UPDATED: Apr 27, 2023
You don’t need to be Catholic, or even religious, to know about the tradition of St. Joseph helping houses sell.
But how did this home seller tradition start? Why do some people believe burying a state of St. Joseph can help them sell their home? Let’s find out!
St. Joseph is a biblical figure recognized in many Christian sects as the husband of Mary and corporeal father of Jesus Christ.
In the Catholic tradition, St. Joseph is known to be the patron saint of home and family. Over the years, this role has evolved to also include home sales and real estate. It is said that Joseph protected Mary and Jesus from danger, which often involved bad real estate sales.
Some homeowners believe that St. Joseph oversees the real estate market, guiding sellers through the home selling process from start to finish. Sellers trust St. Joseph to make the process easier for them, by alleviating the stresses that come along the way.
All a seller needs to do to catch St. Joseph’s attention is say a little prayer and bury a statue of the saint.
Yes, you read that correctly.
For years, sellers have been burying small St. Joseph statues upside down near the for-sale sign in their yards.
While no one knows who exactly started this tradition, it is said that the original intention behind burying the St. Joseph statue upside down in the dirt was to incentivize the saint to sell the home in order to return him right side up.
Now, years after this tradition began, sellers are still burying St. Joseph statues to increase their luck.
In modern times, real estate marketers have begun to capitalize on this ritual, making it more popular and emphasizing the power of real estate agents.
If you’re struggling to sell your home, consider some reasons why your home isn’t selling. If you’re interested in testing this theory, read on to learn the proper way to bury a St. Joseph statue.
First things first: Where do you get a small statue of St. Joseph? They can be purchased at Christian stores, on Amazon or on websites that specialize in selling St. Joseph statues with kits that include instructions and prayers.
Now when it comes to the proper way to bury your St. Joseph statue, there are several opinions. While the steps aren’t crystal clear, some general recommendations are:
While you’re waiting for St. Joseph to work his magic, consider some other ways you can sell your home. Here are some concrete ways you can increase interest in your house while appealing to St. Joseph:
Remember that there are professionals with experience selling homes! If you’ve continuously struggled with selling your home and are feeling ready to give up, it might be time to consider hiring a new real estate agent.
If you feel called to try out the St. Joseph trick, give it a shot! Just remember that praying to St. Joseph is just one tool of many to sell homes. As you follow through with the St. Joseph ritual, make sure to also make other efforts to sell your home – like selling with a qualified real estate agent, making your team of two a team of three!
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