It is well known that the economic crisis has effected every market, including the real estate one. Selling houses is becoming increasingly difficult. The logical strategy to speed up a sale is the one loathed by every seller: reducing the asking price. Well….there is another way….pleading the divine intervention of a saint. Believe it or not here in the USA Saint Joseph is currently juggling two jobs. His role is not only limited to the one we very well know: the newly-father kneeled next to Mary looking over a half-naked Baby Jesus in the manger. Oh yes…he is also working after hours in a field where he definitely excelled. Wasn’t he the one required to find shelter STAT after Mary’s waters broke? Well who could be more qualified than him to help out in the real estate business even if not under the same urgent circumstances? Well here in the Unites States, as soon as the “For Sale” signs comes up, something else is buried under the same lawn. You got it right… tradition wants that to speed up the sale of a house you should bury a statue of Saint Joseph upside down with the face toward the street. Believe it or not, everybody does it and they swear it works all the times. As soon as Saint Joseph assumes the “Bungee Jumping Landing “ pose, interest and offers toward the property increase. Then what? The day of the closing you need to dig him up, clean it and give him a prestigious place in the new home. Amazon sells a complete kit for few bucks which includes the statue, a prayer and the instructions on how to proceed with the burial. What if a property does not have a lawn in front of the house? A simple plant with a vase will do. Should we believe it or not? Should we bother Saint Joseph for our trades? I can simply imagine poor Mary and Baby Jesus waiting for Joseph to return home after a closing, with all the blood flowing to his head, complaining about rheumatism problems after endless nights buried in the wet soil of Wyoming or Utah. Well…I put my house on the market last year and after hearing about this practice I caved. I bought the kit on Amazon and waited for the nighttime to bury my Saint Joseph….My house sold in just few weeks. Now the statue of Saint Joseph is proudly displayed in my new living room….at least till December 24th when he will take his rightful place in the manger again.