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The origin of burying a statue of St. Joseph for the purpose of selling one's home is uncertain. Some say the tradition can be traced back hundreds of years to St. Teresa of Avila, who invoked St. Joseph's intercession in order to obtain land for new convents. According to this tradition, St. Teresa encouraged her companions to bury their St. Joseph medals as a symbol of devotion. Over time, the practice of burying medals evolved into that of burying statues. Today, some organizations promote this practice and have developed complete "Underground Real Estate Agent" kits. Many home-sellers and real estate agents nationwide continue this tradition. Burying a statue of St. Joseph for the purpose of selling one's home is an action similar to wearing a saint's medal or a scapular, having religious art in one's home, or placing a statue of a saint in one's yard-it is an outward sign of an inward devotion. Ideally, people who turn to this custom do so as a symbol of their devotion-an external sign of their trust in St. Joseph as a powerful intercessor. They demonstrate their faith in the power of prayer and the communion of saints. The individual consecrates the ground in the name of St. Joseph and asks him to intercede with God the Father on his or her behalf for the sale of the home.