I do but I could be wrong. I would like to know your opinion.

I wouldn’t. Cemeteries tend to be good neighbors as their occupants tent to be pretty quiet.

But dont you think that will limit the pool of buyers based on the location????

I have listed and sold houses that bordered on cemetery property and it didn't seem to matter to the buyers. There was also no discernable difference in price from similar houses in the neighborhoods that didn’t border on the cemetery so at least in my market, there was no price penalty.

I live very close to one, don't back up to it, but houses up the street from me do and I have sold two those houses in the last few years and not one person that I know of commented on the "negative" of the cemetary. Also, they did not sell for any less that a similar house within 1 mile.

No direct back neighbors and the view over the fence is of the tree tops, so you can't really see the gravestones. Occassionally the bagpiper plays, but it is such a cool sound to listen to, I don't really mind.

I did a bpo on a home that backs to a cemetary this week. I mentioned it in the bpo, but I didn't make any adjustments. I think in this case it's not a negative. I suppose each situation is different, depending on how the lot relates to the cemetary.

I wouldn't mind living next to one because yes, the occupants are quiet. :) I did sell a home years ago which had one tomb from the 19th century just across the lot boundary. The buyers didn't mind.

I actually got a QC back this week because I didn't adjust downward for a cemetery across the street.
I pointed out that I grew up across from a very large cemetery and they were great neighbors because:

They never spoke loudly or played loud music.
They never shot off fireworks on July 4th or New Year's Eve.
I didn't have to listen to them reving up their motorcycles at 5:30AM.
I never heard loud domestic disturbances.

Those are all things I put up with in my prior house.

PA Roadkill, thats my point, sometimes they send orders back because the considere ( sometimes ) a cementery a factors that can retrac buyers from subject.

Recent Cemeteries are fine; but I'd caution people about being in close proximity to those which were operating prior to the 1920s when arsenic was used in embalming fluid and continues to leach into the local water table today.

Municipal monitored water supplies, instead of private drilled wells in these areas, usually overcome this problem.

If you are within 1000 feet of an Old Cemetery and still serviced by a private water supply, due diligence would suggest a water test be conducted to assure an arsenic content of less than 10 ppb (the current EPA "2006" maximum contaminant level for arsenic in drinking water) be performed. Arsenic cannot be routinely removed from your water.

You may like the flavor of that water (arsenic is actually tasteless); but you always have to think about the tastes of those that follow you, and your resale value.

Good point about the arsenic.

In commercial a cemetery does matter heavily.Especially if you are valuing land.

For instance assisted living centers don't like them as it's a constant reminder to their live ins of impending doom.Also if you are developing land that borders it the buffer requirements and fighting with the public at the zoning and board approval hearings can be long and drawn out. All of these items increase development costs.

Usually a developer won't mess with an area that has one unless it is a really good location or next to a hard corner.

Being next to a cemetery will bother some and not others but I do believe it does reduce the buyer pool then if it didn't exist. So just in my area I would do a deduction.

But it would save some gas money...Just have a wheelbarrow ready and go back and forth...because of this, I would say, the value should go up..

That's real economy . . . . no Pall Bearers or anything ? A stripped down-to-the-bones Wheel Barrow procession instead of a nice Cortège with a Small Band ? Do you suppose that would be covered by MediCare ?

I know Vermont...the current economic climate calls for some extreme measures...Some families might actually like that there will be some savings in The End and, if Medicare covers some of the costs, perhaps there could be an upgrade in services.

Yes because when the Zombie Apocalypse happens you will be at a much higher risk compared to those furthest away from the cemetery.

I would say no. A death in a home need not be disclosed, at least in my area. Death is a natural part of life. That being said, it certainly will not be a selling point for many people.

In Richmond, there is Hollywood cemetery near a section of town called Oregon Hill. There are many famous tombs there. It is sort of Edgar Allen Poe-ish, hipster-fashionable, spooky, chic cool to live there (the houses, not the graves).

Another example, I owned and sold an investment property within view (across the street) of a Military Cemetery. As you might imagine the tombs are uniformed and orderly, conveying a sense of awe and remeberance for those who fought and died for our country.

Well it is not an external obsolescence to me still I have a listing over 4 months now and even though we are under $70K below value no one wants the property, buyers do not want to see the inside as soon they are in the front of the house, it is accross a cementery with HIGH RISE TOMBS... The view from the bedrooms is all creepy ,listing is going to Auction. On my fisrt BPO I made an adjt of $30K for the view and location, last sold was for $304K and $295K my listing is for #227K and NADA nothing....I will say it all depends the location a least here in Miami people cares about it .

external obsolescence: an appraisal term referring to the loss in value attributable to factors outside the property itself, such as changed economic conditions, changes in zoning, and construction of nearby nuisances.

I think that on this case a cementery it is since affect the value of the subject property and is outside the property itself

In areas that were rural at one time, but now have become part of the urban sprawl, you often find family cemeteries that were part of the old family farm. Then the farm is sold for development and the old family cemetery remains. In our area, I have seen that the actual cemetery land, as well as access to that land, remains with the family and has to be untouched by the newly developed tracts housing.

In our area, an old cemetery was discovered when contractors were excavating to build a new bridge over the RR tracks in a local small city. The local authorities then spent a lot of time and money discovering that the land had once been a church (over 100 years ago) that no longer existed. Took 3 or 4 months to get legal approval to finish the excavation, move the remains to another cemetary and start work again.

And on the cemetery subject, there have been burial grounds of some sort around since before recorded time. The famous STONEHENGE in England has existed since about 2500BC, but it was only discovered in the 1920's that it was a burial ground. And here in the US, they are still finding Indian burial grounds, expecially in areas near rivers, when excavation starts on new projects.

My sister has a cemetery right next door - loves it - great place to take walks. They actually thought it was an asset - it was my listing that they bought. Quiet neighbors is exactly why they bought it - plus it was a very cool house.

Just curious about which came first: the house or the cemetery?

I'd say that the existence of a cemetery is certainly a site influence, but if the cemetery pre-dates the house, the value influence should have been reflected on previous valuations.

I think you ask a very smart question and make a good point. Good 'agenting'.

I used to live in a house that backed up to a cemetary. I seem to recall that when I sold it, the appraiser listed it as "external obsolescence". Personally, I thought it was great. I had problems with some of my other neighbors - but not the ones in the back!

In the 25 years I've been in this business most reactions to a cemetery in the back yard are negative.

Cemeteries are like schools, they can be a positive for some buyers and a negative for others. I have a friend who cannot park a vehicle on the street in front of his house as there is a school across the street and there are signs on both sides of the street with no parking from 7:30am to 10:00 am and from 2:00 pm to 4:30 pm due to parents picking up their children. To him, that is a huge negative. Other buyers with small children would feel a school to walk to across the street would be a positive.

It can also depend on the grade level of the school. High schools can bring lots of unwanted foot traffic, squealing tires, parking problems, and litter to neighboring properties. Elementary schools also bring neighborhood influences in addition to the snarled traffic of carpooling parents. I once even had a client who did not want to hear the screams and laughter of children during recess...

Thanks, Doin' bpose, for your kind words.

I just had an exterior where the home sat directly across from a power plant sub station. Even though the power company had landscaped the lot you know it's still there and you can hear a buzz. To most its an obsolescence, LA of the property thought it looked like a passive park and desirable. No thanks.

I grew up on a farm and our only neighbour was a cemetery across the road. We loved it because it made for a great game of hide and go seek.