Just a thought...

[Red97GTP]

The one thing I never hear about is someone starting a business as a cemetary owner. I know this is just a random thought, but after thinking about it, you never hear about it. Will there be enough cemetaries that will have the capacities to hold everyone who dies in the next 100 years? I know this is a random thought but still. Discuss...

[That_Guy]

those fuckers make bank... i helped my grandfather when my grandmother passed and what they get for a plot is crazy.

[Red97GTP]

Yeah I know someone who owns one too and he has enough to build a really nice car... Anyone know chuck with the 65 impala?

[lordairgtar]

Most cemeteries cover acres and acres of land. The real estate value must be astronomical. Wanna buy some land?

[hotshift13]

You only "lease" a plot for a specified amount of time, then it goes to a "new" owner.

[-stew-]

Most cemeteries are owned by churches, but ran by independent companies. I think you'd lose money hand over fist trying to "open" a cemetery. Land cost, property taxes, employees, landscaping, yada, yada, yada. A dumb guess of start up cost would be north of $100k an acre. You gotta plant a lot of people before you start making money.


When you "lease" a plot it's an open ended lease kinda thing, I believe. They can't dig up your granny in 15 years because you aren't able to re-up the lease.

[PureSound15]

You only "lease" a plot for a specified amount of time, then it goes to a "new" owner.

No, this is terribly untrue. You're buying land when you buy a plot.


<-- worked for a company that owned cemeteries

[whistlin six]

Yeah I know someone who owns one too and he has enough to build a really nice car... Anyone know chuck with the 65 impala?

I've met him a few times, I thought he was in the headstone business.

[PureSound15]

I've met him a few times, I thought he was in the headstone business.

A LOT more money in the headstone business than there is in plots themselves. Most small cemeteries cannot afford to run until they are bought out by a large corporation that can live off small margin or provide their own products.

[juicedimpss]

A LOT more money in the headstone business than there is in headstones. Most small cemeteries cannot afford to run until they are bought out by a large corporation that can live off small margin or provide their own products.

:confused

[PureSound15]

Fixed, my bad.

[That_Guy]

No, this is terribly untrue. You're buying land when you buy a plot.


<-- worked for a company that owned cemeteries


ding ding ding! winna.. although they do lease plots in germany. we found this out when we went to find old family plots.

[Red97GTP]

His family owns the cemetaries, and he does the custom headstone work.

[Mr Twigbert]

<---- Worked for a cemetary for 4 years in H.S.

Your right, it does cost a TON to buy a plot and have someone burried.. HOWEVER, you are not just paying for that person to stay there for a few years.. They will stay there forever.. Something like 75% of what you pay for a plot HAS to be placed into a secured place to go for up keep for when the cemetary gets full.. Just because there are no more spots doesn't mean someone will just stop cutting the grass.. And how do you place a dollar amount on forever?

Don't get me wrong.. Cemetaries make money but they are required to save WAY MORE than they put in thier pockets..

[hotshift13]

True, but you don't keep the land foreve

[PureSound15]

True, but you don't keep the land foreve

What? Yes, you do. Your body stays there forever and if you owned more than 1 plot and didn't use it, it would be transfered to someone else in the family.

[TheRX7Project]

So then how does a full cemetary make money? To me it seems like a terrible business proposition.

[PureSound15]

So then how does a full cemetary make money? To me it seems like a terrible business proposition.

It doesn't. The only way to continue to make money on a full cemetery is to invest the funds that are saved for the next xxxx years of maintenance.

That's assuming it's truly full - if people own every single plot, but not all of them are used, then the cemetery will still collect fees for "opening & closing" the plot (or vault) unless those were paid at the time of purchase.

[Mr Twigbert]

The place I worked at just kept expanding.. However, when they were a few years out from opening their last few sections of land the owners sold.. I think they saw the writing on the wall..

But, they also built several mausoleum's.. For the square footage you can't beat a mausoleum because you can build one and stack the bodies up.. And collect a premimum seeing it is indoors..

They also built a funeral home on the land so they were making money off the plot, money off the funeral and money from selling flowers and caskets.. Trust me, they DID make money..

As far as the up keep though.. I can only guess how big the place was but I'd say it was between 150-300 acres.. The 'one' lawnmore alown back then was something like $75,000.. But then again it was all hydrolic and had 3 mowing decks.. One in front and two wings that could be lowered.. Roads still had to be kept up.. Water fountains had to be maintained.. Flowers had to be removed after holidays.. Bushes have to be trimmed.. Once the place were to close it would still take a decent size team to keep the place kept up.. Heck, I bet it would cost dam near $500k to a mill each year for all the man power, supplies and utilities AFTER the place were to close..

[PureSound15]

They also built a funeral home on the land so they were making money off the plot, money off the funeral and money from selling flowers and caskets.. Trust me, they DID make money..



What state was this? Cemeteries do much better in states where they can legally own a cemetery and a funeral home. Still illegal in WI, though.