Jacksonville, IL
Author: Cody Bozarth
Publish Date: October 11, 2009

Article Excerpt:

Even death is becoming high-tech.

The city’s cemetery board hopes to soon have a digital record of graves that would allow people to go online and locate anyone’s final resting place.

“Anyone can get on the Internet and type the deceased’s name and find what [plots] they own, where they’re at and other information,” Jacksonville Cemeteries Superintendent Jim Pierson said.

The project would involve a global positioning system-coordinated digital mapping of the city’s cemeteries.

Much of the funding for the project would come from an estate bequest, but additional funding sources are still being sought.

After its completion, it should provide for superior record-keeping as well as public research.
While this project is being designed as a public service, it also benefits those who operate and maintain local cemeteries.

Read the whole story at www.myjournalcourier.com

Article Excerpt:

…They also seized 30 vacant burial plots and 20 blank grave monuments at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier that allegedly were purchased with proceeds from the visa scheme.

Cemetery plots are a novel investment because they appreciate [...]]]> Article: Lawer is accused of selling fake work visas
Publication: LA Times
Author: Raja Abdulrahim
Publish Date: October 19, 2009

Article Excerpt:

…They also seized 30 vacant burial plots and 20 blank grave monuments at Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier that allegedly were purchased with proceeds from the visa scheme.

Cemetery plots are a novel investment because they appreciate at a rate of up to 10% a year and are less susceptible to economic downturns, authorities said.

“It’s unique in the sense that we haven’t run into this before that an individual seeking to hide proceeds goes out and purchases cemetery plots,” said Jorge Guzman, Immigration and Customs Enforcement assistant special agent in charge. “There are always new ways in which criminals will try and hide money, but this is by far one of the most unique.”…

Read the entire article at www.latimes.com

Article Excerpt:

…Over the past 30 years the cremation rate in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds, jumping from only 6 percent in 1975, to 19 percent in 1995 to nearly 40 percent today. And by 2025, that number [...]]]> Article: Cremation: a popular end-of-life option
Publication: The Mukilteo Beacon
Author: Jim Miller
Publish Date: October 20, 2009

Article Excerpt:

…Over the past 30 years the cremation rate in the United States has grown by leaps and bounds, jumping from only 6 percent in 1975, to 19 percent in 1995 to nearly 40 percent today. And by 2025, that number is expected to reach over 55 percent.

After forbidding cremation for centuries, the Catholic Church began allowing it back in 1963. However, it still prefers the traditional burial. Others religions that allow but discourage cremation include the Mormon Church, Reform and Conservative Judaism and Southern Baptist Convention, while Protestant Churches are much more accepting of the practice. Religions that forbid cremation are Islam, Jewish Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches…

Read the whole story at www.mukilteobeacon.com…

Article Excerpt:

In a cash-strapped economy where some have been forced to sell off the family burial plots, residents are snapping up spaces in the city’s cemetery.

Tallmadge City Council approved legislation this month that doubles the cost of remaining plots for sale in the community’s land-locked cemetery. [...]]]> Publication: Akron Beacon Journal
Author: Kathy Antoniotti
Publish Date: June 29, 2009

Article Excerpt:

In a cash-strapped economy where some have been forced to sell off the family burial plots, residents are snapping up spaces in the city’s cemetery.

Tallmadge City Council approved legislation this month that doubles the cost of remaining plots for sale in the community’s land-locked cemetery. For residents who want to spend eternity in Tallmadge, the price will increase from $400 to $800 per plot on July 1. For nonresidents, the price will increase from $800 to $2,000.

Word quickly spread at the end of April as council began considering the increase for the 4-foot-by-10-foot spaces to bring the city’s prices in line with other municipal cemeteries.

The land rush began almost immediately. And by last week only about 350 remained.

…Read the Full Story at www.dispatchpolitics.com

Article Excerpt:

With its majestic dunes and shimmering sunsets, Provincetown is a ceaseless draw for vacationers and summertime residents. So it may be little surprise that the outer-Cape retreat also ranks as a coveted final resting place, where retirees have snatched up plots at the town cemetery like [...]]]> Publication: The Boston Globe
Author: Peter Schworm
Date: October 1, 2009

Article Excerpt:

With its majestic dunes and shimmering sunsets, Provincetown is a ceaseless draw for vacationers and summertime residents. So it may be little surprise that the outer-Cape retreat also ranks as a coveted final resting place, where retirees have snatched up plots at the town cemetery like summer cottages with ocean views.

But, like all real estate in the lovely seaside town, space in the town’s only active cemetery is getting hard to come by.

The historic 20-acre cemetery is now all but full, with only the flat of a gentle northward hill unclaimed, forcing the town to halt advance sales while workers hasten to clear land for new graves.

…Read the Full Story at www.boston.com