Listing Raw Land with Exeter Building Company to Drive Sales

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Listing Raw Land with Exeter Building Company to Drive Sales

In the highly competitive Triangle real estate market, raw land often needs more than just a good location to command top dollar. Buyers want to visualize their future—and sellers need a strategy to make that vision real before ground is even broken.

That’s exactly what unfolded in Watkins Glen, a private gated community in Wake Forest, North Carolina. We, Exeter Building Company, partnered with a developer to bring an innovative marketing strategy to life.

The developer behind Watkins Glen had secured a beautiful, private stretch of land in one of Wake Forest’s most desirable areas. The vision? An intimate, privately gated, upscale neighborhood with only a limited number of premium lots.

The challenge? Selling lots without homes already built. For over six years these lots were unable to be sold.

Marketing raw land to end buyers—especially in a higher-end price bracket—can be tough. Without a tangible example of what their future home could look like, many potential buyers struggled to commit.

Enter Exeter Building Company

Rather than wait for custom home buyers to approach the lots with their own designs, Exeter created a portfolio of custom home designs and strategically listed them on the MLS complete with pricing, renderings, and floor plans.

These were not physically built homes, but beautifully visualized custom concepts designed specifically for the Watkins Glen lots.

Each listing was tagged to a specific lot and carefully priced in alignment with market demand.

The key? Buyers could “shop” these homes as if they already existed, sparking imagination and interest.

The results were immediate—and impressive:

Over 50% of the Watkins Glen lots were pre-sold in under a year, with buyers often choosing to tweak plans to fit their own, personalized needs

The “build-to-suit” listings allowed the developer to hold firm on premium lot pricing, avoiding the discounting that often happens when lots sit too long.

Buyers reported that the listings gave them a sense of security, clarity, and inspiration—all of which accelerated their purchase decisions.

Build to Suit listings gave Exeter and the developer a way to overcome the “blank slate” problem. Instead of trying to sell dirt and trees, they sold a lifestyle, a dream, and a beautifully visualized final product. Buyers no longer had to imagine what might be—they could see it, price it, and even tour it virtually.

And because Exeter was deeply involved in the design process, they could meet buyers halfway—customizing each listing into a real, buildable, and budget-aligned dream home.

This case study from Watkins Glen is a masterclass in how homebuilders and developers can partner to turn vision into velocity. With smart marketing, strategic MLS listings, and a builder willing to invest in presentation, raw land became real value.

If you’re a developer, investor, or agent sitting on lots and wondering how to drive faster sales without slashing prices, partnering with Exeter might be your secret weapon.

Interested in trying this strategy for your community?

Let’s connect. We’ll help you turn blank lots into booked builds—before the first shovel hits the ground.