This image was lost some time after publication.

Do you know what "smudging" is? If you've watched an episode of Bravo's Flipping Out and you saw crazy Jeff Lewis burning sage in an effort to drive the evil spirits out of a home, you're familiar with the practice. But it's not just a wacky phenomenon restricted to LA or reality TV.

It's one of several "creative techniques" that NYC real estate brokers and apartment sellers are increasingly using to give themselves a leg up in a down market. If you've been trying to sell your apartment and you haven't been able to make a deal happen, it may not have anything to do with the price. You may just need a "consultant" to come over and rid of the apartment of the nasty "vibrations" lurking in your kitchen. Good to know!

Smudging and other creative real estate techniques [The Real Deal]