Page 86 - South Mississippi Living - March, 2018

HOME & GARDEN custom cottages
Home Builders
RIDING COAST BOOM
Gant & Brown Premier Homebuilders, LLC
1616 26th Ave., Gulfport MS 39501 228.206.5599 office@gant-brown.com www.gant-brown.com
story by Susan Ruddiman
pChotos courtesy Gant & Brown Premier Homebuilders
harlie Gant and Craig Brown, founding partners of Gant and Brown Premier Home Builders, LLC, are in an enviable place in the housing market. They are in the position to not only successfully ride the wave of
the Coast’s homebuilding boom, but also to strongly influence it. “We build custom homes all along the coastline, but we don’t
hold the line just as a homebuilder. We are also developers,” Gant said.
They are building their first house at Grand Oaks, their development off the Cowan-Lorraine Road corridor in Gulfport just minutes north of Interstate 10. People who purchase lots in Grand Oaks can use any quality homebuilder they want or can select Gant and Brown.
The two men — business partners for 18 years — are excited by their latest endeavor which is a 27-lot residential development on the beach in Gulfport. They finalized the land acquisition in February, and are busy on infrastructure design.
“This will be our first subdivision on the water in Gulfport in 15 years,” Gant said.
They want the development to have the architectural flavor of Florida coast communities such as Seaside. “The Coast is starving for something like that,” Gant added.
Living near the water has more appeal now that insurance rates have fallen to pre-Katrina prices, and interest rates on mortgages are below four percent. “I know of insurance companies that are writing all-in-one policies that includes flooding. The synergy is driving people back,” he said
They’ve had clients looking for retirement homes. “They come here deciding if they want to stay or go to Florida. They can get housing here for 35 to 40 cents on the dollar compared to what it would cost in Florida,” Gant said.
Besides their developments, the two builders also own lots in other quality subdivisions to offer to clients for their custom homes. In addition, they will build on the client’s own land.
Recently they have been building cottage style homes on the
10 lots they own in Sea Oaks subdivision in Long Beach. “They literally sell as soon as we finish them,” said Marcella Richardson, office manager. “That is a good problem to have.”
Showcasing the architectural flavor of Florida coast communities such as Seaside.
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