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Is it safe to live near a graveyard?

Author

David Richardson

Updated on March 06, 2026

Is it safe to live near a graveyard?

Although living near a cemetery doesn't automatically affect the home's price, it does have the potential to drive down home prices. This is largely based on people's personal beliefs and superstitions. Many people consider it taboo to live near a graveyard.

Subsequently, one may also ask, is it OK to live near a cemetery?

In general, these visitors are respectful and will not be permitted into the cemetery after sunset. However, buyers may feel that they have less privacy if there are no shrubs or other barriers between the cemetery and their home. Still, some buyers might be uncomfortable with the idea of being so close to a cemetery.

Furthermore, is it OK to walk around a cemetery? Avoid walking directly over graves, as this is both frowned-upon and considered bad luck by the superstitious among us (headstones are at the head of the grave, so walking between graves or closely behind headstones is usually the safest bet). 2. Obey all posted rules, including (at almost all cemeteries) no dogs.

Accordingly, is it scary to live near a cemetery?

Cons: Scary

Still, cemeteries just plain freak out some people (a few of whom have a full-on phobia, coimetrophobia). Fear of ghosts wandering over to haunt the home and the feeling that it's taboo to live by a cemetery can keep home buyers from considering these properties.

Is it hard to sell a house near a cemetery?

The analysis also reveals that homes adjacent to cemeteries take longer to sell on average. Those located less than 50 feet away took 48 days to sell, whereas those located more than 500 yards away took 39 days to sell. “Having a home right next door to a cemetery may make it more difficult to sell.

Why do cemeteries not smell?

For one thing, the majority of the bodies are long past smelling, some having been buried for decades or longer. Also, the bodies are typically interred 6 feet down, which is deep enough that the smells of decomposition cannot reach the open air. In addition, modern mausoleums are vented so smells don't build up.

What decreases property value?

Having short sales and especially foreclosures on your street decreases the value of your home. Even if they are not direct comparables, as in same square footage and the number of bedrooms and baths, they are in your immediate neighborhood, so can make the entire area depreciate in value.

Does the value of a house decrease if someone dies in it?

According to Randall Bell, a real estate broker who specializes in real estate damage valuation, a non-natural death in a home can drop the value 10-25%. When it comes to selling a home where a death occurred, it's all about perception, he said.

Why is a grave 6 feet deep?

It all started with the plague: The origins of “six feet under” come from a 1665 outbreak in England. As the disease swept the country, the mayor of London literally laid down the law about how to deal with the bodies to avoid further infections.

When you live next to the cemetery you Cannot weep for everyone?

When you live next to the cemetery, you cannot weep for everyone. The one who knows the way to the cemetery carries the tail end of the coffin. Closeness without conflict only exists in the cemetery.

Do cemeteries contaminate groundwater?

Results of these studies indi- cated that cemeteries can affect the presence and concentration of certain bacteria, nutrients, and metals in groundwater (Dent and Knight, 1998; Engelbrecht, 1998; Ücisik and Rushbrook, 1998; Young and others, 2002), and that large quantities of nutrients and constituents associated with

Can you build a house on a cemetery?

If someone were to, for instance, buy the property and build a house or houses over the graveyard, that would potentially infringe upon that right. However, the courts may decide that the relatives had previously abandoned the particular grave or may otherwise decide to grant a sale or repurposing of the land anyway.

Can you go to a graveyard at night?

No, they're usually locked up at dusk. Other travelers will advise you to not even go alone during the day because of the danger of being robbed or worse (at this cemetary, at least, not sure about others). There is an organization called Save Our Cemeteries.

Is it rude to take pictures at a cemetery?

It is rude to take photos during a funeral or service. Nearly all cemeteries are okay with you taking discreet photos of your loved one's marker. Some memorial parks prohibit photography of headstones/markers as they consider it an invasion of privacy for the families of those interred.

Are you supposed to hold your breath when you pass a cemetery?

#1: Holding your breath when you pass a graveyard

Some people believe it's to avoid making the ghosts jealous (you know, because you're alive and can still breathe) while others do it to avoid breathing in any spirits.

Can dogs smell bodies in cemeteries?

It's also present in several types of tissue, including blood, bone, and fat. Properly trained HRD dogs can identify the scent not just in whole bodies, but in blood spatter, bone, and even cremated remains. They can even pick up the scent left behind in the soil after a body has been removed from a grave.

What does a penny on a grave mean?

A coin left on a headstone lets the deceased soldier's family know that somebody stopped by to pay their respects. If you leave a penny, it means you visited. A nickel means that you and the deceased soldier trained at boot camp together. If you served with the soldier, you leave a dime.

How can I be respectful in a graveyard?

Cemetery Etiquette
  1. Follow the Rules. Most cemeteries have a sign posted near the entrance listing rules specific to the property.
  2. Obey the Hours. Most cemeteries are open from dawn until dusk.
  3. Drive with Care.
  4. Respect the Graves.
  5. Look After Your Children.
  6. Speak Softly & Politely.
  7. Lower the Volume.
  8. Be Respectful of Services and Other Mourners.

Can you walk dogs in a cemetery?

HELEN'S ANSWER: Most cemeteries are clearly marked about not bringing pets onto the grounds, and that request (or rule) should be honored. If you can take your pet in for a walk, be respectful of the graves and the markers. Most people would not be happy to have an animal roaming across their loved one's grave.

Why do old graves sink?

Wooden coffins (or caskets) decompose, and often the weight of earth on top of the coffin, or the passage of heavy cemetery maintenance equipment over it, can cause the casket to collapse and the soil above it to settle.

What are the best flowers to plant at a cemetery?

Consider spring bulbs, perennials and annuals. Plant spring-flowering bulbs such as hyacinth, crocus and daffodils in the fall as they will provide bright additions in the spring. If deer are an issue, avoid planting tulips. Older gravesites often hold lily of the valley, violets and johnny-jump-ups (Viola spp.).

What is found in a graveyard?

The intact or cremated remains of people may be interred in a grave, commonly referred to as burial, or in a tomb, an "above-ground grave" (resembling a sarcophagus), a mausoleum, columbarium, niche, or other edifice. In Western cultures, funeral ceremonies are often observed in cemeteries.