America's Most Expensive Cemeteries

Forbes has just published (10/26/2007) a list of America's Most Expensive Cemeteries. Hmm! Interesting why they chose late October to publish this list.

(Check out the Google Maps View of "America's Most Expensive Cemeteries")

Burial costs in these cemeteries run into thousands of dollars. Quoting FORBES:

Don't expect prices to come down. Though technically real estate, unrelenting demand helps cemeteries avoid the kind of market swings afflicting housing right now. About 2.4 million people in the U.S. die each year, with most buying property beforehand, according to Bob Ward, founder of Finalrestingplace.com, a Web site that provides a secondary market for cemetery plots. Also keeping prices high: Family purchases of burial plots and funeral services aren't done rationally, given the stress levels involved.

"People worry that they did the right thing, not 'Did we spend too much money?,' " says Ward, who thinks the lack of new cemetery building will keep prices rising for the foreseeable future.