About Us
About Lawrence Realty
Lawrence Realty is a family owned and operated California real estate business deeply rooted in Olympic Valley, and also serving the surrounding communities within North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Larry Lawrence, the founder of the company, has been selling real estate since 1974, became a broker in 1977 and established Lawrence Realty in 1985. Chiara Gajar, his daughter joined him in 1998, creating “A Father Daughter Team”. Ron Gajar, Chiara’s husband, joined the family business in 2005. Larry, Chiara and Ron each contribute their own strengths resulting in a dynamic, well-rounded team. Lawrence Realty is an integral part of the community, not only as involved individuals but also as a first-class real estate company.
Lawrence Realty is focused on providing the utmost service to all clientele, from the seller of a luxury home in a private subdivision to the buyer of a slope side studio condo. With Lawrence Realty, luxury is measured by the quality of service and the caliber of the clientele. Over the years Lawrence Realty has worked with numerous executives and employees from some of the nation’s top corporations. These business connections have become an extensive referral network resulting in repeat business and continuous referrals. In addition to their own networking efforts, Lawrence Realty is also a member of Who’s Who in Luxury Real Estate a network which connects Lawrence Realty to top notch brokers worldwide, allowing referrals to happen. For a boutique real estate company, Lawrence Realty has a strong local presence and broad international reach.
Larry Lawrence
Larry Lawrence, principal broker and CEO of Lawrence Realty, moved from Chicago to Olympic Valley in 1969, became a licensed realtor in 1974, a broker in 1977, and founded the company in 1986. He is backed by decades of real estate experience which he uses to guide clients through transactions. With refined negotiating skills and distinct attention to detail, Larry repeatedly earns the trust of his clients and respect of his peers.
Larry cares deeply about his family and the community. He is happily married to Vikki (Ruggiero) Lawrence, originally from Marin County. Together they raised two daughters, Chiara and Sabrina, in Olympic Valley, and have five grandchildren. A powder hound at heart, Larry enjoys skiing at Palisades Tahoe, as well as golfing at Martis Camp, where he is a property owner and member. Beyond the mountains, the ocean and boating have always been a part of his life, especially in the Bahamas where he visits several times a year.
Arriving in California as a graduate of Northern Illinois University, Larry transitioned to a local and fully immersed himself in the mountain lifestyle and real estate community years ago. He has served on a variety of local boards, participated in important community conversations and is proud of the Olympic legacy that put Olympic Valley on the world map.
mobile: 530.412.2232 Larry@LawrenceRealty.com
Chiara Gajar
Chiara Gajar, president and broker of Lawrence Realty, was born and raised in Olympic Valley, California and joined her father, Larry Lawrence, in the real estate business in 1998. With her father’s mentoring, she quickly learned all aspects of owning and operating a business and thrived as she gained the respect and trust of both her clientele and peers. Chiara listens to her clients and uses her years of experience to guide them along the real estate journey, confidently negotiating and working hard on their behalf.
Chiara’s passion and dedication are just some of the attributes that shine through in her work but were gained through competitive sports. She successfully competed in Ski-cross at both the Winter Gravity Games and Winter X Games, winning gold, silver and bronze medals. Chiara, who loves skiing and the mountains, is a Palisades Tahoe Ski Team alumni, and coached the youth ski teams for many winters. She is currently the head volleyball coach at her alma mater, North Tahoe High School in Tahoe City. In this role, she taps into her years of playing volleyball, especially at the NCAA Division I level for the University of San Francisco where she studied Exercise Physiology.
Chiara and her husband Ron live in Olympic Valley and are active members of the community. They volunteer their time, attend local events and meetings, and can regularly be found on the slopes and trails of Olympic Valley. In addition to proudly raising their two children, they also enjoy traveling, skiing, mountain biking, boating, and breathing the fresh mountain air.
mobile: 530.412.2233 Chiara@LawrenceRealty.com
Ron Gajar
Ron Gajar was born in Australia and grew up in Slovakia where he studied dentistry at UPJS University, Kosice. Following his love of the mountains and skiing, he came to the beautiful Tahoe area, and made his home in Olympic Valley, California. In 2005, Ron became a realtor and joined his wife and father-in-law in the family business, Lawrence Realty.
Ron is very detail oriented, is both technologically and mechanically capable and cares about the outcome of his efforts. Whether at work or in the community, he dives deeply into projects, willing to research or teach himself what is needed to be successful. Ron’s background in construction adds to his knowledge and understanding of systems, buildings, and homes. He contributes useful insight and perspective when talking with clients and contractors about properties and their projects.
Ron and his wife Chiara live in Olympic Valley and are active members of the community. They volunteer their time, attend local events and meetings, and can regularly be found on the slopes and trails of Olympic Valley. In addition to proudly raising their two children, they enjoy traveling, skiing, mountain biking, boating, and breathing the fresh mountain air.
mobile: 530.386.8308 Ron@LawrenceRealty.com
Andrew & Rachel
San Francisco, CA
"Lawrence Realty was a pleasure to work with on our recent Tahoe
home purchase. Larry, Chiara and Ron were knowledgeable about the area, as well as proactive and
diligent throughout the process. Their hands-on guidance was especially helpful for us, since we
live out of the area. Thank you for helping make our dream of owning a house in Tahoe a
reality!"
John
Eagle, ID
"Chiara was an excellent realtor. She has an extensive knowledge of the Olympic Valley market and its clients’ seasonal desires. She was very proactive at managing communications, but very personable at the same time. She was very professional and her office went above and beyond to be sure everyone was kept in the loop during the process. Highly recommend Chiara and Lawrence Realty."
Haz
Los Altos, CA
"Chiara and her father Larry went the extra mile. They found multiple potential buyers and were able to close the deal on my house in a timely manner."
Diane
Lincoln, CA
"Chiara Gajar is an amazing realtor with Lawrence Realty in Olympic Valley, her family’s company. They have provided excellent service in the valley for a long time, all of them work together as a seamless team! Chiara took on our incredibly difficult condo sale. We were so grateful to her experience and professionalism to guide us through the sale process. She is so patient and understanding, we felt very fortunate to have her as our guide."
Ying & Qishu
Saratoga, CA
"We had a fantastic experience with Lawrence Realty from the get-go
till we completed the purchase. We heard about them from a friend because "they have extensive
knowledge of the housing market in Palisades", and reached out during a weekend when we set our
sights on a condo. Chiara and Larry were incredibly responsive and helpful for us to make a
decision and secure the deal on the following Monday. Chiara was very flexible and accommodating
to show us the condo via video chat and provided detailed description inside the unit. She
continued to help us to communicate with the seller during the loan process. We are very
grateful for their support, which made our purchasing experience easier and memorable."
Dwight & Kathy
Berthoud, CO
"Chiara and Larry have helped us with two challenging properties during some very challenging times. Over the last 50 years I have worked with many fine real estate agents but none any better than these two. Beyond being great communicators and totally honest, they are smart, energetic, always focused on putting their clients first, and genuinely nice people. They spot opportunities, anticipate problems, and tackle all the details, while always remaining analytical and positive and taking care to never overstate a situation or create unrealistic expectations. Above all, they get the job done. I recommend them unconditionally. "
Laila & John
Portola Valley, CA
"Chiara and Larry of Lawrence Realty helped us purchase our first property in Olympic Valley. When we asked friends for recommendations, they said Larry knows everything there is to know about real estate in the area and was by far the best person to work with. They were right. We very quickly understood the real estate landscape in Olympic Valley and narrowed down the options to what we needed. Both Larry and Chiara were always available to talk and meet to show us properties, get the relevant information targeted to what we cared about, helping us make quick decisions that let to us finding and finalizing a purchase in 3 months from beginning to end. They are professional and a pleasure to interact with. I can strongly recommend both of them to anyone who is just exploring or who knows what they want as I think they will follow the needs of their clients. Should we have other realtor needs we will look forward to working with them again. "
Zara
Menlo Park, CA
"It was a great pleasure working with Chiara. We appreciate Chiara's deep-rooted knowledge of the Lake Tahoe region and remarkable professionalism. Chiara made sure the process went smoothly from start to end. She goes up and beyond to make sure the needs of her customers are met. We enjoyed having Chiara as our real estate agent and very much look forward to working with her again in the future! "
Bill
Olympic Valley, CA
"I always tell people how Larry guided me on my remodel of my Squaw Peak condo and helped me see I really wanted to move to Christy Hill. Like having a great doctor, attorney, accountant, or other professional relationships, it’s critical to have an ongoing relationship with your realtor even if you’re not currently in the market. I’d look at ways to facilitate these relationships with those you know and those who will benefit from getting to know you."
Travis
Tahoe City, CA
"It was great working with the Lawrence Realty team. They are long time Tahoe locals and really understand the intricacies of the North Shore market. The advice given throughout the whole process was genuine and truthful and instilled confidence in me as a buyer. I can't wait to enjoy my new Tahoe home for years to come!
Thanks Larry, Chiara and Ron!!"
Danny & Debby
San Francisco, CA
"We contacted Lawrence Realty early this year to inquire into a listing on the West Shore, and Chiara rapidly responded and set up an appointment for us to see the home in which we were interested. From that moment to the closing of our transaction, our experience with Chiara was simply fantastic: she provided numerous comps to help us evaluate price and value, was always immediately reachable, shared her expansive knowledge of the market, answered every question we had in a comprehensive manner, gave us very meaningful advice on the different possibilities location-wise given our interests and lifestyle, and was very effective to our benefit during the negotiation process. She made the entire experience a pleasure. Following the closing, Chiara has continued to provide a lot of practical advice to us and otherwise remained available as a resource to help us with our move to Tahoe and mountain living. We could not be happier about our experience with Chiara and Lawrence Realty [and our move to Tahoe]!"
Lawrence Realty is a family owned and operated California real estate business deeply rooted in Olympic Valley, and also serving the surrounding communities within North Lake Tahoe and Truckee. Larry Lawrence, the founder of the company, has been selling real estate since 1974, became a broker in 1977 and established Lawrence Realty in 1985. Chiara Gajar, his daughter joined him in 1998, creating “A Father Daughter Team”. Ron Gajar, Chiara’s husband, joined the family business in 2005. Larry, Chiara and Ron each contribute their own strengths resulting in a dynamic, well-rounded team. Lawrence Realty is an integral part of the community, not only as involved individuals but also as a first-class real estate company. 
Chiara Gajar, president and broker of Lawrence Realty, was born and raised in Olympic Valley, California and joined her father, Larry Lawrence, in the real estate business in 1998. With her father’s mentoring, she quickly learned all aspects of owning and operating a business and thrived as she gained the respect and trust of both her clientele and peers. Chiara listens to her clients and uses her years of experience to guide them along the real estate journey, confidently negotiating and working hard on their behalf.