Planning your funeral in advance shows that you are a truly responsible person who is thoughtful enough to take this burden off of the people who are close to you in life. Even though you may already have a good idea of a lot of options you have when it comes to your own funeral and burial, there is one big thing to consider. Before you start making plans and arrangements, you have to choose the right funeral home for you. As simple as this sounds, there are a lot of influencing factors that should be considered before you head out to visit the first one that comes to mind.

1. Your Religious Preferences - Keep in mind that while most funeral homes are flexible with religious preferences, some are better catered to specific denominations. For example, if you are a Catholic, you may prefer or expect a long funeral mass, but some funeral homes will have time limitations that will get in the way.

2. The Location of Your Family - You may have lived in the same location your entire life, but a good portion of your family lives miles away. If this is the case, choosing a funeral home that is closer to your loved ones will make things a lot easier on your loved ones who want to attend your funeral.

3. Costs and Pricing of Services - While the prices for most funeral offerings in a specific location will be competitive from place to place, there can be great variances in pricing for certain services. Make sure you consider the costs involved with any funeral home you are considering.

4. Proximity to Your Preferred Burial Site - If you have a specific burial site or cemetery in mind, it is a good idea to choose a funeral home that is in close proximity. It is customary for the funeral procession to follow the hearse from the funeral home to the burial site and traveling long distances can make it difficult for family members, and more costly for you.

5. Availability of Certain Service Options - Not every funeral home offers the same services. For example, some funeral homes do not have a crematorium on site, and therefore, if you want to be cremated, you will have to be transported to and from another location.

The most important step to take in your funeral pre-planning is to choose the most logical funeral home for your service. Make sure you use this list of factors to help you narrow down the choices and make the best decision about where you go to set your plans in place. Contact a company like M J Murphy Funeral Home for more information about what factors may influence this choice, such as the amount of space at the funeral home.