RISMEDIA, June 13, 2008-Nearly one third of adults (63.2 million) would consider asking their real estate agent to bury a four-inch statue of St. Joseph in the yard to help sell their home in today’s sluggish economy.
According to a poll, commissioned by a St. Joseph Statue organization, of those 63.2 million adults, 23.5 million would “absolutely want their agent” to use the symbolic figure to increase the likelihood of selling their property, according to the groups founder, Phil Cates.
“The poll results provide additional insight into the steps people are willing to take to help ensure the sale of their homes in today’s economy. Burying St. Joseph in the front yard is just one more way for people to ensure that their prayers for a quick sale come true. There is no harm in appealing to higher power for help,” said Cates.
The tradition of burying St. Joseph in the earth began hundreds of years ago in Spain, when Sister Teresa of Avila needed land to build convents. She prayed to St. Joseph (the patron saint of the family and household needs) and buried a St. Joseph medal in the ground.
The medals evolved into statues, which thousands of home sellers and real estate agents across the country now use as they seek a little “divine intervention” when selling residential real estate.
In 1990, Cates, a mortgage banker, created the first St. Joseph home selling kit for the purpose of marketing to real estate agent clients. His successful St. Joe marketing campaign encouraged him to develop St. Joseph:
“The Underground Real Estate Agent”(TM) Kit.
Mary Anne Walser, lawyer and real estate broker with Keller Williams-Atlanta said, “St. Joseph has just been a real estate tradition for years, and there’s a whole lot of inventory, so it’s tough on sellers; it’s a commitment from sellers and agents to do whatever it takes to sell the home.”
