Some real estate beliefs, myths and legends endure for decades

Burying a statue of Saint Joseph may speed a sale, but scientists say there's no way alligators can roam sewer systems in the North. Ask Jimmy Hoffa, if you can find him.

Q. I have been trying to sell my home for almost three months, but have not received an offer. My neighbors put their home on the market just five days ago and immediately got a good offer to sell it. They say it's because they buried a statue of Saint Joseph in their yard. I have since asked around and a few other people claim this practice works too. What do you think?A. I get this type of question every few years, usually when sales are slow and sellers are desperate. My answer is always the same: Burying a likeness of St. Joe in the yard won't necessarily bring buyers flocking to your door, but it won't hurt your marketing chances, either.No one is sure how the practice got started, although many experts trace it back to a group of European nuns in the Middle Ages who are believed to have buried a medal of St. Joseph - the patron saint of home and family - in a quest for land to build a new convent. The land was supposedly soon granted by a feudal landlord.Yet, even "true believers" disagree when it comes to how the small statue should be placed. Some say it should be buried with the face looking toward the home to protect the family, while others say it should be planted with eyes facing the street so St. Joe can view potential buyers.Many real estate agents who believe in the concept also say that the statue should be planted upside-down, because Joseph will work even harder to find a buyer so he can "right himself" and get out of the soil. For the record, officials of the Roman Catholic Church say they don't have a problem with this practice - as long as the statue is dug up, cleaned and placed on a mantel or other place of prominence before the sellers move into their next home.Q. I have read that New York's entire underground sewage system is crawling with giant alligators. True or false?A. Not exactly true - but not exactly false, either.For nearly a century, rumors have swirled that super-size saurians roam the countless miles of sewer lines that run beneath the Big Apple. Though it's true that several alligators have been removed from the sewer system through the years, most have been 2-feet long or smaller. Many got there after stealthily crawling out of a home aquarium and slithering their way down the drainage systems on city streets. Others were simply dumped by irresponsible pet owners who purchased baby gators when they were barely the size of a gerbil, but tired of them as the animals grew larger and more expensive to keep.The myth that "giant" alligators are running rampart under the sewer systems of New York, Chicago and some other major cities is exactly that: a myth. Alligators are extremely susceptible to bacteria, and sewers are full of potentially deadly viruses that would kill them within weeks.Nature writer and animal expert Diane Ackerman also notes that most gators cannot survive if the weather temperature drops below 78 degrees for an extended period of time, so there's little chance they could survive the North's cold fall and winter months.Q. I am a huge fan of the New York Giants. Now that our old football stadium is being knocked down so they can build a new one, what's going to happen if they find Jimmy Hoffa's skeleton in the end zone? Will this delay construction of the new place?A. I am a hapless fan of the hopeless Oakland Raiders, but I will answer your question anyway.For decades, rumors have circulated that Jimmy Hoffa - the late president of the Teamsters' Union - was murdered by the Mafia in 1975 and his body was buried under the tons of concrete that were then being poured to build a football stadium where both the Giants and New York Jets could play in nearby New Jersey. A self-described "hit man for the mob" testified that Hoffa's chopped-up corpse was placed under the west end of the field, which the news media and fans quickly named "coffin corner."The Federal Bureau of Investigation checked the man's claim, yet found no evidence that Hoffa was buried there. But there's little doubt that others were: Retired FBI agent Jim Kossler recently told The Associated Press how contractors would call the county prosecutor's office each time they uncovered a corpse while excavating the old site in the 1970s, but then quit reporting their findings because the resulting investigations were holding up their work."After about the fifth one, they stopped," Kossler said.It's unlikely that anyone will find Hoffa's remains, so plans to demolish the old stadium and turn it into a parking lot for the new facility next door remain on schedule. And since the new parking lot will require tons more of concrete and asphalt, Hoffa's body - if it's there - will be even more difficult to find."If he's down there, he's going to be down there deeper," an official from the construction company said.bull; For the booklet "Straight Talk About Living Trusts," send $4 and a self-addressed, stamped envelope to David Myers/Trust, P.O. Box 2960, Culver City, CA 90231-2960.#169; 2010, Cowles Syndicate Inc.