Diamond Partner Spotlight: Erin and Darrick Martin of Martin Homes

For Erin and Darrick Martin, Lafayette is far more than the community where they live and work. It is home in the deepest sense of the word—a place woven through generations of family history, lifelong friendships, and now, a business dedicated to helping others put down roots of their own.

Erin’s connection to Lafayette stretches back four generations. Her grandparents lived on Silverado Drive, and her parents later purchased one of Lafayette’s oldest homes—the house where Erin grew up and where her parents still live today. Years later, Erin and Darrick chose Lafayette to raise their own family, giving their children the opportunity to attend the same schools and experience many of the traditions that shaped Erin’s childhood—from youth sports and summer camps to afternoons at the Lafayette Reservoir.

That deep connection to Lafayette is also at the heart of their work.

Today, Erin and Darrick lead the Martin Homes Team, where they combine their real estate expertise with extensive experience in home design, construction, and development. In addition to helping clients buy and sell homes throughout the area, they develop and build homes from the ground up. That experience gives them a unique perspective—not only on the value of a home, but on the qualities that make a neighborhood and a community truly special.

Through their work with families considering a move to Lafayette, one priority consistently rises above the rest.

“It always starts with the schools,” Darrick said. “Always, always, always.”

For Erin and Darrick, Lafayette’s exceptional schools are inseparable from the strength and desirability of the community itself. Excellent public schools, vibrant neighborhoods, a welcoming downtown, beautiful open spaces, and a close-knit sense of community all contribute to the quality of life families seek when they move here. But they also believe those things cannot be taken for granted. Maintaining what makes Lafayette special requires continued investment from the families, individuals, and businesses who benefit from it.

For them, supporting local education is not simply a business decision. It is a responsibility shared by those who benefit from living and working in Lafayette.

That belief has been at the heart of the Martin Homes Team’s relationship with LPIE for nearly a decade as Business Partners.

“You can’t have great schools and a great education for your kids, along with appreciation in your real estate, without supporting the schools,” Darrick explained. “I don’t view it as much as a choice, but as something we need to do, both as a family and as a business.”

Erin and Darrick have put that belief into practice year after year. Their partnership with LPIE has continued even as their own children have graduated from Lafayette schools and moved on to college—a reflection of a commitment that extends well beyond their own family. For the Martins, giving back is also an expression of gratitude for a community that has given their family so much. “We’re very thankful for everything LPIE does, and for what this community offers and has provided to us,” Darrick said.

Now entering a new chapter as empty nesters, Erin and Darrick have no intention of stepping away from the community that has been such an important part of their lives. They plan to remain deeply involved in Lafayette, continue supporting LPIE, and champion the importance of investing in the schools that help make this community so extraordinary.

For Erin, there is something especially meaningful about seeing another generation of families discover the place her own family has called home for generations. And for both Erin and Darrick, helping preserve what makes Lafayette special is as much personal as it is professional.

LPIE is deeply grateful to Erin and Darrick Martin and the entire Martin Homes Team for their extraordinary generosity and nearly a decade of partnership. Their commitment is a powerful example of what it means for a local business to invest not only in the community of today, but in the students, schools, and families who will shape Lafayette for generations to come.