Buford, Georgia · In the work since 1990
Thirty-Five
Years of
Georgia Land
Our Story
Prime Interest began with a single conviction: that raw Georgia land, in the right hands, becomes something far greater than its asking price. Marty D. Orr entered development in 1990 under the mentorship of W.T. "Terry" Dunahoo — a respected Barrow County surveyor, developer, and banker — and learned the business from the ground up, laying miles of roads and utilities across Barrow and Gwinnett Counties.
Through the 1990s, Marty built and sold homes through Homes Etc., the company's homebuilding arm, handling every closing in-house without agents or brokers. In 1998 he founded Prime Interest, building its headquarters in Buford beside a commercial center the company had developed itself. From there the work grew — larger subdivisions, commercial tracts, and the relationships that would come to define the firm.
When the housing market collapsed in 2007–2008, Marty reinvented the business rather than wait it out. Reading the moment — families locked out of mortgages, students returning to universities in a thin job market — he pivoted into market-rate apartments and student housing, partnering with national REITs including American Campus Communities, one of the largest student housing operators in the world.
Today Prime Interest develops across every major asset class — and has returned to its roots, acquiring raw land for single-family communities in upscale, walkable markets like Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, and Smyrna. The throughline has never changed: acquire well, entitle patiently, and deliver land that builders and communities are proud to build on.
Leadership
Marty D. Orr
Founder & Principal
“The value isn’t in the land you buy — it’s in what you’re able to turn it into.”
Marty D. Orr has spent more than three decades turning Georgia land into communities. He learned the trade hands-on in the 1990s — installing infrastructure, building homes, and managing his own closings — before founding Prime Interest in 1998. He has personally handled the rezoning and entitlement of his properties throughout his career, the work where most of a parcel's value is won or lost. Under his direction the firm has grown from a single-family subdivision developer into a full-spectrum operation spanning luxury apartments, student housing, mixed-use retail, medical office, and motor condominiums across more than a dozen Georgia counties.
History
Milestones
Marty D. Orr enters development under the mentorship of W.T. "Terry" Dunahoo — a Barrow County surveyor, developer, and banker — laying miles of roads and utilities across Barrow and Gwinnett Counties and learning the business from the ground up.
Through the company's homebuilding arm, Marty builds homes on developed lots and sells every one in-house — no agents, no brokers. He partners with Dunahoo in Subdivision Developer's, Inc., capturing the full value chain from raw land to finished home.
Marty founds Prime Interest, Inc. and builds its headquarters in Buford, beside a commercial strip center the company developed itself. The firm moves into larger subdivisions, commercial tracts, and ground-up commercial construction.
Marty forms Prime Interest Properties with friend and former teacher Larry Cheek — a board member of Peoples Bank & Trust, the Buford bank that has long backed the firm's developments. Together they deliver single-family and commercial projects across Georgia.
When housing collapses, Marty retools the business rather than wait it out — reading the moment correctly and moving into market-rate apartments and university student housing. He partners with national REITs including American Campus Communities, one of the largest student housing operators in the world.
Prime Interest secures a contract on 19 acres surrounding Coolray Field, home of the Gwinnett Braves (now Stripers). Co-planned with partners: 500,000+ sq. ft. of retail and dining, plus 800 residential units. Gwinnett County commissioners ultimately reject the revised plans — one of the company's most ambitious near-misses.
Prime Interest takes on its largest and most complex work yet — partnering with national builders and REITs on luxury apartments, student housing, and mixed-use developments across metro Atlanta, including the $65M Holbrook in Sugar Hill and the Northside Medical Office Buildings near Coolray Field.
With lots in short supply across the metro's best markets, Prime Interest has returned to acquiring raw land for single-family communities in upscale, walkable areas like Roswell, Alpharetta, Milton, and Smyrna — while continuing to develop apartments and student housing. Active projects include Alta Dalton, the $65M Holbrook in Sugar Hill, Bellwood Park, and the Northside Medical Office Buildings.
Partnerships
Who We Build With
Work With Us
Have Land to Sell?
Prime Interest actively acquires land across the state of Georgia. If you have a site, we want to hear from you.
Our Acquisitions Program →