So you have decided to buy a house or unit or block of land so many things to think about …
- Number of bedrooms
- Pool or no pool
- Garage or no garage
- Highrise of townhouse
- Easements
- Country or city
- North facing or not
- Near a Cemetery – Wait, What …. CEMETERY!
This is a question that has come up this week with one of my clients and I thought it was fitting with Halloween.
It is a difficult question to answer until you are really in the position – you find that perfect home, right price, all reports check out and you love it, you can see yourself living in it and growing old or raising your family, it has a great rental return and potential, or growth area BUT you have looked over the fence or across the road and there is a Cemetery. How does this affect this property, will it:
- Make it difficult to sell in the future?
- Reduce the price?
Or is it exciting and you have no problem with it?
Myself personally, I would not have a huge problem with it, I remember as a kid, a friend of mine, her house backed onto a cemetery and we used to spend hours over there, sometimes just sitting with an ice block chatting, other times, wandering around and wondering who the people were and wondering what happened to them. We even occasionally went over after dark with our torches – might be why I don’t like scary movies now!? But I find cemeteries fascinating and love the history of them.
Some cultures are quite adverse to Cemeteries, Churches, colours and numbers in close proximity so will definitely steer clear of any homes that have these traits.
What are the pros and cons of being near a Cemetery – well it is probably in a dead quiet street (sorry couldn’t resist the pun). I am sure there will be list of puns from friends and family, – just dying to get over to your home, did you get a killer deal, you get the idea, not sure if that is a Pro or a Con?
Cons:
- Bad puns
- Scary
- Trespassers and vandals may be more common
- Visitors can be noisy
- Some cemeteries can be an eyesore
- Some not kept very well and can harbour vermin, snakes etc.
Pros
- Some cemeteries will have great views
- You wont be built out or lose your view
- Neighbours are dead quiet
- Areas are sometimes quieter
- Good place to walk, jog and exercise
But do cemeteries really affect the price? Maybe, Maybe Not It is all in the eye of the beholder I guess.
When speaking with buyers agent, Jacque Parker of Housesearch Australia about this subject she commented “As a general rule, the proximity of a cemetery doesn’t put purchasers off when buying, unless they have specific cultural superstitions. In my experience, the value of a property isn’t as adversely affected when compared to other features such as a recent crime/death in the property, close proximity to high tension power lines, main road positions, street position/aspect or neighboring industrial areas”
There are laws in NSW that require disclosure of violent crimes and deaths in a home, stemming from a case at North Ryde in where the property was sold with no notification to the purchasers of the grizzly crime that had occurred there. Ultimately the purchasers in that case were able to pull out of the purchase and received their deposit back. Now Agents and Vendors are required to disclose of any violent and horrific crimes or deaths that occur at a property. This does not mean a disclosure is required if a person dies of natural causes at a property or by accident or that there is a Cemetery over the back fence or across the road, it is Buyer Beware and you should when purchasing a house, to live in or as an investment go for a walk after the open home around the neighborhood and have a good sticky beak, what is around you and nearby, will they be good or bad?
Jacque has also advised that “when comparing sales history of those homes abutting cemeteries, there’s minimal (if any) evidence of price differences between those directly opposite/adjoining and those a street or two back. In fact, we’ve actually had buyers who have valued the advantages of being close to a cemetery that can’t be built on, is quiet and peaceful, and can often appear to be park-like, particularly if well landscaped and screened.”
I guess when you are purchasing a house, you need to think about what are your “non-negotiables” would this be a deal breaker or would you wait and see if there was a cemetery nearby and make a decision then?
In wrapping up, it seems that Cemeteries are not generally going to greatly impact on the price of a property over all and it is up to you as a purchaser if you are prepared to proceed with a purchase.
If you need any assistance with checking contracts for cemeteries but also for easements and other issues that may impact upon your purchase or not, please don’t hesitate to call us on 9659 8383 or contact us via our contact page. Â
Wishing you all a Happy Halloween and Happy House Hunting!
