Ryan Gattermeir

I never planned to be a Realtor. In fact, while growing up at the Lake and then going away to college, moving back here was not in my plans. You see, my father was one of the first realtors at the Lake, starting back in 1970. He built a successful real estate brokerage, and everyone I knew just assumed I’d follow in his footsteps, but I was determined to carve my own path and prove them wrong.

After college, I moved to St. Louis and started a job in the office equipment business selling, if you can believe it, fax machines! Well, that career really took off and the next thing I knew, I was a national sales manager for a company, traveling all over the country.

Nothing wrong with that. I was successful and likely had a bright career ahead of me. But the more time I spent in the corporate world, the more I found myself dreaming of getting back to that special place where I grew up. I realized that I missed the Lake!

So, in 1999, I quit my job and moved back to the Lake with my then fiancée and now wife, Jennifer. I worked side by side with my dad to learn the real estate business and started to build my own book of clientele, which grew year after year.

My dad taught me the importance of building life-long relationships and treating them like family. He was always sharing the uniqueness of “Lake Life” with his clients and would often have them over to our home to entertain or take them boating. That’s just how things were then and that’s the way they still are for me today.

After over two decades and hundreds of millions of dollars of property sold later, I wouldn’t change a thing. Lake of the Ozarks is a special place. I love the lifestyle and the people and I want to share it with everyone I can, from the first-time homebuyer or the family buying their first Lake home or condo to an investor looking for the next big opportunity.

I take pride in being knowledgeable and transparent to assist my clients in making fully informed decisions. In fact, many of my clients will tell you that I’ve talked them out of more properties than I’ve talked them into! I’m also proud of my involvement in the real estate industry, serving as President of both my Local and State Association of Realtors.

Life certainly has changed over the past 20+ years. Jen and I now have two kids, a dog, and three cats! You can almost always find us in the summertime hanging on our dock at the 6-mile marker, on the wave runners, or on the boat looking at homes, coving out, or heading to one of our favorite breakfast spots on Sunday mornings. I feel incredibly lucky to call this place ‘home,’ and I know that I have the best job in the world!