Hi everyone! A lead came in from a seller. It’s 6.2 acres in the center of a decent sized town in Tennessee. Lot’s of homes around it, but it’s a cemetary. What do you do with a cemetary? Do people buy cemetaries? I would probably not pursue this, but wanted to see if I was missing something. Anyone have any knowledge on this? Thanks so much!!
Interesting deal! Cemeteries actually can be decent businesses if run properly. You’ve basically got two paths:
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Run it as an active cemetery (if there’s space) - selling plots, maintenance, working with funeral homes, etc. Just know you’ll need to learn TN cemetery laws and keep solid records.
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Or lean into the history angle - historical tours, genealogy stuff, maybe get it registered if it’s old enough. Could be cool if it has local significance.
Either way, you’re legally on the hook for maintaining existing graves and letting families visit, so factor that into your plans.
You didn’t actually buy this yet, did you? People do buy/sell these things, but usually to funeral companies or historical groups.
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I never owned a cemetary, but a fiend of mine managed Trusts, one of which was a cemetary. They tried for years to sell it unsucessfully. There was no current income, there were no more plots to sell, and there were expenses but no income. For me I’d pass.
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My experience is not in cemetery buying/owning, but in flipping cemetery plots…Business is slow lately as most people are buying cremation urn niches to bury cremains. I am currently searching for niches to purchase, then resell for a profit.
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Hannnelore Inman and her sister have commented that they buy cemetaries. I think they were on the podcast here at one time. Here’s their site, maybe reach out to see if they want to partner or help you evaluate it.
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Thank you Michael. Appreciate the input!
Hey Sean, no we have not purchased it. It just came in as a lead, and I didn’t know it it was something I wanted to pursue. I wouldn’t want to own a cemetery, but curious who a buyer would be. Thanks for your input!
Good advice, thanks David!
interesting, ok, thank you Sharon,
Hey Scott, thanks so much for that. I’ll reach out.