Harleysville-Lansdale Real Estate and More

A few weeks ago, we were doing a home inspection for a house under contract to settle in which we had the buyers.  While in the front yard, one of our buyers reached down into a flower bed and pulled a statue of St. Joseph out of the ground.  "Look at this! It is St. Joseph," she proclaimed.  She smiled as she carefully put the statue back where she found it.

Now I will admit, I am Catholic, I know all about the saints, and I have seen first-hand the power of prayer in creating "miracles."  I have a ton of faith but I am no holy roller.  I believe more in the theory that "God helps those who help themselves."  I firmly believe that things happen for a reason and if something doesn't go our way, then it really wasn't meant to be (but we still need to evaluate what went wrong and how to learn from it for the future). 

I never knew the story of how or why St. Joseph is supposed to help sell a house.  So I decided to do a little research on the topic.

Here are a few facts:

St. Joseph is the patron saint of the family and the home.  He was the father of Jesus and a carpenter by trade.  People should pray to him to protect their families and their homes and help guide a family to do what is right and good for the family.

The accepted custom when selling a home is that you should get a statue of St. Joseph and bury him upside down in the ground near the house.  There are differing methods of the exact placement (i.e. front yard, near the sale sign, near the front door, back yard, depth in ground, which way he should be facing, etc).  When the house does sell, the statue should get dug up and put in a place of honor at the seller's new home.  Some say it is okay to leave it behind so it will continue to protect the home and the new homeowners.

The origins of this custom vary, but the most widely accepted origin dates back to the 1500's when an order of nuns buried medals of St. Joseph when they were looking for land in which to build a convent.

Some Realtors and homesellers swear by the practice.  Every year, approximately 2 million statues of St. Joseph are sold nationwide to aid in the speedy sale of a home.  A St. Joseph Home Sale Kit can be purchased for as little as $6.95; the kit includes the statue, instructions for burial, and a prayer card.

The prayer cards vary.

1)  This one is pure blackmail/extortion and says to the effect, "Dear St. Joseph, I know you don't like being buried in the cold, dark ground upside-down, but once you have helped me in the sale of this house, I will dig you up."

2)  This one is quite practical and warns sellers to the effect, "Make sure you have done all the proper repairs to your home, adequately staged the home and smartly priced the home at or below comparable sales in your area."

3)  This one is probably the most meaningful to someone who believes in divine intervention and says to the effect, "Please help my house to sell so I can move my family to a better place; I trust in you St. Joseph as the father of Jesus and protector of my family and home."

What do I think?

I think that anyone who thinks that they can stick a statue in the ground to sell a house is kidding themselves.  However, people who are pure of heart and possessing faith can pray and successfully achieve their goals.  Symbols and traditions are great, but without sincere and earnest prayer, the outcomes would be purely coincidental.

Now this particular house that I told you about in the beginning and in which we had the buyers took almost a year to sell and sold for about 10% below the asking price, so I don't know if the sellers have come to be believers or not.  But who knows?  Maybe it wasn't meant to be for the house to sell sooner or at a higher price.  Maybe it worked out just perfectly.  Maybe God had a plan.

~Lisa

Contact Scott Loper, Associate Broker, Realtor®, RE/MAX Realty Group at 215-513-1333 for help buying or selling a home in Lansdale, Harleysville, Hatfield, Souderton, Skippack, Collegeville, North Wales and the surrounding areas of Montgomery County Pennsylvania. To Search for Homes For Sale in Montgomery County Click Here.

Do You Believe in the Power of St. Joseph to Sell Your House? Copyright © 2010, The Scott Loper Team, All rights reserved.