August, 2025
Why Custom Homebuilders Are Turning to Emerald Estates for Spec Builds
When it comes to researching and investing in spec builds – whether in Northern Colorado or beyond – savvy custom homebuilders know that location, buyer demand, and long-term value are everything. And right now, one of the most strategic places to build is right here in Emerald Estates.
This premier custom homesite enclave in Windsor, CO, is perfectly placed within the acclaimed RainDance community, overlooking the award-winning RainDance National Resort & Golf, with an array of unbeatable amenities already available.
This isn’t your average new neighborhood: panoramic golf course views, resort-style amenities, and an active stream of high-intent home shoppers – Emerald Estates offers an unbeatable platform for custom homebuilders looking to build a spec home that practically sells itself.
Here are 6 reasons why regional builders and real estate investors should set their sights on Emerald Estates before the opportunity is gone:
1. A Custom Homesite That Works for You, Not Against You
Some “custom communities” sell a dream that’s far too complicated. Tricky terrain, convoluted architectural approvals, or utility delays can slow your timeline and eat into margins.
Emerald Estates is not that. Created by The Water Valley Development Company and its decades of honed expertise in various types of residential and mixed-use developments, building here is simple and beautiful.
With a gentle slope in the terrain for walk-out basements, wide-open views, and well-planned site layouts, these custom homesites offer the rare combo of beauty and buildability in Northern Colorado.
Lot sizes are generous without being excessive, giving you ample flexibility in floorplan design while still keeping construction and landscaping costs in check. You can create the kind of upscale custom spec home that today’s buyers are craving, without overbuilding for the area.
2. Golf Course Prestige. Buyer Confidence. Resale Potential.
RainDance National Golf Course – designed by PGA Tour Champion Fred Funk – is more than a backdrop. It’s a built-in sales feature that delivers added value and buyer confidence from day one.
Today’s high-end buyers want something unique and timeless. Owning a home that overlooks the longest golf course in North America carries weight, and adds a prestige that benefits your spec build amongst competitors in the marketplace.
And building on RainDance National Resort & Golf is not just about views (though the views are spectacular). It’s about resale value. Homes with golf course frontage or proximity consistently outperform in the luxury market. When you build a spec home in Emerald Estates, you’re building a phenomenal investment for your business and your buyers.
3. Emerald Estates’ Custom Homesites are Shovel-Ready
This isn’t raw land. These homesites are tied-in to the community that surrounds it, giving you a faster start, quicker turnaround, and the possibility to keep margins where you want them.
All essential utilities are tied in and prepped. That includes water, sewer, electricity, and internet, so you can move quickly from land acquisition to groundbreaking. That’s especially critical for spec builds, where holding costs can make or break your bottom line.
This infrastructure advantage shaves weeks or even months off your construction timeline and allows you to hit the sales window that makes the most sense for your timeline. Fortunately, the golf course may even be open in the winter, and its views are always fresh.
You’ll be ready when Northern Colorado’s luxury homebuyers are most active.
4. High Foot Traffic from a Growing Master-Planned Community
One of the biggest challenges in selling a spec home is visibility. Emerald Estates solves that with its location inside the RainDance master-planned community, one of the most vibrant and active neighborhoods in Windsor.
With a stream of new buyers searching in RainDance and the residential neighborhoods surrounding RainDance National, there’s already a built-in audience touring models, attending events, and exploring what’s next.
And thanks to the homesites’ location overlooking the tee boxes, greens, and fairways of RainDance National, your spec home has the potential to be seen by your buying audience multiple times a day. Plus, the experienced development team behind Emerald Estates has an eye for detail and a marketing strategy to capture and keep attention.
5. Weld County and Windsor, CO: A Growing Market with Strong Upside
Custom homebuilders and real estate investors know to follow the growth. And the county in which Windsor, CO resides – Weld County – is an area on the rise.
Located between Fort Collins, Greeley, and Loveland, Windsor offers easy access to I-25, high-performing schools, a burgeoning economy, and more golf courses and amenities than you can tackle in one weekend. It’s the kind of place where affluent buyers are actively searching for their forever home – and where high-quality spec builds can command premium prices.
Emerald Estates taps into that momentum. It’s a luxury product in a high-demand market, backed by the strength and vision of the locally-rooted team at The Water Valley Development Company.
As of 2023, Weld County was the only in Colorado to have a positive birth to death ratio. This is based on a number of factors that show the county holds a strong track record going into the future with rising median household incomes and even more lifestyle-based amenities under construction.
6. More Than a Lot. A Lifestyle.
When you build in Emerald Estates, you’re not just offering square footage – you’re offering a turnkey, golf-cart kind of lifestyle.
Homeowners in Emerald Estates enjoy access to all of what RainDance has to offer:
- RainDance River Resort & Waterpark with a lazy river, cabanas, and in-pool lounging.
- Miles of trails and orchards and connections to the 21-mile Poudre Trail Corridor along the Cache la Poudre River.
- Casual dining at Ted’s Sweetwater Grill and cocktail or mocktail creations at The Grainhouse, adjacent the golf course and Hoedown Hill.
- Golf cart access to two championship golf courses – Pelican Lakes and RainDance National – including the exclusive “45 Club” dual membership opportunities.
- Access to community orchards and farms growing sweet corn, sunflowers, pumpkins, cherries, and more.
This full lifestyle package gives your spec home a unique edge in the resale market. Because it is the intention of Emerald Estates to offer its residents more than a custom dream home. This is the gateway to living at its finest in Northern Colorado.
If you’re a custom homebuilder or real estate investor evaluating where to place your next bet, Emerald Estates checks every box.
Expand your portfolio and make your mark with a showpiece spec build. See what’s currently available by filling out the form below or on our Contact page, or by contacting Marissa Donahoo (970-217-1948) directly.