A strong third quarter is helping to bolster spirits and drive expansion in the Bay State for Toll Brothers. 

"We’re searching for, and finding, land opportunities," for new spring projects, said David Bauer, a Boston-based division vice president with the national home builder.

In August, the firm reported its earning spiked 46 percent in the third quarter, with orders increasing 57 percent nationwide. In the Northeast, orders were up 32 percent and revenues were up 35 percent compared with the same period last year.

Bauer said the firm has seven projects currently under way, including a 250-unit, transit-oriented development in Westborough, "and we’re aggressively looking to expand," he added.

In the Bay State, the company’s best opportunities are within the I-495 corridor, Bauer said, and the firm is acquiring raw land in the 495 belt for brand new developments. But he said the company is also looking to enter the Hub itself.

"We have opportunities right now fairly close to Boston, where things have popped up that are under distress – things that have been approved or were already under construction but have gone belly-up," Bauer said. "But there are some urban infill opportunities that we’re looking at. We’d love to get into development opportunities in Boston."