Updated: September 2025

Selling an unwanted cemetery plot can be a smart way to turn a high-value asset into cash. However, as you’ve likely discovered, it’s a more complex process than it first appears. This guide will show you how to protect yourself from costly mistakes and set you on the path to a successful sale!

Don’t Let Your Online Plot Sale Become a Scam Magnet

While selling your cemetery property online can be effective, the choice of platform is critical. General classified sites like Craigslist, eBay, and social media marketplaces like Facebook might seem like the fastest way to get cash and a higher price, but that rarely pans out. In fact, they can expose you to significant financial and personal risk. Here’s why:

1. Finding a Legitimate Buyer in a Sea of Spam

The truth is, platforms like eBay, Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist are simply not designed for the complexities of cemetery plot resales.

Think about it: Selling a used sofa on Craigslist is very different from transferring ownership of a burial plot. With the sofa, you upload some photos, set a price, the buyer picks it up and you get paid, typically in cash. Simple.

Finding a legitimate buyer for cemetery property takes time and effort. You’ll need to advertise your plot and answer inquiries. General online marketplaces are designed to exchange everything from cheap baby gear to concert tickets. Your cemetery plot listing gets lost in the noise, attracting little attention and at best, a lot of spam.

Waiting for a genuine buyer to find your listing can drag on for months, sometimes even years. Meanwhile you’re no closer to selling your plot. Instead, choose an industry-leading platform such as Bayer Cemetery Brokers, which is dedicated only to reselling cemetery property. That way you’ll reach a pre-qualified audience of serious buyers who are actively searching for plots just like yours, right now.

2. Losing Control: The Dangers of Publicly Sharing Your Personal Information

Cemetery plots are high-value assets, making their sellers prime targets for scammers. Essential details necessary to advertise your property, such as the location of the plot, your contact details and ownership deeds all contain personally-identifying data. You don’t want that sensitive information falling into the wrong hands, let alone publish it online! 

The risks are real. Today’s scammers aren’t just trying to avoid paying for your plot; they are often trying to steal from you through sophisticated transfer fraud, identity theft, and phishing attacks. Public online marketplaces lack the essential safeguards needed to protect cemetery property sellers, making them an ideal hunting ground for fraudsters.

Additionally, many online classified services (including some specifically for cemetery property) are nothing more than glorified bulletin boards. They expose your sensitive personal information to anyone who browses the site. Strangers you don’t even know can view your name, online history and contact details. Once your information is out there, you’ve lost control of it, dramatically increasing your risk of identity theft and other scams. In many cases, sellers’ personal information is available online indefinitely, long after you removed the listing or sold the plot.

The Best Path to a Secure Sale of Your Cemetery Plot

The challenges of making a safe and efficient sale can seem overwhelming. Fortunately, better options exist:

Sell Back to the Cemetery

Depending on the circumstance, some cemeteries are willing to repurchase plots. However, this is rarely the most financially rewarding option.

Here’s why:

1. Cemeteries are under No Legal Obligation to Buy Back Plots they’ve Sold

In the United States, the law does not mandate that cemeteries repurchase plots they’ve sold. It’s entirely at their discretion. In some states, such as New York, cemeteries have the ‘right of first refusal’ before you are allowed to resell your plot to someone else, but the rules do not require them to buy it back from you.

2. Pricing is at Their Discretion

When a cemetery does choose to repurchase, the buyback price is based on their own internal policies. They are not legally required to pay what you think the plot is worth or what they are selling new plots for today. Their offer might be based on what you originally paid for it, or some other formula, which is unlikely to reflect current market value.

Retail vs. Resale Cemetery Plot Prices: A Key Distinction

A common misconception is that the retail price a cemetery quotes for a new plot is the same as the resale value of your property. In reality, these are two very different numbers.

The retail price is what the cemetery charges for a brand new plot, and often includes sales commissions, endowment care and overhead. If you ask the cemetery to buy back your plot at a later date, they will typically offer a fraction of that retail price – sometimes as little as 10-20% – or nothing at all. A licensed cemetery broker, on the other hand, helps you sell your plot in the private secondary market, which is how you get a fair resale price that is often much higher than the cemetery’s buyback offer.

Work with a Licensed Cemetery Broker (For California Sellers)

These professionals specialize in plot resales, helping you maximize the value you receive for your property.

Here’s why working with a licensed cemetery broker is the smartest choice:

1. Licensed and Bonded Protection

In California, cemetery brokers are licensed and bonded by the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau. They must pass a professional exam and adhere to a strict code of conduct. The licensing process involves extensive background checks, including fingerprinting and criminal history reviews. Licenses must be renewed annually, and can be checked in an online database, ensuring brokers remain accountable and up-to-date on regulations. Cemeteries themselves verify the licenses of brokers they work with, adding another layer of oversight.

2. Expertise You Can Trust

A full-service cemetery such as Bayer Cemetery Brokers brings a wealth of expertise to the table. They understand the intricate legal landscape surrounding cemetery property resales and help you achieve the maximum value for your plot. Plot transfers require very precise legal documents and proper notarization. You will have to demonstrate ownership of the plot and prove that you are allowed to sell it. If any details are missing or incorrect, the cemetery will not process the transfer and the sale cannot go ahead. Full-service cemetery brokers take the hard work and risk out of selling your plot by handling every aspect of this complex transaction from start to finish on your behalf.

3. Secure, Confidential and Safe Transactions

When you work with a reputable cemetery broker, your sensitive information remains secret. They act as an intermediary on your behalf, safeguarding your personal information and maintaining your confidentiality throughout the process. Brokers validate the buyers’ legitimacy, collect the payment and only after ensuring the funds are ‘clear’ do they facilitate transfer of your plot to the buyer. This arms-length and secure transaction process protects you from financial scams and identity theft and ensures you actually get paid when your plot is sold.

4. No Risky Meetings with Prospective Buyers

For many sellers, the biggest advantage of working with a good cemetery broker is that you never have to meet potential buyers yourself, eliminating the risks associated with in-person meetings and ensuring your safety, security and peace of mind. This service is very useful for sellers who live far away from the property they wish to sell, for whom meeting buyers locally is impossible.

The way brokers show cemetery property to prospective buyers varies a lot. While many simply provide interested parties with a map and directions, a select few industry professionals, such as Bayer Cemetery Brokers, will meet with prospective buyers in person at the cemetery and show your plot on your behalf. Only a handful of dedicated companies offer this premium level of hands-on service.

5. Your best chance at a timely sale

Cemetery plots can be challenging to sell. There are many more sellers than buyers for resale property. Leading industry experts like Bayer Cemetery Brokers have established a decades-long network of potential buyers by specializing in the advertising and marketing of cemetery plots. Their skills, knowledge and deep relationships with local funeral homes, mortuaries and final expense insurance salespeople significantly increase your chances of a faster and more successful sale.

A New Solution for Sellers Outside of California

For sellers outside of California, a new, safer alternative exists. Bayer’s national classified listing service was built from the ground up, specifically to address the unique needs of this market. It offers a safe and dedicated marketplace optimized for cemetery plot resales. When you list with Bayer Cemetery Brokers, your personal details are never published. You remain anonymous and interactions with buyers are entirely on your own terms: You choose which messages you’d like to answer, maintaining complete control of your privacy and security throughout.

We understand that listing cemetery property on general sites can be risky. That’s why our platform is specifically designed to protect you from scams and unwanted solicitations. For non-California properties we do not act as a broker, handle the sale, or set asking prices for plots. Instead, our service acts as a secure intermediary, providing peace of mind and security. We filter out the spam ensuring that you only receive inquiries from serious parties, thereby freeing you up to focus on communicating with legitimate potential buyers for your plot.

This service combines the cost-effectiveness and flexibility of a classified listing service with the peace of mind and market reach that comes from using a tailor-made platform that specializes in cemetery property.

Don’t Waste Time or Risk Your Assets – Choose Professional Help

Selling your unwanted cemetery property can be a daunting prospect, but it is possible to safely and effectively release the cash from your asset. In the end, a professional path is the most cost-effective and secure way to a successful sale.

If your plot is located in California, contact Bayer Cemetery Brokers today, for a secure, efficient and potentially more lucrative selling experience. If your plot is anywhere in the United States, outside of California, visit our new classified listing service to get started.

A Full Service Cemetery Broker

Most people in find the easiest, quickest and most reliable way to sell cemetery property or grave plots in California is to use a reputable licensed cemetery broker.  Read our article about how to do this here.

For over 27 years, Bayer Cemetery Brokers has been the trusted name in cemetery property sales. We offer a full-service brokerage in California and the premier national platform for buyers and sellers of cemetery plots across the country.

If you’re interested in purchasing cemetery property in California, or if you have a burial plot or grave you want to sell we are here to help:  Contact us here

We are licensed and bonded by the California Cemetery and Funeral Bureau.