Life History of Ivan E. Lauper
From there, I went into the Defense Shipyards, and spent nearly two years there, but had decided by then that I would never again work for anyone else. I came out, and spent quite a little time looking for a location for my own store site. I think I probably walked and inventoried ---maybe forty businesses from Long Beach on up North. Eventually, we located in the little town of Willowbrook ---a little 'Mamma and Papa' type store doing a lot of business. We worked hard there for about five years. It was while there the war ended, but our landlord made our decision when he sold the whole area including our store site. We had done well enough to save some money and we left there for Northern California, this being rather a result of Mother's constantly expressed wishes that we could all be closer together. We went into business in the Concord area up North, but we never liked it. It was a different environment, different way of doing business; and even though going ahead, we rather welcomed the decision made for us by the State Highway when they announced plans to 'come through', taking the frontal part of our store. We yet had four units of property held in Southern California so used this as excuse to return South. I had, in the interim, obtained a real estate license and had even practiced a little in Long Beach. This came about as a result of a realtor friend urging me. Having kept my broker's license in force when I returned to Southern California, I looked for investments such as apartments. I carried on with this until at one time, we had accumulated as many as fourteen rentals.
As soon as I could, I entered Real Estate, and for the last full twenty-one years, I have operated on Compton Boulevard, in Compton ---the first six years with an older office, but as an independent broker and salesman associates. The years in Real Estate have been good financially; and at times very hectic. The fluctuation of the cost of money and interest rates, along with the National picture affects widely the type of business I am in. However, during the earlier period I found that if you were going to be successful, one had to be real large --or very small in your overhead. With this view in mind I decided it was far better to 'buy and sell' properties whenever you could. I had a partner at first, but he was not aggressive enough; although agreeable. Eventually, I bought his share and have since been entirely on my own. For these many years I have operated as a Realtor-Broker, but my main interest, according to the area, has been in purchasing and selling home equities. As time went on I found it necessary to learn a great deal about the building and rehabilitation of homes. As I progressed I found it better to operate on my own money, to control things, and this in turn, requires quite a demand on ones time and experience.
I have learned that, at some time or other, thirty-two different industries ---from the Title Company, to the Escrow, to the Fence Man, the Plumber, the Carpenter, the Painters, etc., receive a cut from the deal ----not all at one purchase, but there are thirty-two industries which become activated in the deal.
Our home is still in Compton at this writing (1975). It is now 80% integrated with' minority races; in fact, we are now the minority. Most of my friends have sold and left their homes here in this area. The business section is a complete new world, and I am one of the four or five originals remaining in this section. At one time, our Realtor Board had 100 members; I was Chairman and President in 1968, at which time we had about thirty of the original 100 I think today, there are probably only 68 offices here, and I am one of eight or nine remaining members of the original board. I feel I have done rather well, and I give thanks.
The family members, for the most part, reside in Northern California, but Helen and I go very often to join with them for farewells, birthdays, weddings, blessings of the babes, holidays, and various interests. We go up several times through the year, mostly up and back on the same day. But at times, we stay overnite ---most often at the home of Dennis and Helen. Another pleasure, these past few years, has been the taking of other members of the family, couples, with us on our vacations. Dennis and Helen have been with us each time and make our trips even more enjoyable.