The miracle of real estate

Ok, riddle me this all you more experienced agents: What is the scoop on the whole burying of St. Joseph upside down? What does it mean? Why upside down? Everyone seemingly has a different take on it...Some say it started with St. Theresa burying St Joseph medals on a parcel of land her convent was trying to buy; others claim that it's because St. Joseph is the patron saint of homes and carpenters. Others claim it has nothing to do with the saint at all, that the efficaciousness is the result of the prayers sent heavenwards while the little burial ceremony is taking place. It FEELS like it might be an Italian-American thing, although I don't have any proof. But the Italians are big on St. Joseph...very, very big.

My own brush with the phenomenon came not as a realtor, but as a seller. My boyfriend Ron put his house on the market last summer, and it promptly languished there for the next 6 months, without even a flicker of interest from the outside world. By January we were beginning to feel desperate. He'd gotten a St. Joseph statue as a joke stocking stuffer for Christmas, and one day I thought to myself, "Oh, why the heck not?" and went out there and buried it in the front yard. Two weeks later the house was under contract.

Lynn Freeland swears by the St. Joseph miracle, although distressingly, just the other day, she informed me that you have to dig the statue back up afterwards. Uh oh. Who knew? Not me - mine is still buried by the front steps of Ron's old house. Am I headed for disaster? It's kind of worrying, since the good magic so obviously DID work...and I can only conclude that any reversal of its power will be equally effective, devastatingly so.

The Sniff Test

What do you like to smell when you walk into a house that you’re considering buying and making your home?

Do you notice the smell?

Do you remember the house by the smell?

What smell would make you take that home off your list of possibilities?

We all weigh the perception of different senses differently. Smell is just one that is more important to some. There are those of us may not be concerned about street noise, while others absolutely must have bright sunlight.

Hopefully, when you visit a property for sale any odor there belongs to the current residents not the house or the neighborhood.

Suggestions abound regarding what scent sells a house. Sellers watch the “sell it” shows on TV, read articles and get advice from friends. They light candles scented with everything from pumpkin to ocean breezes. They bake bread and cookies. They plug in air fresheners. Sellers take note: buyers walk in and wonder what the seller is trying to cover up.

My favorite scent in a house is none at all! No mustiness, no pet odors (including pet food), no potpourri, no strong cleansers or disinfectants and no hint of last-night’s-dinner. It can be done. A house cleaned and prepped for the market should be in this condition anyway.

What scent do you think sells a house?

Who will get in The White House?

Who will get in White House? Indeed, Obama or Hillary? Or maybe McCain?

In this political turmoil we can not give a straight answer.

No matter who will be there next January, we still need the change and relief from "powerful stupidity". I prefer Hillary for her outstanding intellectual and mental qualities. Hopefully, she will get there. If not, look what I have for her or Obama, or McCain. Or for you.

If you don't want to run for President but would still like to live like one then Newport is the place for you. A beautiful house in beautiful Newport, it is almost white too! Look at it! For $3,900,000 you can have a custom built home on an acre of secluded gorgeous grounds in the heart of Newport. Walk to beach, Cliff Walk and downtown.