Senior Year Box Set

I skipped the dojo tonight so I could go to my mom’s real estate office. She’d gotten a new listing, and I was assigned to take photos for my photography class. Mom took me to a ranch-style home that was your basic three-bedroom, two-bath, two-car garage on a quarter-acre lot.

“When I shoot a home, I try to do it the same way every time. The Multiple Listing Service allows up to thirty-six pictures, so don’t skimp. I like to start with the outside and then work my way inside. Most realtors just take the traditional head-on shot and try to get as much of the side yard in the picture as possible to frame the photo,” she said.

I stepped out into the road and did as she suggested. I made sure I didn’t have the other houses in the shot and then noticed Mom’s car in the driveway. She chuckled and moved it. She was just making sure I was paying attention.

Mom joined me on the road.

“What’s wrong with this view? Think in terms of putting the house in the best possible light to sell,” Mom coached.

“If I were being picky, I see that the curtains are closed in some windows, the blinds are halfway down in that one, and the flowerpots aren’t lined up. Oh, and the hedge could be trimmed.”

She handed me the keys and sent me inside to fix the curtains and blinds. I came out, and she’d rearranged the flowerpots.

“Think of a house as a commodity. When you have several that look pretty much alike in a subdivision like this, you want yours to look the best. It’s why they pay people to ‘face’ canned goods in a grocery store. Someone figured out that they sold more if the aisles looked neat,” she explained.

The house was vacant. Mom explained it was much harder to shoot an empty home than one that was furnished. For the next hour and a half, we shot the house at almost every angle imaginable. I learned some practical techniques like not to shoot a mirror straight-on because the picture would show your reflection. Mom didn’t buy my suggestion that having me in the photo was a selling point.

She taught me to make sure toilet seats were down. Mom also said to bring a few items—like a brightly colored cookie jar or a bowl of fruit—to break up the counter space. She pointed out that shooting straight-on at eye level wasn’t always best. Sometimes you wanted to crouch down to get the best angle.

I was able to do my time-lapse pictures at different f-stops. Mom showed me she had an app on her phone that did the same thing.

We walked back outside. It was just starting to get dark, and she’d turned on all the lights in the house. It was a cool effect with the lights making the house feel alive. She then had me shoot the front from different angles. Mom didn’t want to lead with the traditional shot that would make the first impression when people scrolled through the websites. She wanted something that slowed them down enough that they might click on her listing.

Finally, she handed me her phone and had me do a video walk-through of the house. To start, I turned it on her, and she introduced herself. For the local MLS (Multiple Listing Service), she would edit that part out. But for her personal and national websites, she wanted people to put a face to the listing. Next, I simply held the phone up and walked through the house while she spoke, pointing out all its features, and then she talked about the neighborhood.

I never realized how much work she put into listing a home. Now she had to go back and find the right combination of shots to make it stand out.

◊◊◊

On the way home, she had some news for me.

“I had a football recruiter stop by from Southwest Central State. He wanted to know if you had any interest in coming to check them out. I told him that you already had the schools you wanted to see lined up. He then asked what it would take for you to make a visit. I got the impression he was offering money,” Mom said.

“Don’t tell Cassidy. She’ll figure out how she can cash in on the deal.”

Cassidy had accompanied me on a recruiting trip and learned all about hundred-dollar handshakes.

“I’ve heard plenty of stories about inducements to play college ball. There are rumors about schools on your list that have ‘bought’ commitments. I’m actually surprised you haven’t had someone approach you.”

“Let’s get some information from someone who would know,” I said and connected my phone to the Bluetooth in my mom’s car.

“I was just talking about you and how you could make us contenders,” Bo Harrington said.

“I know, Alabama just needs me to get over the hump.”

“Did you call to commit?” he asked.

“No, I have a question. Mom was approached by someone, and she got the feeling they wanted to offer her money. How much would someone like me be worth on the open market?” I asked.

The phone became quiet.

“Bo, David isn’t serious,” Mom said.

“Thank God! I wasn’t sure if you were setting me up or looking for something.”

“Hypothetically, what do you think I might be worth?” I asked.