St Joseph Home Seller kit

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Fri Sep 24, 2010 5:49 pm

We have had our house up for sale for the last two months. Not too many showings, but everyone we talk to is saying the same thing, no showings.

My parents, who are very Catholic (I am not of the religious type) sent me a St Joseph home seller kit. Anyone ever had any expirience with these? We buried it last week and so far have had 2 showings, after 33 days of no showings.

Trumperman · Post by **Trumperman** » Fri Sep 24, 2010 6:59 pm

Art,

I sold my house a few years ago and had it on the market for 9 months even though we buried a St. Joseph in our yard. We had very few showings. It didn't seem to help us but as we say here in the forum: YMMV.

I hope it works for you.

Regards,

Bill

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:13 pm

My anthroplogy degree could kick in here. But my Saint Herman of Kodiak icon's eyes are following me as I make a late dinner. Herman says 'why not.'

Blue As A Jewel · Post by **Blue As A Jewel** » Fri Sep 24, 2010 8:46 pm

Sorry, but what is a St. Joseph selling kit?

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Fri Sep 24, 2010 9:11 pm

As the story goes, some french nuns needed additional land for convents.
They buried their Saint Joseph medals ( Jesus' earthly father) on the land to receive devine intercession.
This started a tradition of burying small statues of Joseph upside down on properties. The company that sells the statues also provides an open listing that helps connect like minded buyers and sellers-Roman Catholics.
The tradition can be traced archaeologicaly back to the house votive offering of 'Venus figures' starting with a discovered tiny figure from Willendorf.

Post by **drmoss_ca** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 3:49 am

Blimey.

Chris

function · Post by **function** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:33 am

KAV wrote:As the story goes, some french nuns needed additional land for convents.
They buried their Saint Joseph medals ( Jesus' earthly father) on the land to receive devine intercession.
This started a tradition of burying small statues of Joseph upside down on properties. The company that sells the statues also provides an open listing that helps connect like minded buyers and sellers-Roman Catholics.

Roughly translated, it's another way to make a buck off Catholics who love their silly traditions.*

But if you did not pay for it, stick the sucker in the ground and ignore it, though it hasn't helped my house move since late June, but it couldn't possibly hurt.

* Function is a Roman Catholic and herein reserves the right to mock the religion in which he was raised, as well as any European nationality due to Function being a mutt of scattered European descent, primarily Polish.

notthesharpest · Post by **notthesharpest** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 8:47 am

If it gets you a listing, somewhere that you wouldn't get one otherwise, how bad can it be? Having anything buried in the yard is not exactly the point - there could already be one there from years ago that you didn't know about

- but you having a slightly better feeling about the whole thing can't be bad either. Can't hurt - might help - go for it.

DEF · Post by **DEF** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:24 am

It's some combination of (1) pure coincidence, (2) concurrent factors such as an asking price reduction or shifts in your local housing inventory, and (3) a placebo effect, as the sales team has ramped up efforts and/or conveyed more excitement about the listing in response to Joe's installation.

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 9:32 am

*Orthodox Christian & student of buddhism

* loves answering the door to assorted Scientologists, LDS, Jehovah's witness et al wearing a black zen kimono, burning frankincense/sandalwood with the flicker of beeswax/butterfat candles and playing Monks of Saint Valaam's/ Monks of Gyupta monastery with various icons/photo of his holyness the Dalai Lama and tibetan Thankas on the walls.

Upside down statues are no sillier than compulsive reordering of my shaving kit in precise order of battle on the bathroom counter after each shave.

wenestvedt · Post by **wenestvedt** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 6:05 pm

We buried St. Joe near the kitchen door and sold our house in two weeks. We also priced it realistically and [my wife] worked hard to ensure it showed well. The Lord helps those who help themselves!

Squire · Post by **Squire** » Sat Sep 25, 2010 6:44 pm

An ex has a statue of St. Joseph in the back yard surrounded by a small fountain. The cats love it.

Paddywhacked · Post by **Paddywhacked** » Sun Sep 26, 2010 11:05 am

My parents did this a few years ago, house sold within a few weeks. Worth a shot anyways.

Steve-o · Post by **Steve-o** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 7:47 pm

The statue has been residing under my now-wife's lawn for almost exactly a year now. Plenty of showings (relatively speaking); no buying (absolutely speaking).

Maybe if she was more Catholic ...

F.W. Fitch · Post by **F.W. Fitch** » Mon Sep 27, 2010 9:31 pm

I think I live in the perfectly named city for this said kit. I might 'bury' a few so that a paticular ogre...er..."neighbor" will move away.

Best,
The good neighbor

maskaggs · Post by **maskaggs** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 5:27 pm

F.W. Fitch wrote:I think I live in the perfectly named city for this said kit. I might 'bury' a few so that a paticular ogre...er..."neighbor" will move away.

Best,
The good neighbor

I rather like the outdoorsy-type devotional arrangement scene in many Catholic backyards (or even front yards) of a small statue of the Blessed Mother in some sort of concrete or wooden half-dome or other housing, with some flowers tastefully arranged around it.

However, in the instance of a less-than-pleasant neighbor, I would recommend the biggest, brightest plastic Mary you can find (preferably one that lights up) facing said neighbor's home, surrounded by cacti. For extra punch, throw in some Dia de los Muertos dolls. Nothing scares people off more than Catholic kitsch. I know because I love it

AZShaver · Post by **AZShaver** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 5:36 pm

You are supposed to recover the statue after success and display it in an honored site in your home. I have a Jewish Realtor friend who has 2 in her living room.

KAV · Post by **KAV** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 6:05 pm

I was doing the archaeology for the Plaza Church on Olivera street. We were excavating the floor and a few adobe brick high remains of the 1822 rectory underneath the asphalt parking lot for a new youth center. The L.A. diocese was openly hostile to the expense and delay, a source of pain considering our small crew was heavilly RC.
I'm working a small midden of broken wine bottles with my brushes and dental pic and found a tiny silver crucifix. I yelled for my partner Bob, a devout polish catholic to bring my camera rig over. Bob is almost in tears, expressed a desire to ask the priests over and how grand it would be when His Eminence saw the many wonderfull things we had found. I mentioned a family member went to school with him and hearing stories about him in school and his pushy mom and class nickname.
Bob is trying to signal me to shut up and I felt a presence behind me. I turned around and the Cardinal was there with 3 priests. He just smiled in resignation ' Hanna O'Donafin-Rossa's family?' and seeing my recognition of the name walked away.
Our next job was a infamous alley and prostitute's row and nobody claiming historical connections

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 6:25 pm

AZShaver wrote:You are supposed to recover the statue after success and display it in an honored site in your home. I have a Jewish Realtor friend who has 2 in her living room.

My realtor (for the new home I am buying) says you are to take the St Joseph out of the ground and bury it in your new yard.

She has a trunkload of them too!

AACJ · Post by **AACJ** » Tue Sep 28, 2010 6:29 pm

Ironically, my mother is from the same city you are from, in Missoura......

She mentions stories of going "across the border" to get some Kansas City Koolaid when she was younger.

F.W. Fitch wrote:I think I live in the perfectly named city for this said kit. I might 'bury' a few so that a paticular ogre...er..."neighbor" will move away.

Best,
The good neighbor