The housing market has begun to cool off so homeowners and real estate agents are doing whatever they can to close a deal, which includes putting their faith in the plastic statue of a saint.
At the Carmelites Gift Shop in Peabody, Massachusetts, sales of St. Joseph statues have been very brisk recently.
Store Manager Tom Tighe said St. Joseph home selling kits, which sell for approximately $7.50 each, are one of his best sellers.
"We see an increase in sales whenever there is a downturn in the market," he said. "We sell a complete kit that comes with instructions and a prayer. I can't empathize enough that burying the statue alone isn't enough. It is the prayer and soliciting St. Joseph to intercede that works."
At Andrew Lane Co. in Peabody, Massachusetts, sales of the St. Joseph statutes have also been brisk and real estate agents are purchasing them by dozens.
"On Monday we had a real estate agent come in and buy 12 of them," a clerk, who asked not to be identified, said.  "We have people come in who swear by them."
Tom Lynch, who is the owner of A. James Lynch Inc., said he buried a St. Joseph statue when he put his former residence on the market 15 years ago.
"It works," the real estate professional said.
Barbara Comeru, who also works A. James Lynch Inc., said she is a firm believer in the practice.
"In my experience everyone I know who has done it has sold their house," she said.
A. James Lynch Inc. Manager Louise Gilmore said sellers have been asking her about the practice recently and she is happy to explain it to them.
"There is a certain way to do it. You bury the statute upside down with the face of St. Joseph facing the house," she said.
"I don't know why it works but I have seen it work."
Lynn native Joan Regan, who is an agent with Century 21 Hughes in Lynn, said she always carries five or six of the statutes in her car.
"I have been using them for years," she said. "I am a firm believer in this but it has to be done for the right reason, not just someone looking to score."
Joseph, the carpenter husband of the Virgin Mary, is the patron saint of laborers and house hunters and the belief he comes to the aid of sellers dates back to the 16th century when St. Teresa of Avila buried a St. Joseph medal and prayed for help getting land for convents. The ritual seemed to work, and the practice, or variations of it, spread. Gradually the medals were replaced with statues and the focus changed from buying to selling.  According to the instructions that come with the kit once the home has been sold, the statue should be removed from the ground and given a place of honor in your new home.
Regan said she has sellers who sold their homes and moved out of state without digging up the statue.
"I've gotten more than one call asking me to go back and find the statue for them," she said. "I do it for them because I believe in it."
Steve Martel, who is the owner of Martel Real Estate on Western Ave. in Lynn, also said he has had buyers use the kits.
"I had a seller bury one and the house sold," he said.
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