Balancing the budget is literally becoming a matter of life and death for some.
John Dotson planned to spend eternity at a heavenly spot in a local cemetery.
"Bought these burial plots back in 1990. After that I really didn't think much of them for a long time," he said.
Then life threw John a curveball. His wife lost her job and she was diagnosed with breast cancer. The monthly bills piled up and John decided to sell his family burial plots.
"The state of the economy has played a big part in our decision making and also our stress in the whole situation," he said.
He's not alone. There's a booming online market with Web sites such as plotbrokers.com and americancemeteryproperty.com.
Ken Brant runs gravesolutions.com and has seen a 10 percent spike within the past year.
"People sell property at a much cheaper price than what the cemetery sells them for," he explained.
Sometimes as much as 50 percent less than retail.
Each site works a bit differently, but all charge an upfront fee, and some include a multiple listing service.
"The customer is offering a commission to anybody out there who sells the property for them," said Brant.
John went with the multiple listing program on gravesolutions.com.
"I originally put it in for, like, $2,800, and then didn't get too much response, so I've lowered it to, like, to about $2,500," said John.
Interested in buying? Experts say make sure the seller has a proper certificate of ownership and that you know what you're getting.
"Does it also include possibility of an opening and closing? A vault? A marker? An upright monument?" said Gregg Williamson, ICCFA.
So if you're interested in selling, check with your cemetery first.
"Find out what the rules, guidelines are of the cemetery and what transfer forms and or fees the cemetery authority requires," he continued.
And have that paperwork together before placing any ads.
John knows what he'll do when the gravesites sell. He's catch up on bills.
It can take anywhere from weeks to years to unload your land. On gravesolutions.com, the average sale takes about 15 months.
More information
Grave Solutions: http://gravesolutions.com/
Plot Brokers: http://plotbrokers.com/default.aspx
American Cemetery Property: http://www.americancemeteryproperty.com
International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association (ICCFA): http://www.iccfa.com/
The International Cemetery, Cremation and Funeral Association is the only international trade association representing all segments of the cemetery, funeral service, cremation and memorialization profession. Today, the ICCFA is composed of more than 7,400 cemeteries, funeral homes, crematories, memorial designers and related businesses worldwide. It serves and supports these members through a host of benefits designed to increase their management proficiency and improve their businesses - from regular updates on government and legal issues, to educational meetings, to a variety of services and products tailored to meet their needs. The ICCFA promotes consumer choices, pre-arrangement and open competition and has created more than two dozen model guidelines advocating state legislation on a variety of consumer-related issues. The association also assists consumers more directly through information resources, as well as through a complaint mediation service.
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