Pitch unusual angles, like witches, on how to sell a home

The housing market, which is still flat throughout most of the U.S., offers a timely opportunity to pitch stories to journalists, broadcasters and bloggers about unusual techniques for selling homes.

This morning’s Wall Street Journal, for example, had a Page 1 story on how The Housing Slump Has Salem on a Witch Hunt Again. Buyers and sellers, worried about bad vibes from foreclosed homes, are turning to witches, feng shui consultants, psychics and priests to perform the ancient tradition known as the house cleansing.

Ringing bells, sprinkling holy water and pouring kosher salt on doorways are among ways to cleanse houses.

The media love stories like this one, and others that explain techniques like burying a St. Joseph statue. If you have compelling visuals, pitch the story to your local TV stations. And don’t forget about writing a press release and distributing it online, using relevant keywords for good SEO.

Pitch these story ideas to bloggers who write about real estate, spirituality, New Age topics, and to sales and real estate experts who blog.  But make sure you and others involved in the story are willing to let their names be used.

What unusual tactics have you seen that have resulted in a home sale, or publicity?