As many consumers have discovered over the years, funeral pricing is somewhat challenging to evaluate and compare using a funeral home to funeral home comparison.  We have provided you with a “Reasonably Expect to Pay” pricing estimation model based on our understanding of the funeral market here in Canada. It is important to understand “Why” funeral home pricing may vary greatly between funeral home providers and it is essential to review the “Selecting the Right Funeral Home for You…40 Questions to Ask” as you select the funeral provider of choice.  Listed below are the important reasons pricing varies between funeral home providers:

• Staffing: funeral providers offer different levels of staffing, depending on the number of team members they wish to have on call, at services, and so on. Generally speaking, the greater the number of staff members, the more your family should expect a higher level of service and satisfaction.  It then follows that the greater the number of staff, the greater the cost of salaries, benefits, and training costs which impact the price your family will ultimately pay.
• Facilities: within the funeral profession, there can be a significant difference in the size and quality of funeral homes in a given area up to and including some providers not having a facility and utilizing local churches or venues on an as-needed basis for services. As a consumer, you may notice differences in the exterior appeal, modern décor, cleanliness, funeral vehicle quality, facility features such as an on-site crematory, reception area, lounge facilities, chapel, handicap accessibility, the technology available, and so on between locations.
• Location: a large funeral home facility in a major metropolitan area on a busy street can expect to pay more in property taxes than a smaller funeral home facility outside of a major market…taxes do play a role in the price of a funeral.
• Competition: as with many professions and service businesses from lawyers to dentists to funeral home providers, the number and quality of the competitors in a given city or town may impact prices simply due to the competition for each funeral.  Recent trends show that online shopping from a variety of non-traditional funeral providers will also impact the pricing in your local community.
• Profit: let’s face it; different funeral providers have different profit expectations for their business.  Some may want to do more volume and maintain a lower profit structure or some may be comfortable with a pricing model that generates more revenue and profit from each family they serve.  You will find instances where the same casket, cremation urn, or service description pricing varies significantly between providers.

Our recommended course of action: Our experience has taught us that not all funeral home providers are created equal.  Prices do differ, sometimes by a significant amount. As a consumer, we do not arrange funerals very often in our lifetime, maybe once or twice.  It is not fun to take the time to plan for your mortality, but please do take the time to pre-plan!

It is not necessary to pre-pay for the funeral event that best suits your needs and budget, but it is important to pre-plan.  Visit several funeral homes, obtain their price lists, discuss your service, product, and reception needs with the funeral home staff, compare similar products, and most importantly, educate yourself on the different funeral options available to you and your family.

While the ultimate price of the funeral is important, please don’t discount the need to be comfortable with the firm you select for this important decision.