Love's Real Stories

Readers and Realtors have been asking for a tribute to the great Ken DuVall, Realtor extraordinaire. Ken passed away on July 22nd one year ago, after a 50- year career in real estate, and a life lived like no one else can live a life. Everyone who knew Ken knows he was a one-of-a-kind kind of a guy.

The first time I saw Ken in action, he stood at the front of a classroom of eighteen students in a real estate license prep course. He was the instructor.

“Open your books to page eight,” he said, “place your forehead directly on the page and fall asleep. If you’re really good at absorbing boring material, you’ll receive a certificate when you wake up.” He took that boring material and mixed it in with jokes and stories, and served it to the class fast and fun, so falling asleep was not possible.

Instructor Duvall was part stand-up comedian.

“If you’re anything like me you won’t let your schooling interfere with your education.”

“You wanna be rich? Easy. Get up early, work hard, and strike oil.”

And: “Just watch me closely and listen precisely to everything I say. That way you’ll know exactly what not to do for success in real estate.”

Besides instructor and comedian, Ken was a sincere mentor.

“If you work really hard you can make a great living in real estate,” he said, “but no joke, it’s all about the people. Do the job well for the people, and then you’ll get paid. If you’re just going for the bread, babe, you’re dead.”

And: “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give.”

Ken was born and raised in Hollywood from the 1930’s, and lived the Hollywood life. He raced motorcycles on paved competition tracks, and on dirt and sand in the desert. He was a stunt man in the movies- he crashed cars, flipped motorcycles, and jumped off buildings. Check out “Hot Rod Girl” and “Jail House Rock” from the ‘50’s.

Besides actor, stuntman and motorcycle racer, Ken was a salesman. From the time he was a teenager, he sold everything from aluminum siding to coffee makers, to T.V. antennas.

“The secret to selling, babe,” he said, “is trust and honesty. If you can fake that, you’ve got it made. Just kidding!”

Ken became a Realtor in the 60’s. After moving to Chico in the ‘70’s he owned and managed real estate companies; he was President of the Chico Association of Realtors, served on the Board of Directors, and was Realtor of the Year.

Besides salesman and Realtor, Ken was a gadget-man. Ken’s desk was a changing display of gizmos that lit up, honked, flashed, and bellowed. I leaned over to get a closer look at a tiny hundred-dollar bill in a glass case. It knocked me backwards with a screeching siren while it vibrated, flashed lights, and screamed in an electronic voice: “Security! Security! Thief! Thief!”

Ken above all, loved his wife and kids. “In all things, my dear friend,” he said, “love is the answer. Now, if I can just remember the question…”

Ken loved his dogs. The last note I received from Ken was “Things We Can Learn From a Dog: 1) Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joy ride. 2) Be loyal. 3) When someone is having a bad day, be silent and sit close by. 4) When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.”

Thanks Ken.