Some homeowners resort to outside help to sell their property

A few months ago we wrote about the resurgence in people using St. Joseph statues (shown) to help them sell their homes. "The statue surfaces every time we have a soft market," said Walter Molony, a spokesman for the National Association of Realtors. "I don't think anybody's analyzed whether this works, but there are people who really believe that it helped them."

A recent report on NBC's Today highlights other measures anxious-to-sell homeowners are taking. "It's not a science, and you have to be a believer. But if you are a believer and you try it, who the heck knows? Sometimes it works," real-estate consultant Barbara Corcoran said last week on Today.

Have you taken any unusual steps to sell your home? Did they work? Let us know by posting a comment below.

Essential information: If you're trying to sell your home, read our expert advice in "Buying, Selling, Remodeling" from the September 2008 issue of Consumer Reports.