Are people afraid of ghosts?

January 25, 2007 7:32 AM

How much will my home's location across from a cemetery affect resale?

I'm in the process of buying a home, and I found one that fits all of my criteria as far as price, size, etc. The only hangup is that it's across the street from a large, urban cemetery. This fact does not bother me at all - in fact, I think it's desirable (it's pretty to look at, and you know your neighbors will be quiet!). But everyone I know keeps warning me about the effect of the cemetery on resale value. I know that I'm not going to get a definitive answer from anyone about whether it's going to be a huge factor, but I thought I would query the hive mind:

-Do you live across from a cemetery, and/or have you tried to sell a home near a cemetery? What was your experience?

-Would you be averse to living across from a cemetery? Why? How much would it affect your decisionmaking process?

posted by elquien to home & garden (25 comments total)

Where is this property located?
posted by bkeene12 at 7:35 AM on January 25, 2007

In south Minneapolis, MN. The area is mostly liberal young professionals and young families, as far as I can tell.
posted by elquien at 7:38 AM on January 25, 2007

-Would you be averse to living across from a cemetery?

No, but I love cemeteries and am probably not the norm. (but then I also don't think "the dead are gonna get us!" people would be the norm...?)
posted by ClarissaWAM at 7:40 AM on January 25, 2007

For me, I would pay more to have a cemetery neighbor. Any open space is desireable.
posted by sulaine at 7:46 AM on January 25, 2007

I just bought a house in south Minneapolis; we looked at a couple of houses next to cemetaries, and that was never a drawback. So there's one datapoint against.

Which cemetary are you next to? If it's Lakewood, note that the property values around there are among the best in the city.
posted by COBRA! at 7:49 AM on January 25, 2007

Some people would think this is a definite plus. No (fewer) neighbors = more privacy. Green trees. No chance for adverse development. Seems like a very exclusive neighbor... people are dying to get in.


sorry/ ducks
posted by Gungho at 7:50 AM on January 25, 2007

Mattering to resale means two things: price and time to sell.

Presumably you can tell price by comparing the current selling price to that of comparables-other-than-price in the neighborhood which are not across from the cemetery.

Same with the time factor. Has it been on the market longer than average?

Are there several properties that fit your criteria (including price) or is this the only one. If the former, then there's apparently no effect. If the latter then very possibly there's an effect now which will also be operative later.
posted by scheptech at 7:54 AM on January 25, 2007

What its worth now is its market value. Its not like youre buildign a new house across from a cemetary and taking a chance. I dont see how the future may change this, unless the dead start getting a lot louder.
posted by damn dirty ape at 8:00 AM on January 25, 2007

Before you consider making an offer, do a little research into the cemetery ownership. The cemetery I used to work at has been sold 2 or 3 times in the last 12 years.

Each owner has done something different. The one I worked for sold & installed community mausoleums on the property. These were hidden from the main road but right in the view line of houses at the back. The current owner purchased adjoining acreage and has ripped out old growth trees (in a very ugly manner) to ready for expansion.

Most cemeteries have perpetual care - this level of care can vary with ownership. What is pretty today can be a rotten mess tomorrow. Even more reason to investigate the ownership.

If the house you're looking at is entered across from the cemetery's main entrance, you are going to have to deal with funeral traffic. Sometimes it won't last more than a few minutes but if the cemetery has a police/fireman section, it can and will tie up your street & the general area for hours.

Also, if you live in a windy area, you might have fake flowers and other debris in your yard on occasion. This can be a pain to deal with and might even be a bit depressing at times.

On the other hand, none of the houses where the cemetery was ever seemed to have a problem selling. Yes, some staying on the market for a while but that could be because of other factors.
posted by jaimystery at 8:00 AM on January 25, 2007 [1 favorite]

Including yourself, all of us seem to have some perference/desire for dead neighbors. Question is does this hive represent a good cross section of the nation or your community? Lacking that data my advice would be to buy the property and enjoy the ghosts.
posted by bkeene12 at 8:07 AM on January 25, 2007

At least two cemetaries in my town are located near some very pricey and desirable homes. As mentioned above, the type of cemetary probably has an effect on the value more than the simple fact that there is a cemetary; one cemetary I mentioned is very well-maintained and expensive (just like some of the nearby homes) and the other is historically significant and reasonably well-maintained.
posted by TedW at 8:07 AM on January 25, 2007

I would not live across from a cemetary, but my reasons are probably far from the norm.

I would not want to be reminded on a daily basis (seeing funerals, seeing funeral preparation/grave digging, seeing funeral traffic, etc.) of such a sad event in people's lives (the death of a loved one).

YMMV. I know I am not the norm; I get teary when I drive by a funeral procession thinking about how sad the people in the cars must be, and I don't know anyone else who gets this way.
posted by necessitas at 8:29 AM on January 25, 2007

One factor that positively influences ME (I've owned 12 houses) is neighborhood stability.

I can think of few things more stable than local cemeteries, which I suggest are more stable than undeveloped land or schools, to take two examples. Few visitors, low traffic, grounds well maintained (usually), barriers to change. Heck, I may start making it a requirement, not that I plan to ever buy another house! If I do, I'll NEED a cemetery!
posted by FauxScot at 8:41 AM on January 25, 2007

I teach at a school that's right next to a cemetary and nobody's ever mentioned it. It certainly wouldn't bother me if I was looking for somewhere to live.
posted by alby at 9:01 AM on January 25, 2007

I would like living near a cemetery. It's a plus, not a minus, in my book.
posted by donajo at 9:18 AM on January 25, 2007

How well policed is the cemetary? The main worry I'd have is if it is a draw for bored kids (having been one myself)
posted by Good Brain at 9:27 AM on January 25, 2007

Er. What's the cemetery like?

I'm about to buy a house with one at the end of the street. It's small, it's well-maintained, it's pretty old -- to us, it's not absurdly far removed from living near a park with no swings.

There are some really splendid, massive old homes on the street. I doubt it's affecting the desirability of "6bdrm brick century home w/view of river."

That said, my sister lives near one at the moment, and refers to her neighbourhood in thoroughly unflattering terms. The one she overlooks is newer, massive, and still actively soliciting new customers. It probably does affect the value of "2bdrm UTIL INCL immd occpncy." I think we'd have paused at something like that.

So -- 'park,' or 'place of business' sort of graveyard? Is it saying "I'm an attractive part of an old, well-established community so nice people want to hang around after death," or "I'm a reason for discounts on area rents. See us today to discuss e-z financing for family plots!" ...?
posted by kmennie at 9:40 AM on January 25, 2007

Consider that it's not really so important how buyers themselves might actually feel about buying a place next to the cemetary. The fact that you're asking this question indicates that you're concerned about it. Which in turn is a pretty fair indication that potential buyers will be concerned about it, even if only for how it might impact their ability to resell.
posted by juv3nal at 9:42 AM on January 25, 2007

What Good Brain said: my main thought is that urban cemeteries sometimes have crime (generally vandalism and muggings.)

If the neighborhood, inclusive of the cemetery, has a crime rate you can live with, then it shouldn't be a problem.
posted by cobaltnine at 9:54 AM on January 25, 2007

If you are willing to buy the house, someone will be willing to buy it from you. We are not as unique as we like to think we are.
posted by clh at 10:04 AM on January 25, 2007

How close are you to an undeveloped area of the cemetary? The reason I ask is because it might not terribly appealing to walk out of your front door or look through your windows and see a funeral going on. Also, as for the the parking situation - will the cemetary-goers be parking on your street? That might cause a problem if you only have on-street parking.

But really, that sounds like a great deal, quiet, typically beautiful, large expanse of green. Lucky!
posted by banannafish at 10:33 AM on January 25, 2007

Living near a cemetery is great. It's a good place to walk the dog. Also, at our cemetery, kids went sledding on a snow day. It's just another open green space here.

Plus, it makes our jokes about living on a dead end road extra funny.
posted by crazycanuck at 11:32 AM on January 25, 2007

If it's Lakewood Cemetery and you're by the lakes and Lyndale Park, I can't imagine you'll have much of a problem selling.

Regarding ownership, Lakewood Cemetery has existed as a public, non-profit, non-denominational cemetery since 1872, so I also wouldn't worry about it changing hands.

Wellstone's also buried there...
posted by corranhorn at 2:54 PM on January 25, 2007

real estate sale-ability is all about three things; location, location, not being haunted.
posted by white light at 3:32 PM on January 25, 2007

Resale value will be no more or no less than what it is before you purchase it. Whatever it is going for now, and what someone is willing to pay, is what you can expect as a baseline. Value should go up and down relative to the neighborhood.

If you are asking if the "pool of likely buyers" is diminished for being next to a cemetary, again it is no more and no less than now. And likely no more or no less for houses that are next to ball fields, or empty lots, or tire dumps, or any number of other situations that can either no issue or a deal-breaker depending on peoples reactions. I don't think you will have any issues in buying and then trying to sell as the cost of buying it now should reflect the fact that it is catering to the likely pool of buyers that exist out there.
posted by qwip at 5:11 PM on January 25, 2007