Who Is Itchko Ezratti? The Amazing Life Story of Anna Ezratti’s Husband

Itchko Ezratti is an Israeli-born businessman who built GL Homes, one of the largest private homebuilders in Florida, from a single duplex into a company with communities across the state. Many outlets call him Itzhak Ezratti, and both names refer to the same person. He is also the husband of Anna Ezratti and the father of Misha Ezratti, who now runs the company as president. This guide covers his early life, career, family, wealth and charity work, drawing on Forbes and company-hosted interviews.

What Are the Key Facts About Itchko Ezratti?

Itchko Ezratti is the founder and chairman of GL Homes, a Florida homebuilder he started in 1976. The table below collects the details that reliable outlets agree on.

Detail	Information
Full name	Itzhak “Itchko” Ezratti
Born	1952
Birthplace	Israel
Nationality	Israeli-born American
Occupation	Real estate developer and homebuilder
Company	GL Homes (GL stands for “Good Luck”)
Year founded	1976
Co-founder	Joseph Hanin, his father-in-law
First project	A duplex in Hollywood, Florida
Current role	Chairman of GL Homes
Previous role	President, until 2016
Wife	Anna Ezratti
Son	Misha Ezratti, president of GL Homes
Estimated net worth	About $1.9 billion (Forbes-based estimates, shared with family)
Philanthropy focus	Hunger relief, housing stability and education

Forbes is the most widely cited source for his profile and net worth. Many other websites repeat its figures, and some add claims they never verify. This guide sticks to details found in Forbes, company-hosted interviews and press releases, and it flags any point where sources disagree.

Where Did Itchko Ezratti Come From?

Itchko Ezratti was born in Israel in 1952. Forbes lists his full name as Itzhak Ezratti, and news outlets use the two names interchangeably.

He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1974, according to his son Misha, who described the family history in a 2019 interview. Ezratti worked as a bank teller there, and his earlier background was in the restaurant business.

The cold winters in the capital did not suit him, so he moved south to Florida. That decision placed him in a fast-growing market, where retirees and young families were arriving in large numbers.

Forbes treats the bank job as a modest start. He handled other people’s money before he ever built a house. Some profiles link that early work with numbers to his careful approach to land and debt, though he has said little about it in public.

His family background gets almost no coverage. One website names his mother as Rosa Ezratti, but that detail appears on a single low-profile site, so readers should treat it with caution.

How Did Itchko Ezratti Start GL Homes?

Itchko Ezratti co-founded GL Homes in 1976 with his father-in-law, Joseph Hanin, an engineer. Hanin supplied the technical background, and Ezratti ran the business side. Their first project was one duplex in Hollywood, Florida.

The partners grew the company at a steady pace for more than a decade. Executives later explained that private ownership let them avoid the quarterly pressure that public builders face, so they expanded when land and demand justified it.

The name GL means “Good Luck.” The family chose it because a new company in 1976 needed all the fortune it could find. Looking back after nearly five decades, Ezratti has credited determination and a commitment to quality, with luck playing a smaller part.

Misha Ezratti remembers his father and the team working around the clock in those early years, especially on weekends. He says his father’s vision lives in the field, not behind a desk, and the company still describes itself as hands-on.

How Did Hurricane Andrew Change GL Homes?

Hurricane Andrew in 1992 pushed thousands of South Miami-Dade families to look for homes farther north, and GL Homes was ready for them. The company already held options on 3,000 lots in the Silver Lakes community in Pembroke Pines.

GL Homes sold 250 homes in 1992 and 750 in 1993, which gave it a large cash boost. Forbes confirms that the company sold about 1,000 homes across those two years. The company used that momentum to buy more land and launch new communities.

The episode shows how Ezratti approaches the business. One profile credits his habit of buying land early and holding it through slow periods. He has also told colleagues that a builder’s worst position is to finish one community with no next project lined up.

What Makes GL Homes Different From Other Builders?

GL Homes stands out for its active adult communities, which it launched under the Valencia name in 1996. The company noticed that many senior communities in southwest Palm Beach County were small condominiums. It built larger single-family homes with luxury amenities and left out golf courses, so older buyers did not have to downsize.

Forbes notes that GL Homes specialises in communities for residents aged 55 and over. This focus helped the company hold a strong place in that segment while many competitors chased general markets.

A 2019 profile lists three other habits that set the builder apart. GL Homes mastered the complex rules of Palm Beach County’s Agricultural Reserve and built thousands of homes there. It paid to replace Chinese drywall when other developers walked away from the problem. It also uses policies that discourage buyers from purchasing homes as investments.

Earlier company profiles say the builder works in several Florida counties, including Palm Beach, Collier, Lee and Hillsborough. Executives describe the strategy as a dozen or so large communities where the company stays deeply involved.

Who Is Itchko Ezratti’s Wife and What Is His Family Like?

Itchko Ezratti’s wife is Anna Ezratti, and she keeps a private life. She rarely appears in news coverage, and the family has shared few personal details in public.

Several profiles describe Anna as the daughter of Joseph Hanin, the engineer who co-founded GL Homes. That detail would fit the story, since Forbes confirms that Hanin was Ezratti’s father-in-law. Still, the family has not published a detailed biography, so the link rests on secondary sources.

Their son, Misha Ezratti, is the best-documented family member. He worked in nearly every department of GL Homes, from construction to finance to land management, before he became president.

Some websites report more children, and the totals vary from one to three. Because the family does not publish this information, readers should treat any exact number as unconfirmed.

What Is Itchko Ezratti’s Role at GL Homes Today?

Itchko Ezratti serves as chairman of GL Homes. He stepped down as president in 2016, and his son Misha took over the daily running of the company.

The handover followed a long apprenticeship. Misha learned the business from the ground up and says he saw his father at work on weekends as a child. The company now describes the leadership as a family mission carried into a second generation.

Press materials describe the elder Ezratti as a leader who stays focused on the long term. They say he watches how Florida’s housing market evolves and tries to predict what buyers want next. Those descriptions come from company-linked releases, so they read as supportive accounts and not as independent reporting.

GL Homes remains private. That means it does not release detailed financial statements, and outsiders see only what the family and its executives choose to share.

What Is Itchko Ezratti’s Net Worth?

Forbes-based estimates put Itchko Ezratti’s net worth at about $1.9 billion, a figure that covers him and his family. Most of that wealth comes from his ownership of GL Homes and the land the company holds across Florida.

Some websites quote higher numbers. One site cites $2.6 billion for early 2026, and another lists a range from $1.5 billion to $2.6 billion. A few outlets even say hundreds of millions, which understates the Forbes estimate.

The wide spread has a simple cause. GL Homes is a private company, so no public filings confirm its value. Forbes builds its estimate from market data, land holdings and company size, and other sites copy or adjust that figure.

The number of homes built also varies by source. Forbes says GL Homes has completed more than 36,000 homes, while other outlets claim 70,000 or even 100,000. Readers who need a precise total should ask the company directly.

What Philanthropy Is Itchko Ezratti Known For?

Itchko Ezratti’s philanthropy centres on three areas: hunger relief, housing stability and education. Company-linked press releases describe these as the pillars he believes a strong community needs.

On hunger relief, the releases highlight a partnership between GL Homes and The Lord’s Place, a Florida nonprofit. On housing, they cite support for Habitat for Humanity and similar programmes. On education, they describe efforts to help young people and a donation of land for educational use.

The releases also say his giving goes beyond cheques. They claim he built personal involvement into the company culture, so employees take part in charitable work. The company’s philosophy, as the releases phrase it, is that a builder who works in a place should help that place thrive.

Because GL Homes distributes these materials, readers should view them as company accounts. They show what the family wants to emphasise, and they match the quiet, community-first image the company promotes.

What Can Readers Learn From Itchko Ezratti’s Career?

Itchko Ezratti’s career shows the value of steady, long-term growth. He started with a single duplex in 1976 and spent almost fifty years building a private company that outlasted several Florida housing cycles.

His story also shows the power of preparation. When Hurricane Andrew struck, GL Homes already held land, so it could meet sudden demand. Builders who wait for a crisis to start looking for sites usually miss that window.

The company’s focus matters as well. By concentrating on active adult communities and a limited number of large projects, GL Homes avoided spreading itself thin. Executives say private ownership gave them room to make that choice.

Finally, the family structure helped. A founder, a trusted partner and then a son who learned every department created continuity. That continuity gave customers, lenders and staff a clear sense of who stood behind the company.

Conclusion

Itchko Ezratti went from bank teller in Washington to chairman of one of Florida’s largest private homebuilders. He built GL Homes with Joseph Hanin in 1976, grew it through patience and smart land decisions, and passed the presidency to his son Misha in 2016. Forbes-based estimates place his family wealth near $1.9 billion. Anna Ezratti and the rest of the family keep a low profile, so the public record stays focused on his business and charity work.

Frequently Asked Questions About Itchko Ezratti

1. Who is Itchko Ezratti?

Itchko Ezratti, also called Itzhak Ezratti, is an Israeli-born American businessman and the founder and chairman of GL Homes. He co-founded the Florida homebuilder in 1976 with his father-in-law, Joseph Hanin. Forbes profiles him as a billionaire, and his son Misha now serves as company president.

2. How old is Itchko Ezratti?

Reports place Itchko Ezratti’s birth year at 1952, which makes him 73 or 74 in October 2026, depending on his birthday. The exact date is not widely published. Forbes and other outlets confirm that he was born in Israel and moved to the United States in the 1970s.

3. Who is Itchko Ezratti’s wife?

Itchko Ezratti’s wife is Anna Ezratti. She keeps a private life and rarely appears in media coverage. Several profiles describe her as the daughter of Joseph Hanin, the engineer who co-founded GL Homes with Ezratti, though the family has shared few personal details publicly.

4. What is Itchko Ezratti’s net worth?

Forbes-based estimates put Itchko Ezratti’s net worth, shared with his family, at about $1.9 billion. A few websites cite higher figures, up to $2.6 billion. GL Homes is privately held and does not publish detailed financials, so every figure remains an estimate and not a verified number.

5. What does GL stand for in GL Homes?

GL stands for “Good Luck.” The founding family chose the name because they needed all the good fortune they could get in 1976. Ezratti later said that determination and a commitment to quality, alongside some luck, built the company over nearly five decades.

6. Who founded GL Homes?

Itchko Ezratti and his father-in-law, engineer Joseph Hanin, founded GL Homes in 1976. Their first project was a duplex in Hollywood, Florida. The company has since grown into one of the state’s largest private homebuilders, and it remains privately held under the Ezratti family.

7. Is Itchko Ezratti still the president of GL Homes?

No. Itchko Ezratti stepped down as president in 2016 but continues to serve as chairman. His son, Misha Ezratti, took over as president and now runs daily operations. Forbes confirms this leadership change and describes Misha as the person who leads the company today.

8. Where was Itchko Ezratti born?

Itchko Ezratti was born in Israel in 1952. He moved to Washington, D.C., in 1974 and worked there as a bank teller. He later relocated to Florida and entered homebuilding. One profile places his birthplace in the Tel Aviv area, but major sources confirm only Israel.

9. What is GL Homes known for?

GL Homes is known for master-planned communities across Florida, especially its Valencia active adult communities for residents aged 55 and over. The company builds larger single-family homes with resort-style amenities and skips golf courses. Forbes says it has completed more than 36,000 homes, though other outlets cite higher totals.

10. What charity work is Itchko Ezratti known for?

Company-linked press materials describe his philanthropy as focused on hunger relief, housing stability and education. Reported partners include The Lord’s Place and Habitat for Humanity, and the company has also donated land for educational use. GL Homes distributes these releases, so readers should treat them as company accounts.