Wilmington real estate broker John Hinnant recently launched Living Third Real Estate, a new residential and commercial real estate firm, with his wife, Jamie Hinnant.

John Hinnant has worked in the local real estate market since 2013 and previously served as vice president at Eastern Carolinas Commercial Real Estate. He said it was Jamie Hinnant who suggested they combine forces to create their own venture.

“My wife had her (real estate) license, and we were talking about where she could go or if she wanted to work with me. And she said, ‘Why don’t we just do our own thing?’” John Hinnant said on Wednesday. “It made perfect sense.”

The firm’s name, Living Third, represents John and Jamie Hinnant’s personal values. They aim to put God first, their family and community second and to live for themselves third, John Hinnant said.

“When we were discussing our future, we agreed there was nobody we would rather work with than each other. I’m excited to have (Jamie) working with me,” John Hinnant wrote in a news release announcing the new firm. “It’s even more special that we can model our values through our business name. I hope it becomes a real conversation starter.”

Before entering the commercial real estate industry, John Hinnant served as president and CEO of Wilmington Downtown Inc., worked as a real estate appraiser, and, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, owned and operated Underground Sandwich Shoppe in downtown Wilmington. ​John Hinnant also currently serves as chairman of the New Hanover County Republican Party.

Living Third will offer a range of commercial and residential real estate services, John Hinnant said, although he's developed a few areas of specialty throughout his career.

“I’ve done a lot of stuff in the central business district and the urban overlay with urban infill development,” he said. “I’ve done a lot of medical representation and medical investment sales … The niche that I really developed when I was at Wilmington Downtown Inc. was site selection assistance for small businesses, and so I really like working with small business startups.”

John Hinnant said he also plans to continue working with local broker Nick Silivanch on an adaptive reuse project that would convert a Studio 6 motel at 4118 Market St. into 76 apartments. 

The Wilmington Planning Commission approved a rezoning for the project earlier this month, and it’s slated to go before the Wilmington City Council in the coming weeks, John Hinnant said. The two have also worked on the adaptive reuse of other hotel properties in the corridor.

“The transformation of Market Street is still a professional goal of mine,” John Hinnant said.

John and Jamie Hinnant plan to operate Living Third out of their home initially, with a goal of securing a brick-and-mortar location and potentially adding more employees in the coming years.