That upside-down feeling...

From the Ann Arbor News, we have: Some sellers seek divine intervention.

To help them through the tough market, some sellers are turning to the age-old practice of burying a St. Joseph statue in the ground near the home's "for sale'' sign - an act that's supposed to bring good luck in selling the house.

And, from the Daily Press in Michigan, we have: Real estate superstition has believers in this area.

St. Joseph is known in the Catholic religion as the patron saint of various things and places. Pope Pius IX named him the patron of the Universal Church in the late 1800s. He is also known as the patron against doubt and hesitation, as well as the patron saint of fighting communism and of happy death.

But apparently if you bury a statue of St. Joseph upside down in your front yard, he becomes the patron saint of homes that sell quickly — or so the belief goes. So is the recent downturn in the housing market sending more residents out to bury a statue of St. Joe?

I have a much better idea -- drop the fucking price!

Incidentally, this is the same Michigan which has gotten whipsawed by layoffs. The majority of jobs were connected to GM and Ford (directly or indirectly.)

Michigan's median income has plummeted 12% in the last six years. Not a single county or municipality has reported an increase in median income in the last six years.

21% of Detroit is unemployed. Yep, 21%. That's not a recession, that's a full-blown Cat-5 depression!

(Ref: Detroit Free Press.)

Obviously, they can't sell by lowering the price. There are no buyers, and even if there were, chances are these idiots have already spent their equity in the form of HELOC's so they would have to bring money to the table.

I too would pray for divine intervention if I were in their position!