Karen Lappas and Bruce DeVoe work together as The Lappas DeVoe Team at The Litchfield Company Real Estate, an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate. They serve clients along the South Carolina coast, an area known locally as the Grand Strand, with a particular focus on Pawleys Island and the surrounding micro markets. Their work centers on guiding buyers and sellers, many of whom are relocating from out of state, through what is often one of the largest financial and emotional decisions of their lives. Together they bring two very different but complementary backgrounds to the table. Karen spent two decades running an equestrian center in Maine before moving south, while Bruce spent 35 years in senior financial leadership roles with multinational manufacturing companies. They officially teamed up in the spring of 2025, combining their experience into a single client offering. Their approach is steady, practical, and personal. They listen first, ask questions, and try to understand what a client actually needs rather than what might be easiest to sell. For Karen and Bruce, real estate is less about closing deals and more about helping people settle into a new chapter of life with confidence.
From Horses in Maine to Homes on the Coast
Karen’s path into real estate did not follow a traditional route. For 20 years she owned and operated an equestrian center in Maine, where she helped people of all ages learn to ride and become horse owners. Matching the right horse to the right rider takes patience and a careful read of what someone is really looking for, and those instincts carried over when she moved south. She eventually traded snowy Maine winters for the South Carolina coast and began applying the same listening skills to homebuyers and sellers. The work is different, but the heart of it is the same. She pays attention to what her clients say, and she works to find the right fit rather than push a sale.
A Financial Executive Who Knows the Other Side of the Transaction
Bruce came into real estate from a very different world. He spent 35 years as a senior financial executive with multinational manufacturing companies, working on strategy, performance, and acquisitions. The role took him around the world, and he logged more than 2.5 million miles in travel along the way. During those decades, he also bought and sold 13 homes of his own as his career moved him across the country. Each move meant relying on a real estate agent he could trust, and those experiences shaped how he wanted to work when he eventually moved into the industry himself. He understands the buyer’s side from lived experience, and he understands the financial weight of these decisions from his career.
The Art and Science Approach
Karen and Bruce describe their method as an Art and Science approach. It is the way they balance the emotional side of relocating with the practical and financial side. Many of their clients are coming in from out of state, so part of the work is helping them understand how the different micro markets along the coast actually function and what the financial implications of coastal living might be. “Successful relocation requires balancing emotional fulfillment with strategic thinking,” they explained. The Art is listening closely to what a family is hoping for in their next chapter. The Science is the numbers, the market knowledge, and the careful planning that protects clients from costly missteps.
A Local Company With a Wider Reach
The Lappas DeVoe Team is part of The Litchfield Company, one of the oldest real estate firms in Pawleys Island and one of the most established on the Grand Strand. As an affiliate of Christie’s International Real Estate and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, the team has access to a deep network of agents both locally and internationally. The Litchfield Company recently expanded its coverage into Charleston, South Carolina with the launch of a new entity, Indigo Oak | Christie’s International Real Estate, broadening the reach available to their clients.
Credentials and a Quiet Track Record
Karen has consistently been named to the VIP list within The Litchfield Company. She also holds the ABR and PSA designations through the National Association of Realtors along with the SRES designation. These credentials reflect ongoing study in buyer representation, pricing strategy, and serving senior clients.
For Karen and Bruce, the work comes back to people. They treat every client like family and every home like their own, and they bring the kind of steady, grounded support that buyers and sellers on the South Carolina coast can rely on through whatever transition lies ahead.
