St Joe with grass shack behind
The statue of St. Joseph was buried upside down in the front yard of a home that had been on the market for nearly 6 months without an offer. Within days, a full-price was received. Is it faith? Superstition? Voodoo?? Or maybe just a coincidence? This is not an isolated case. Home sellers have been calling upon the saint for generations, and the results are intriguing to say the least.
Praying for a Sale
Whether you believe it or chalk it up to ignorance, the legend of St Joseph interceding for home sellers has probably been around as long as people have wanted heavenly help with their homes. During the recent real estate boom, homes were selling faster than you could say "St. Joe", but now that prices and sales are slowing down, it is time to revisit this practice. You don't need a bad market to ask for is help, but here in Hawaii sellers have gotten a bit spoiled after years of having the upper hand. Maybe you have tried everything else and are ready for a miracle, even if you would not normally ask for help from a saint.
St. Joseph Kit
The Legend of St. Joseph
The saint's ties to home and hearth is a simple one. St. Joseph was the carpenter father of Jesus so he is logically the patron saint of home sellers and home seekers. He and his wife-to-be Mary wandered in their search for a place to lay their heads while she was heavy with her impending motherhood. They ended up in a stable with the humblest of roofs over their heads for the holy birth.
Some say that the statue-burying tradition began when an order of medieval European nuns were seeking help to find a convent site. They buried a likeness of St. Joseph and asked for his help to locate the right property. Others believe that the nun was Teresa of Avila and a medal of the saint, not a statue was buried. Or the origin may have come from the saint's connection to German carpenters who had the custom of imbedding a statue of the saint in the foundation of each home they built. Another story relates an incident in Montreal where a monk wanted to build a chapel on a particular piece of land, which the landowners refused to sell. He surrounded the land with buried statues of St. Joseph, and the landowner promptly and mysteriously changed his mind and sold the land to them.
In heavily Roman Catholic neighborhoods the practice of calling upon St. Joseph is of course more common, but even non-believers are open to the possibility. Many Christians believe that with or without a statue, the house will sell if it is the will of God.
Small St. Joe
Was It Faith or Luck?
Realtors have been following this practice for years, and when I started in the business in 1986 I was quite startled to hear of the popularity of this custom. Then the market started to slide around 1991, and I decided it was worth a try. I discussed the idea with a very motivated (desperate?) seller, and brought my shovel to the front yard of a home I had been working hard to sell for about 7 months. The instructions with the statue stipulated that he be placed upside down in a hole dug in the front yard of the property. About a week later, we received an offer. The sale closed in about 6 weeks later and the devout seller was convinced that St. Joseph brought him the sale.
Techniques for calling upon the saint's help vary. Some sources instruct that the statue be buried right side up pointing towards the house, and others insist on a backyard internment hear the rear property line, near the For Sale sign, facing the house, or the heavens, or towards the street. A prayer may be said over the spot, or holy water sprinkled.
A Big Joke?
If you think this is a big joke, you might want to click on, www.StJosephStatue.com for online testimonials. On Oahu, a selection of St. Joseph statues is available for purchase at the Cathedral Gift Shop at Ala Moana Center. You can even pick up a "Home Sale Kit" featuring the saint with information on the saint and instructions.
In any case, Realtors should obtain the property owner's consent before enlisting the assistance of St. Joseph just as you would with any other marketing tactic especially an unconventional one. Responses will vary and may add to or detract from your credibility! Burying a saint to sell a home is not for everyone. At the very least it is a harmless if a bit silly practice.
But if you have ever felt that a favorite cherished object held special power, perhaps a piece of jewelry, a photo or other memento, this is not so different. Is it the object itself that brought you comfort and confidence, or something completely outside yourself? You may never know. Professional athletes, surgeons, public speakers, and students facing exams at times all rely on a higher power to instill the confidence of success.
St Joseph, My Real Estate Agent
When Thing Go Wrong
Strange things can happen to those who do not follow the right protocol. While apocryphal, these make you think twice:
- One family faced the statue away form the house, and the house across the street sold, even though it wasn't on the market
- Another home seller became impatient and moved the statue from the front yard to the back yard hoping for results, but still nothing happened. Exasperated, he dug up the statue and tossed it into the trash can. The headline several days later reported the results: "Local Dump Haw Been Sold"!
- Ideally you should dig up the statue when the home sells, and put it in a place of honor. Otherwise some have reported the home re-selling over and over and over until he is finally dug up.
- The upside burial practice may be in order to encourage the saint to work extra hard to get up there in the place of honor on your shelf - sounds a bit harsh!
St Joseph kit box
Back to Basics
If you are a sellers who is still waiting for the right offer, you might want to seriously consider whether St. Joe might be able to help. But don't expect him to work alone. Be sure to include in your sales strategy:
- A good marketing effort
- Attractive property well prepared for showings
- Appropriate price range in line with past sales
- Competent professional Realtor
At least you will know that you have left nothing to chance. Remember that "God helps those who help themselves", and that would logically apply to St. Joseph, too.
