Sellers put faith in St. Joseph statues
Randy Moore jumped on the shovel with both feet, and the blade pierced the earth.
``It's supposed to be buried 8 inches deep and upside down,'' said Carla Herbert, owner of Harvest Home Realty, who has Randy and Beth Moore's $149,900 Cape Cod on the market.
Again, Randy leaped on the garden tool.
``OK, that's deep enough,'' said Herbert, sporting a taupe suit, high heels and a grin.
The statue was placed in the ground.
Using their bare hands, the Moores pushed the dirt back into the hole, Beth's diamond ring catching the light from the afternoon sun.
``Now, we pray,'' Herbert said, telling Beth to ask for divine intervention in selling the three-bedroom home in Stow.
Legend has it that for help selling property, homeowners should bury a statue of St. Joseph, the patron saint of family and household, in their yards.
Many homeowners these days are grumbling about a difficult real estate market. But Bill Askin, president of the Akron Area Board of Realtors, said that lots of area homes are selling. In fact, he said, more real estate could be sold locally this year than ever before.
However, statistics also show that a record number of properties are on the market. By the end of August, there were far more new listings to date than in all of last year. The result is oversupply -- forcing sellers to keep their homes in top shape and allowing buyers to be picky.
The imbalance between supply and demand can mean some homes will sit unsold for months.
That's one of the reasons some real estate agents and homeowners who are having a devil of a time selling their properties are enlisting the help of St. Joseph to deliver them a buyer.
At Grismer's Religious Gifts, co-owner June Grismer has noticed a marked increase in the sale of St. Josephs in the past year or so. Each of the family's three stores sells six to 12 statues a day.
At the downtown Akron store, there are at least 15 types of the statues on display. Among them is the patron saint enclosed in a ``Home Sales Kit,'' which sells for $7.99, complete with a prayer card. But Grismer doesn't like how the product is packaged.
``If it were up to us, we would never have a `sales kit,' but that is beyond our control,'' she said. ``The true custom is that you put the statue in a place of honor in your home.
``You never have to bury it.''
But others, like Herbert, say St. Joseph must be placed in the ground if you want his help. It's a ritual that Herbert says has brought her success -- and glares.
She laughed when spinning a tale about a contractor's home she had on the market. Frustrated that the house wasn't selling, she persuaded her staff to tag along with her to Kent, where the home had been built.
``We buried the statue in the front yard, stood in a circle, held hands and said a little prayer.''
Curious construction workers at a nearby house were watching the bizarre ceremony. Herbert wondered whether they might think that the women were involved in some type of devil worship.
``Shortly after, the house sold,'' Herbert said.
Asking a client for permission to bury a St. Joseph statue in the yard isn't something that comes up immediately in conversation. Herbert waits until the home has been on the market for at least 90 days and, if the owners are Catholic, then she might broach the subject.
``It depends on their faith and beliefs,'' she said, adding that she personally trusts in a higher power.
The step most people skip, Herbert said, is saying a prayer for nine days following the burial rite. Some believe that it's the prayer, and not a piece of plastic, that leads to a sale.
Exactly how the statue is to be placed in the ground and which way it should be positioned depends on whom you ask. But popular opinion suggests that it be placed upside down, its feet pointing to heaven.
And despite disagreements on things like whether the statue should be placed in the front or back yard, believers agree on one thing: After the house sells and closing is complete, the statute is to be unearthed and placed in a prominent spot in the new home.
Ray Leber, owner of Rebel Enterprises in Tallmadge, provides selling tools to real estate agents. His own home is on the market.
``Since I have the product (St. Joseph statues),'' he said, struggling to suppress a chuckle, ``I may plant them all around the house.
``I need all the help I can get.''
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