After three real estate agents, two price reductions and nearly a year with no offers on their town house in Las Vegas, George and Katherine Grodin turned to a higher power for help.
They bought a 4-inch plastic figurine of St. Joseph -- the patron saint of home and employment -- and placed it upside down in their patio with hopes of breaking their home-selling slump.
"I just felt so helpless," said Katherine Grodin, 47. "I needed to do something."
The trick hasn't worked yet for the Grodins, but as the real estate market continues to flag, a growing number of the faithful -- and the desperate -- are embracing the odd ritual of burying St. Joseph to clinch a quick sale.
Amazon carries St. Joseph. So do some True Value and Ace hardware stores. At the four Elliott's Ace Hardware stores in the Milwaukee area, customers have snapped up more than 182 in the last 12 months, said manager Scot Stark of the Elm Grove branch.
Robert DiCocco, manager of the DiCocco Family St. Jude Shop in Havertown, Pa., said that not a day goes by without someone coming into the store for a statue to help speed up a house sale.
"They're a little sheepish when they ask, 'What saint do I bury?' " said DiCocco, whose family business is one of the largest religious goods stores on the East Coast.
Real estate agents are snapping up "St. Joseph Home Selling Kits" for would-be clients -- in both English and Spanish-language editions. Ronnie Wilson, an agent in Carlsbad, Calif., includes the figurine in her regular marketing kit, along with "For Sale" signs and online advertisements.
She started suggesting that home sellers bury the icons in their front lawns three years ago after hearing about the practice from other real estate agents.
"I do carry a hoe around in my car in case they want me to do it for them," Wilson said. "Every little bit helps."
The interest in St. Joseph, the husband of Mary, has a history in the real estate world.
During the real estate busts of the 1980s and 1990s, agents and homeowners revived the tradition, which may date back to medieval Europe. As the story goes, a group of nuns received a needed parcel of land for their convent after burying their St. Joseph medallions and praying to the saint for aid.
These days, most people opt for a kit like the ones sold by Philip Cates, a Modesto, Calif.-based mortgage banker and owner of StJosephStatue.com. He sells an 8-inch model for $13.95.
