What you need to know about funeral prices

Posted by on December 17, 2008

I’ll admit that gathering information about funeral prices is harder than it should be.  In addition, funeral homes and cemeteries are subject to different requirements when it comes to providing you with information about their prices and options. 

 

Funeral prices are not set in stone

If you only take away one thing from this article it should be this: funeral prices can vary greatly from one funeral home to the next.  This means a funeral service at one funeral home can cost thousands of dollars more than a similar service held at another funeral home right down the street….so it pays to shop around!

 

 

Why we don’t compare funeral prices

 

Unfortunately, most people do not compare prices between funeral homes.  This is understandable for a couple of reasons:

 

• We don’t like to talk about or plan for death
• Funeral plans often need to be made quickly – this can be especially burdensome when the death was unexpected
• Most people simply do not know enough about funeral planning to even know what questions to ask or what items to compare
• No one wants to be perceived as being cheap when it comes to making funeral arrangements for a loved one

 

However, you should approach the process of buying funeral goods and services just like you would any other major purchase – take the time to educate yourself as to the options and prices available in the marketplace.

 

Unfortunately, many funeral homes and cemeteries are reluctant to share their prices with you unless you use specific language when making your request.  They know they stand a much better chance of selling you an expensive funeral if they can first get you into their office before providing any information about funeral costs. 

 

The good news is that there are specific things you can say that will force the funeral home to give you their price information for FREE….and no funeral home would ever dare give you a sales pitch when you use this specific language.

 

 

An easier way to gather information about funeral prices

 

If you’re using the Funeral $aver’s Kit you’ll find a simple chart that clearly explains an easy (and low stress) way to collect pricing information from any funeral home in your area.  The kit tells you exactly what to say to ensure you get honest information at no cost to you.  You can use this to collect information from every funeral home in your area or just those that interest you.

 

The best advice I can give you when it comes to collecting funeral price information is this: DON’T be afraid to pick up the phone and call it least three funeral homes in your area and ask them for a copy of their “general price list”.

 

Each funeral home’s general price list will describe services and merchandise in similar terms.  This makes it easy to compare relative prices between competing funeral homes.  Also, if a funeral home gives you a hard time about giving you information about their prices, forget them.  That’s a good clue they know their prices will not compare favorably to their competitors. 

 

Remember to compare your local price information to the actual price ranges included in the Funeral $aver’s Kit…so you can be certain you’re getting a fair deal.

 

Click for more detailed information about funeral prices.