MEMORIAL LOTS

Let's talk about the real estate asset nobody likes to talk about: memorial lots.

It's a grim topic, but everyone's time is limited. Unless you plan to be cremated and kept at home, someone in your family will eventually need a memorial lot.

And they're scarce. Almost no one wants a new cemetery built next to their property, so new memorial parks are hard to put up.

Here's how one memorial lot has done over 40 years:

• In 1982, a buyer purchased a lot in Sucat, Parañaque, for P3,660.

• In 2022, the same lot was appraised at P226,400.

• That's about 62 times the original price.

• In compound annual growth terms, it works out to roughly 10.9% a year for 40 years, which is in the same range as the long-term growth of many gated villages.

There are two ways to look at this.

One, memorial lots can be a real investment.

Two, if that feels too grim, buy one for your family anyway. Prices only seem to go one way, and buying now saves your heirs from paying a much higher price at the hardest possible time.

Thanks to Prof. Eden Alemania for sharing this data.