Create Beautiful DesignsLorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi. Sed ut perspiciatis unde
omnis iste natus error sit voluptatem accusantium doloremque laudantium
|
|
Cemetery PlotsIf you have decided on an earth burial then one of the first decisions you will have to make is which cemetery to be buried in. You should know that there are significant differences in prices between cemeteries. For example, in Southern California where I live, there is a local cemetery that offers retail plots for $2,100. A few miles down the road another cemetery offers its cheapest plots for around $3,500. (In southeast rural Idaho, you can get a plot for $400.)
There are a few different types of plots to choose from. You may select to be buried underground (plot) or above ground (mausoleum or columbarium). Either way you will pay about the same amount of money. To help you find out the prices of the plots in your area, you will need to call or visit them one by one.
If you decide to call them know that the salesman will always try and get you to come in to the business location. I recommend waiting to do your visits until after you know their high and low price.
There are several expenses associated with buying a plot. Here is a list of miscellaneous expenses you need to ask the salesman about:
When you buy your plot, don’t buy it from the cemetery. They are going to charge you full price. Instead, purchase it through an outside source or private party.
There are many reasons why somebody would want to sell their plots for pennies on the dollar. Maybe the seller (1) purchased the plots years ago, and now they don’t need or want them; or (2) they bought multiple plots to be used as a family burial site, but they didn’t use them all; or (3) they just needed the money.
Their reason to sell really doesn’t matter because it is an opportunity for you to create a win-win situation. You win because you save some money, and they win because they sell their unwanted burial plot.
Places to Look for Third Party Plots When searching for your third party plot it will help tremendously if you have a computer and the Internet. It isn’t necessary, but you will have many more options at your fingertips if you make these aids available to you.
Here are a few places you can look to start your search:
How to Get the Best Price
When you talk with these private sellers, don’t be afraid to haggle and bargain with them. You should always offer them something less than what they are asking, or ask for some “extras” to be included in the original price. For example, ask that the seller pay all transfer fees, or ask that they lower the selling price to help pay for the cost of opening and closing the grave. Private party plots are always negotiable, and by haggling a little, you get the best deal you can.
Grave Liner and VaultsAlright, you have purchased your plot, and now you are almost ready to bury your loved one, but there are still two more things we need to talk about: Grave liners/ vaults and head stones. A grave liner/vault is used to prevent a sink in the ground above the casket when the casket collapses because of decomposition. If the ground sinks then it will make property maintenance difficult.
There is no law that requires the use of liners and vaults, though the sales rep may lead you to believe that there is such a law. Most cemeteries only require them because of the added convenience.
There is not much of a difference between a vault and a liner, but you should know that a vault is going to be less expensive than a liner. A vault is simply the box that the casket fits into when it is lowered into the ground. It has a lid that is placed on top of the vault once the casket is lowered inside the hole. A liner is shaped similar to a butter dish lid. The casket sits flat on the ground and a cap-like liner is fitted over the top of it like a butter dish.
Vaults are typically less expensive than liners. When you are talking to the cemetery sales representative about grave liners, they frequently make you think that by upgrading to the more expensive vault you can somehow postpone the natural process of decomposition. This is 100% false and borderline illegal. No special casket, grave vault, or other claim will ever prevent decomposition unless of course, you are willing to pay a Utah based company $35,000 to mummify you.
Do not upgrade to higher-end cemetery vaults. Resist the sales ploys of the upgraded vaults. Nothing will slow or eliminate decomposition of the body. The high-end re-enforced steel and glass vaults will cost you $2,000–$6,000 more than the base model but they WILL NOT prevent the breaking down of the human body. Stick with the simple cement vault and save thousands of dollars.
Alternative Vault Sources
Most cemeteries allow you to use your own vault provider. Using your own provider doesn’t necessarily mean that you can purchase a vault for less money, but it is certainly worth looking into. You should call the local cement companies to see if they offer this type of service.
Consider local cement companies or your cemetery vault needs. Consider calling some of the cement companies in town to ask if they will pour a cement vault for your grave. If you can find one, they will sometimes do it for a fraction of the cost. When you call them, all you have to do is ask if they do cemetery vaults. If they do, they will know the regulations and requirements necessary to comply with the cemetery you want the burial in. They should be able to give a pretty accurate estimate of what it will cost to pour it.
Headstone/ Marker The last thing that you need to purchase at the cemetery is the marker or headstone. The headstone is the only object that will be seen after your loved one is buried and if there is anything you will want to splurge on, it’s this.
We suggest waiting to purchase the marker until after all the hustle and bustle of the funeral is over. The cemeteries are accustomed to this and will usually provide a temporary marker until more permanent arrangements can be made. Waiting to purchase it will give you time to price them out and postpone paying for it.
A headstone or marker is used to identify the person buried in a particular burial plot. The headstone could include such information as name, age, date of birth, date of death, spouse information, and epitaph.
An epitaph is a short saying displayed on the marker that reflects something of importance to the deceased. Epitaphs can be serious, loving, or humorous.
Here are a few epitaph examples to help give you some ideas of what you may put on your marker:
Serious
“My Jesus, mercy” – Al Capone
“Oh, God” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty I’m
Free at Last” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Loving
“To the arms of my loving spouse, I go
Nothing so sacred as honor and nothing so loyal
as love” –Wyatt Earp
12 The Debt-Free Funeral
Humorous
“I told you I was sick” – In a Georgia cemetery
“Here lies an honest man. And that is strange.”
– A lawyers tombstone in England
When considering a headstone or marker, there are several types to choose from. Every cemetery will have different regulations and rules concerning what they will allow. If you are planning on purchasing your marker from the cemetery you won’t have to worry about the regulations because they will handle that for you. However, if you are planning on saving money, which is what this book is about, then you will most likely purchase it from an outside source and will need to know the rules.
Make sure you check with the cemetery before you purchase any marker or headstone to make sure they will allow what you purchase. A flat marker is going to be the least expensive way to mark the grave. They come in all kinds of stone and metal selections. The grey granite is definitely the cheapest so if you are looking for the best bang for your buck, this is your option.
Flat, granite markers are the best bang for your buck. A headstone or monument is going to be much more expensive than a flat marker. As a rule of thumb, the more letters you add to the marker the more expensive it will be. When you select the upright gravestone you are paying for more granite, more stone cuts, and generally text extras. It is hard to explain all the different options concerning markers and headstones because there are so
many.
The best advice I can give is visit the local cemetery and look around. By doing so you will get a pretty
good idea of what you like and dislike. Markers are one of the only expenses that can wait, so take your time and
look around. As mentioned earlier, I recommend purchasing your marker/headstone from an outside source, and by doing so, you will generally save money.
Purchase your marker from outside vendors. There are several websites and local outsourced companies that will build a marker for you at a discount price. Call around or visit their websites to see what they have to offer. Just be careful to make sure you know the size and regulation requirements for the cemetery your plot is in because there are no returns on markers. Once you have signed the proof and the company cuts the stone, you are obligated to purchase it.
Final ThoughtIn my experience people wish they had spent more money on the headstone /marker than on any other part of the funeral including the casket. This is largely due to the fact that you will be looking at the marker for the
rest of your life. Make sure you pick something that you actually want.
There are a few different types of plots to choose from. You may select to be buried underground (plot) or above ground (mausoleum or columbarium). Either way you will pay about the same amount of money. To help you find out the prices of the plots in your area, you will need to call or visit them one by one.
If you decide to call them know that the salesman will always try and get you to come in to the business location. I recommend waiting to do your visits until after you know their high and low price.
There are several expenses associated with buying a plot. Here is a list of miscellaneous expenses you need to ask the salesman about:
- Perpetual maintenance fee (These are the yearly fees of maintaining the gravesite.)
- Opening and closing cost (This is the fee associated with digging and filling the hole.)
- Deed transfer fee (I’ll explain this more later)
- Marker setting fee (These are the fees of setting the headstone or marker.)
- Convenience (The easier the plot is to get to, the more you will pay.)
- Location (The more expensive the local cost of living, the more you will pay.)
- Prestige (The more famous the celebrities buried in your cemetery, the more you will pay.)
- Capacity (The fuller the cemetery, the more you pay, or in other words, the less plots available for sale, the more expensive the plots.)
- Extras (e.g., rights to bury more than one person in the plot, flower holders)
When you buy your plot, don’t buy it from the cemetery. They are going to charge you full price. Instead, purchase it through an outside source or private party.
There are many reasons why somebody would want to sell their plots for pennies on the dollar. Maybe the seller (1) purchased the plots years ago, and now they don’t need or want them; or (2) they bought multiple plots to be used as a family burial site, but they didn’t use them all; or (3) they just needed the money.
Their reason to sell really doesn’t matter because it is an opportunity for you to create a win-win situation. You win because you save some money, and they win because they sell their unwanted burial plot.
Places to Look for Third Party Plots When searching for your third party plot it will help tremendously if you have a computer and the Internet. It isn’t necessary, but you will have many more options at your fingertips if you make these aids available to you.
Here are a few places you can look to start your search:
- The newspaper classified ads
- Online classified ads such as www.craigslist.com
- Online auction sites such as www.ebay.com
- Cemetery plot brokers (check your local yellow pages, or search for one on www.google.com)
- Online plot exchanges such as www.plotexchange.com
How to Get the Best Price
When you talk with these private sellers, don’t be afraid to haggle and bargain with them. You should always offer them something less than what they are asking, or ask for some “extras” to be included in the original price. For example, ask that the seller pay all transfer fees, or ask that they lower the selling price to help pay for the cost of opening and closing the grave. Private party plots are always negotiable, and by haggling a little, you get the best deal you can.
Grave Liner and VaultsAlright, you have purchased your plot, and now you are almost ready to bury your loved one, but there are still two more things we need to talk about: Grave liners/ vaults and head stones. A grave liner/vault is used to prevent a sink in the ground above the casket when the casket collapses because of decomposition. If the ground sinks then it will make property maintenance difficult.
There is no law that requires the use of liners and vaults, though the sales rep may lead you to believe that there is such a law. Most cemeteries only require them because of the added convenience.
There is not much of a difference between a vault and a liner, but you should know that a vault is going to be less expensive than a liner. A vault is simply the box that the casket fits into when it is lowered into the ground. It has a lid that is placed on top of the vault once the casket is lowered inside the hole. A liner is shaped similar to a butter dish lid. The casket sits flat on the ground and a cap-like liner is fitted over the top of it like a butter dish.
Vaults are typically less expensive than liners. When you are talking to the cemetery sales representative about grave liners, they frequently make you think that by upgrading to the more expensive vault you can somehow postpone the natural process of decomposition. This is 100% false and borderline illegal. No special casket, grave vault, or other claim will ever prevent decomposition unless of course, you are willing to pay a Utah based company $35,000 to mummify you.
Do not upgrade to higher-end cemetery vaults. Resist the sales ploys of the upgraded vaults. Nothing will slow or eliminate decomposition of the body. The high-end re-enforced steel and glass vaults will cost you $2,000–$6,000 more than the base model but they WILL NOT prevent the breaking down of the human body. Stick with the simple cement vault and save thousands of dollars.
Alternative Vault Sources
Most cemeteries allow you to use your own vault provider. Using your own provider doesn’t necessarily mean that you can purchase a vault for less money, but it is certainly worth looking into. You should call the local cement companies to see if they offer this type of service.
Consider local cement companies or your cemetery vault needs. Consider calling some of the cement companies in town to ask if they will pour a cement vault for your grave. If you can find one, they will sometimes do it for a fraction of the cost. When you call them, all you have to do is ask if they do cemetery vaults. If they do, they will know the regulations and requirements necessary to comply with the cemetery you want the burial in. They should be able to give a pretty accurate estimate of what it will cost to pour it.
Headstone/ Marker The last thing that you need to purchase at the cemetery is the marker or headstone. The headstone is the only object that will be seen after your loved one is buried and if there is anything you will want to splurge on, it’s this.
We suggest waiting to purchase the marker until after all the hustle and bustle of the funeral is over. The cemeteries are accustomed to this and will usually provide a temporary marker until more permanent arrangements can be made. Waiting to purchase it will give you time to price them out and postpone paying for it.
A headstone or marker is used to identify the person buried in a particular burial plot. The headstone could include such information as name, age, date of birth, date of death, spouse information, and epitaph.
An epitaph is a short saying displayed on the marker that reflects something of importance to the deceased. Epitaphs can be serious, loving, or humorous.
Here are a few epitaph examples to help give you some ideas of what you may put on your marker:
Serious
“My Jesus, mercy” – Al Capone
“Oh, God” – Mahatma Gandhi
“Free at last. Free at last. Thank God Almighty I’m
Free at Last” – Martin Luther King Jr.
Loving
“To the arms of my loving spouse, I go
Nothing so sacred as honor and nothing so loyal
as love” –Wyatt Earp
12 The Debt-Free Funeral
Humorous
“I told you I was sick” – In a Georgia cemetery
“Here lies an honest man. And that is strange.”
– A lawyers tombstone in England
When considering a headstone or marker, there are several types to choose from. Every cemetery will have different regulations and rules concerning what they will allow. If you are planning on purchasing your marker from the cemetery you won’t have to worry about the regulations because they will handle that for you. However, if you are planning on saving money, which is what this book is about, then you will most likely purchase it from an outside source and will need to know the rules.
Make sure you check with the cemetery before you purchase any marker or headstone to make sure they will allow what you purchase. A flat marker is going to be the least expensive way to mark the grave. They come in all kinds of stone and metal selections. The grey granite is definitely the cheapest so if you are looking for the best bang for your buck, this is your option.
Flat, granite markers are the best bang for your buck. A headstone or monument is going to be much more expensive than a flat marker. As a rule of thumb, the more letters you add to the marker the more expensive it will be. When you select the upright gravestone you are paying for more granite, more stone cuts, and generally text extras. It is hard to explain all the different options concerning markers and headstones because there are so
many.
The best advice I can give is visit the local cemetery and look around. By doing so you will get a pretty
good idea of what you like and dislike. Markers are one of the only expenses that can wait, so take your time and
look around. As mentioned earlier, I recommend purchasing your marker/headstone from an outside source, and by doing so, you will generally save money.
Purchase your marker from outside vendors. There are several websites and local outsourced companies that will build a marker for you at a discount price. Call around or visit their websites to see what they have to offer. Just be careful to make sure you know the size and regulation requirements for the cemetery your plot is in because there are no returns on markers. Once you have signed the proof and the company cuts the stone, you are obligated to purchase it.
Final ThoughtIn my experience people wish they had spent more money on the headstone /marker than on any other part of the funeral including the casket. This is largely due to the fact that you will be looking at the marker for the
rest of your life. Make sure you pick something that you actually want.