Due to popular demand from the real estate community, HomeGain.com regularly conducts its nationwide home improvement and home staging Home Sale Maximizer™ survey. Past findings from the survey have been a guide for thousands of home sellers in preparing their home for sale.

Long-term mortgage rates ticked up for a second week to 5.25%. There are also signs that the abundant supply in homes is starting to decrease. So, realtors are extra busy this weekend, pulling out all their tricks.

Realtors already use the Web to showcase their listings online, where buyers peruse them before hitting the home tours. Now comes virtual staging.

The Story of ECOJOE™: The practice of burying a St. Joseph statue dates back thousands of years, when he was first called upon to help sell real estate. Today, home sellers and real estate agents continue the tradition to enlist the saint's assistance in finding a bu...yer. Sadly, most of the home selling kits on the market are made of plastic and other content that are harmful to the environment. As an eco-conscious real estate professional, I saw this as an opportunity to create a greener alternative to the plastic St. Joseph statues on the market. Our sourcing, production, packaging, materials and distribution support green initiatives and social responsibility. Cheers, Cindy Lin / Creator of ECOJOE Connect with us on Twitter: @ecojoe/ #ecojoe