apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

We were desperate and tried it, but it didn't work. 13 months on the market, 2 failed deals, one of which was very expensive and painful for both parties. Ended up selling for 20% under our reasonable start price.

My mother did it and her house sold a couple weeks after burying it, for the asking price and in cash.

Hard to say if that little St. Joseph had a mystical hand in the selling of the house, but it's fun to think it might have.

lol- my family does this- I think it's hilarious that they have a "kit"!

Two of my husband's co-workers did this with properties they were having trouble selling. Both sold within weeks of the St. Joseph statue burial. Next owner will probably find it years later digging in the yard and wonder what on earth it is.

It totally worked for me. My place had been on the market for 7 months. I was living out of town in a hotel for work so my mom planted the statue in her front yard. I got an offer and then a competing offer the next week!

And we're Jewish!!

I'm Jewish too!

It's worked twice for me....the first time within 10 minutes of burying it (kid you not) and the second time, within 2 minutes of buying the statue. Was walking out of the church where I bought it when my realtor called to say my house was sold.

Seeing as I didn't even get a chance to bury it, I brought it with me. And when I eventually go to sell my current house, am hoping it will work once more.

I saw it on "Flipping Out"... idk, seems to work every time.

Oh please... how many comments will validate this stupidity?
Save your money for some fixing or decoration.

I agree with pantzini. Superstitious nonsense. I can't believe you would even blog this sort of thing, except for maybe on April Fools' Day.

I got an all cash offer for a piece of property I'd been trying to unload for eight years two days after a bird pooped on my head. I signed a contract that day, and it closed in two weeks. I'd heard that a bird pooping on your head is good luck. Now I believe it.

Well, maybe I'm just being flip, but I was so overjoyed I got a kick out of the coincidence of it all!

Religion is for the weak.

my mom did it.. worked.

statues and birb poop have nothing to do with religion. being extremely superstitious myself, I say do what works especially if doesn't cost you anything or hurt anyone. I know 3 people who have sold their homes using the St. Joseph statue ritual (2 were also Jewish). I personally would not buy the kit, I would go to a "botanica" or spiritual artifact store and buy an all purpose St. Joseph...

To all you people who claim you "did it and it worked", no, it didn't work. You planted a statue following ridiculous advice and in the fullness of time, someone bought your house. Two separate events, not at all related. Please try to overcome the religious brainwashing your misguided relatives subjected you to in your formative years and think for yourselves. Giving credit to this nonsense also validates all the evil in the world caused by religion.

Whhoooaaa there.... why is it so offensive to some of you that people believe this works? If people beleiving in this ritual is diminishing the quality of your life I'll definitely pray for you!!! ;-)

Anyway, I did it, and I sold the house a week later for the asking price in cash!!!

Imagine when some future civilization, terrestrial or other, excavates our own extinct society hundreds/thousands of years from now and discovers crudely designed statues buried upside down all across the perimeters of abandoned urban centers. The stuff of science fiction...

Here's a more sure-fire way to sell your house: lower the damn price.

Why does religion & spirituality offend some of you so?? Heck, if they want to belive that St. Joseph helped to get their homes sold, then LET THEM. It doesn't have enough to do with YOU, for you to get so freakin' OFFENDED by it.

IMHO, if St. Joe helped, then More Power To Ya!

Religion and spirituality offend some of us, Sleek, because we're told by their believers that we are evil, disgusting, abominable creatures who will surely rot in hell, simply for whom we love. Homosexuals are persecuted, jailed and even hung in some countries simply for being who their DNA makes them. And it's religion and spirituality that enables them to do so. So, by all means, use your religion as some cosmic slot machine, asking for silly stuff like good parking places at the mall or for your house to sell, but remember the other uses for religion, to persecute, repress, to keep people poor and ignorant, and ask me again why some of us are offended.

Hi Kathryn,

St Joseph was Jewish too maybe that's why it worked for you.

It's the mere thought that a religious garden dwarf buried upsite down can help you in anything that I find offensive to the human dignity and rationality.
I'm not supporting a constitutional amendment to ban your burying a statuette in your lawn, but I feel entitled to question it.
And I wonder why everyone is concerned about the impact on the environment of one's toilet paper, whereas burying a PVC figurine is just fine... because it's a belief?

MichealW, it's not the religion it's the off kilter spirituality of the people which makes people hate and hurt you.
As a Christian, it is my DUTY to love and show love to ALL. No matter what the Bible or any other "holy" book says, it still says to LOVE you and everyone else.

IMHO, it is the spirituality of the person that can make them do those things to you. They are not as loving as they are supposed to be and they make excuses/justify doing those things.

The same people who hurt/kill, etc to YOU are the same ones who have been doing the exact same things to my people for years. Why? Because of the color of our skin.

BUt I don't hate religion for it. I don't know of ANY religion that tells it's members to hurt/maime/kill or destroy someone for being different or for having sin (which none of us are free from).

Thanks for your patience AT. I can't let a good talk of religion pass me by.

Michael W., I think you're completely overreacting. No where, in any of the comments or in the original post, were non-religious people or homosexuals put down.

Not every Christian is a member of the Westboro Baptist Church. Making gross generalizations suggesting that all religious people are out to persecute you is simply unfair, and I think a bit ignorant. Don't judge such a large demographic based on the worst that it has to offer. If I judged all atheists based on the particularly unsavory ones that I've run into I'd be wasting a lot of time hating people who have nothing against me.

Religion doesn't facilitate or enable people to be hateful the way you've described, it's simply a facade people use. You're blaming the religion for the faults of its followers, when you should really be blaming the individuals. If religion didn't exist, people would still find a reason to discriminate and hate.

Back on track, people, please...

Everyone knows that you'll sell even faster if you suspend the desanguinated corpse of a sub-prime mortgage broker in your attic.

Just, you know, don't show off the attic to prospective buyers.

Max, that is way more plausible :D

I just bought one on ebay to help me sell my home ..AND I'M JEWISH .. WONDER IF IT WILL WORK FOR ME!!!

I've heard that touching the knob of the frontdoor 11 times with your right elbow every 3 hours helps selling even faster!!!
Worked for me and for other people.

yikes! beliefs, practices or superstition, let it be!
i just wanted to add that NPR had a lengthy, interesting interview with a a realtor who discussed this practice...i searched NPR's archives, but could not locate it.
i believe it was a week-end or friday broadcast between january and april of this year.

We did it twice & our houses sold. Did the statue work - or was some other mojo afoot- like burying in the statue was symbolic way for us to really commit to moving on and once we were truly ready things fell into place? Who knows? We recycled our statues to others who were trying to sell their houses. Superstitious - maybe- but harmless, I think.

I have a similar superstition. It's a little medallion of a saint. You have to stick it to a window or a door, (or cubicle/office) of a neighbor that is causing you grief. It has worked every time my parents have tried it. I am not superstitious and not religious, but if believing in something silly like that triggers enough of my brainwaves to make something, happen so be it. (think “the Secret”). Now how would bury St. Joseph in a 4th floor condo? hehehe

Here is everything you need to know about St. Joseph and his real estate prowess.
http://asksistermarymartha.blogspot.com/2007/03/up-above-clouds.html

Saints are my business!