More People: Great for Parties, Not for Listings

A sage piece of advice I received when starting out as a reporter was to make sure all the photos I took had people in them. When people first pick up their newspaper, my editor told me, they always look to see if there is a picture of them in that edition.

That little bit of wisdom changed the way I viewed photography. Humans are such an unpredictable lot. They add spontaneity and fun to most photographs.

Needless to say, it has been an adjustment to look at listings and not see people in the photographs. I understand that the purpose of listing photos is to showcase the house. I do miss my people though.

Well, the home featured in this week’s column threw me a bone. The builder of said home is selling the house and has provided the photos for the listing. He is my favorite builder. His photos have panache.

I did warn you about the panache.

These fine suits of armor are located at 7003 Pioneer Drive, Grizzly Flats, California. The four bedroom, two-and-a-half bathroom home is listed at $585K. The home is almost 2,400 square feet and it, along with the adjoining neighborhood, survived the Caldor fire last year. 

I know what you are thinking. “Mimi this the same room and the same suit of armor.” Yeah, yeah, but there is a cute little dog in front of the armor with those devil eyes. 

Now what is amazing about this next set of photos is that there is someone in every single picture.

She seems like a nice enough person and the trees just look lovely with the snowfall. We just do not know what part of the house this is. 

This must be the serial killer of the family. He is just sitting in his chair that is located in the middle of the bedroom staring away. Weird.

She is in an office of some sort but it is dark in there. Why does she keep it dark? I like to have more light when I am working on my computer. These are questions that will never be answered and they do nothing to sell the house. Really though, I would get a headache if I did not have more light.

The next photo is my absolute fave.

Look at those pies! I love pie. This lady looks like she is rubbing her tummy. Maybe she ate too much pie.

One time we drove to Buda, Texas, with some good friends who also love pie because our friend read an article that there was a pie shop that made the best pies in Texas. So we did a one day trip to go taste their pies. We ordered four slices, different flavors, and ate them. This story has absolutely nothing to do about this house but this photo does absolutely nothing to sell this house.

Look at that turkey! You can decide which one I am talking about.

Okay, the last couple just got there. It is time to eat. Yum, yum.

The only thing missing is the family photo. With this crew, I think it would go something like this.

To see more photos, click here.