St. Joseph worked again selling real estate in Summit County Colorado
Every now and then I have clients who want a little extra something when selling their home. That something is a St Joseph statue, buried head first in the front yard by the sign. On Monday I dug up St Joe and am sending him to his owner with congratulations for a job well done. Of course, I would like to take the credit for selling the house, but it really was teamwork. Not only did St Joseph and I both work hard, but the Seller was motivated and realistic about our market. You could bury an army of St Josephs, but without studying the sales, listening to Buyers and interpreting what the market is telling us, it will make no difference.
Snopes.com, the website that investigates all kinds of scams and urban legends, even has a little piece about the practice. They say that in order for it to be fully effective, you must do the important chores of fixing up the home, staging it, and adjusting the price so it truly represents market value. Any Realtor worth their salt will tell you to do those exact same things. In this case, the Seller knew what she had to do, and with our encouragement, did it to perfection. In just 14 weeks from the list date, new owners closed on the property, and in a market where sometimes homes are listed for a year or more, the Sellers, their Realtors and St Joseph did their stuff.
As you can see from the photo, St Joseph doesn’t have to be big, but protecting him with a plastic baggie is good.He is supposed to sit in a place of honor in your new home, so keeping him neat and clean is a good thing!
September 9th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
I have had clients do the same thing and the properties have always sold
Maybe it has something to do with a changed mind set on the sellers part
September 11th, 2009 at 1:15 pm
I think the mindset has a lot to do with it Ralph, but who knows….not me!