Business View Magazine | October 2019

38 BUSINESS VIEW MAGAZINE OCTOBER 2019 E ast Texas Homes LLC is a locally owned and operated home builder that builds cost-effective custom and spec homes throughout the East Texas region, including Longview, White Oak, Hallsville, Marshall, Kilgore, and elsewhere. Company President, Aaron Alston, recounts the firm’s beginnings: “We built our first home in Longview Texas in 2006, and we did so in an area of town that was underdeveloped, and did not have a lot of growth,” he begins. “We had a family friend who needed an affordable home and thought that we could help. We looked at all different kinds of options, but we couldn’t find anything available for him at a reasonable price point. So, we decided to build a home. We tore down an old, run-down house in a questionable part of town where they owned the land, and we built them a home.” Alston admits that, heretofore, he didn’t have any direct home construction experience, but with his background in homeowner’s insurance, and because his family’s business in Longview had some indirect association with the sector, he felt it was something worth attempting. “The best alternative was to do it ourself,” he avers. “It was a huge learning curve; we made mistakes and we learned a lot along the way.” AT A GLANCE EAST TEXAS HOMES WHAT: A spec and custom home builder WHERE: Longview, Texas WEBSITE: www.easttexashomesllc.com MES A place in the market