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The information is important as this is something you may not do everyday.
The first thing we always recommend is to have a conversation with the cemetery.
You may already know some of the answers to these questions, but since you probably
don't sell cemetery property every day; there may be some questions that you did not know to ask. You may be thinking 'Ugh! I have to speak to the cemetery?!" Yes. It is highly recommended that you do. You don't want to go through the expense and time of a listing, get to the transfer table, and find out there are issues with your paperwork or the cemetery never gave you permission to sell on the open market or you advertised one type of interment right when in actuality you have another type.
For example - You advertise that you have 2 Double Depth Companion Grave Spaces when in fact you have 2 Single Grave Spaces that CAN be made Double Depth. There is a big difference between the two. You don't want to false advertise.
This is just one example but we catch them every day of the week. Please do the upfront homework now.
THINGS TO
KNOW AND DO BEFORE YOU LIST
The more information you can add to your listing the
more powerful your listing becomes.
Cemetery property takes
a very long time to sell. It is imperitave that you ensure that
everything is in order with the cemetery:
A.
Call your cemetery. Ensure that you have permission
to sell your cemetery property on the open market. Some
cemeteries do not allow the resale of interment rights on the open
market. Some
states require first right of refusal. Ensure with the
cemetery that your paperwork is in order. We will require a copy of your deed
or certificate of ownership in order to list with us.
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B.
Ask the cemetery what they are selling like properties
in your garden/section/mausoleum/columbarium for today. This is the current
value of your cemetery property. Once that value is
known, our sellers
will usually start their pricing at a minimum of 20% below cemetery
retail. Be sure to mention the current value in your
comments.
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C. Ask
the cemetery what the availability is for property in
your garden/section/mausoleum/columbarium. This can be very important if there
is limited to no availability. Buyers could have family/ancestors
in your property area and have not been able to purchase
from the cemetery. If this is the case, be sure to put
this in your comments.
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D.
If you are selling ground burial property (grave space(s) - ask if your
spaces can be made double depth or companion). Only the cemetery can
provide this answer. It is based on the topography of the cemetery
and where your spaces are located within the cemetery. If they do
allow, the buyer would make those arrangements directly with the
cemetery.
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E.
Ask if the cemetery will allow one casket and one urn in your space(s)
or two urns. We are in a very high climate of cremation so this is good information
to add to your listing description. Again, if they do, the buyer would be responsible
for the 2nd right of interment to the cemetery.
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F.
If you are offering any services and/or merchandise (i.e. Opening &
Closing(s) or Vault(s), Markers, etc.) Ensure from the cemetery that these services
and merchandise is transferrable to your buyer. Do not assume that
they are. We are getting a lot of feedback from sellers that some cemeteries
are not allowing services and merchandise to be transferrable. All of a sudden
they are having a 'change in policy'. It is causing a major disruption with
sellers trying to sell their property and many sellers have lost their sale.
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G.
If you are selling cemetery property in a specific garden or section
such as Veterans, Masonic, etc. Ask if your cemetery property is open to all.
This is also information you want to add to your description.
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H.
If you are no longer near your cemetery or it
is not feasible to go to the cemetery when you do secure
a buyer, ask the cemetery for paperwork that you can
complete ahead of
time. Each cemetery will have different requirements
but can usually be handled via courier or fax.
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I. Ensure that you have the necessary paperwork the
cemetery requires in order to transfer your deed to a new buyer. You
don't want to go through the effort of securing a buyer and then find out that
you cannot complete the transaction because your paperwork is not in order.
Ask the cemetery if they need anything from
you that they need to transfer deed. Also
ask what the current transfer fees are. Ask if there is a difference between
PreNeed (future planning) and Immediate Need (a death has occurred).
Some cemeteries will charge more if there is an immediate need.
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J. Immediate Need - be
sure to ask the cemetery: If you have an immediate need buyer, can they
accommodate them so they can make burial arrangements in a reasonable time -
usually between 24 and 72 hours. If they cannot, do not offer for Immediate
Need.
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We are a national listing service that is an accredited business with the Better Business Bureau with an A+ Rating. 
As a national listing service, we can list your property on our site to sell. We are not brokers. We do not buy property outright and we do not charge a commission when your property sells. We do not get involved with the actual negotiations, collection of funds or deed transfer. Only the cemetery can transfer the deed.
Our website receives over 70K unique visitors a month. So in addition to listing your property on our site, we also post your listing to our social media. Your listing does not expire. It stays on our site until it sells. In fact, we will only take down your listing for one of three reasons: You let us know your property has sold, or
you let us know that you are removing your property from the market, or lastly - we can no longer correspond with you.
Please review our listing plans. If you need assistance in trying to select the right one, please do not hesitate to contact us via phone: 866-754-6573 or
contact us at: listing@thecemeteryexchange.com. 
 
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