How a statue of St. Joseph can help sell your home
Meet St. Joseph, the patron saint of real estate. For hundreds of years, people have invoked his power to help sell their homes.
Normally known to look after families, fathers, expectant mothers, immigrants, travelers, craftsmen, engineers and working people in general, St. Joseph the Worker might be most popular as an aid to real estate transactions, which could come in handy in this slow market.
Before you start thinking we've lost our marbles, you should know that your real estate agent may have buried this little statue in a flowerpot in your front foyer or backyard. Or if one wasn't, maybe one should be. Religious stores and novelty shops have sold St. Joseph the Worker Home Sales Kits since the 1930s.
It comes with instructions for burial, a prayer to say out loud and, of course, a tiny statue of St. Joseph. You don't have to be Catholic, either. St. Joseph caters to all denominations of nervous homeowners.
To use the statue, home sellers are told to bury it upside down with the feet pointing toward heaven. It can face the home being sold, or a new home. Some like to plant the statue near the For Sale sign or in the backyard. After burying it, serious sellers are told to say a prayer daily in front of the statue.
Condominium or co-op owners place the statue in a flowerpot near the entryway. After the property changes hands, sellers are instructed to remove the statue, to be displayed for good luck in their new home, or leave it buried to protect the home that just sold.
"We sold a townhouse one month after we buried the statue." "You have to say a prayer every morning after you bury it, and I literally did it religiously. I'm not necessarily superstitious or that kind of thing, but I figure when it works, it works."
To buy the statue, go to any store selling religious goods.
DAILY NEWS REAL ESTATE CORRESPONDENT
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