McAdams Homes – Blog

Floor Plan: Introducing The Seaspray

Boasting 1,915 heated square feet, four bedrooms with two and a half baths, The Seaspray is the perfect home for any family. With its inviting front porch, alternate elevation and great curb appeal, this home is sure to wow family, friends, and neighbors alike.

As you walk through the front door, your eyes are drawn to the great room that connects to the thoughtfully designed kitchen and dining areas. The beautiful open design seamlessly blends the living areas and offers an optional fireplace as the main focal point and access to the walkout patio. The well-appointed main floor owner’s suite is complete with a sizeable walk-in closet and dual vanities. Depending on your family’s needs, the optional bathroom configuration offers a walk-in shower and soaking tub. The laundry area is also conveniently located near the garage.

The Seaspray’s upstairs offers families various options with the loft area, bathroom and three well sized bedrooms and bonus room that could be used as an office or rec room. If charm and space are your desire, then The Seaspray is the home for you!

Learn where you can build your dream home, in one of our specially curated communities in the Wilmington Area of North Carolina, click here for current incentives. Or if you own a preferred lot, you can choose from our portfolio of floor plans to personalize with numerous design options. Contact us today to get started on your new home journey.

Live Music Venues in the Wilmington Area

The Wilmington area benefits from a year-round live music scene that is as varied as our community. From country stars to indie rock groups and symphonic tributes, the variety of musical acts and venues in the area is impressive. You’ll find outdoor venues and amphitheaters, concert halls, pubs featuring local acts and more, with music festivals to suit every taste held throughout the year. There’s never a shortage of venues to experience live music here on the coast and below is a list of our some of our favorite spots to let your hair down and dance!

Reggie’s 42^nd Street Tavern – Beer, bands, and booze. Great atmosphere and friendly people. What more needs to be said?!

Live at Ted’s – Ted’s is a 62-seat intimate listening room and bar. Their mission is to bring local, regional, and acts from abroad to Wilmington.

The Rusty Nail – Known as one of the premier blues venues, you’ll enjoy incredible live music inside or outside on the patio.

Beale Street Barber Shop – From the funky artwork to the Elvis inspired décor, enjoy eclectic sounds from the only barber with a live music stage.

Live Oak Bank Pavilion at Riverfront Park – This 7,200-capacity amphitheater along the Riverwalk in historic downtown offers state-of-the-art sound, lighting, and a variety entertainment.

Hugh Morton Amphitheater at Greenfield Park – Better known as Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, this magic venue offers an intimate show with an amazing backdrop.

The Palm Room – This historic Wrightsville Beach bar offers friendly faces, ice cold beer and great live music from touring bands to local talent.

Odell Williamson Auditorium – The 1,500 seat performing arts facility at Brunswick Community College is not only an educational resource but also used as a cultural enrichment for the community.

Bourgie Nights – (Pronounced “BOO-ZHEE”) the lounge hosts traveling and local musicians in an intimate listening room environment. An ideal space for discovering your next favorite artist.

The Wilson Center – Offering a variety of shows from dance companies, comedians, live music, and theater acts, the Wilson Center offers entertainment all year long.

Waterline Brewing Company – This family and pet-friendly taproom offers a rustic and historic atmosphere with an outdoor stage hosting local musicians.

Bellamy Mansion Museum – On the second Thursday of each month May through September, enjoy concerts on the lawn of the Bellamy at 6:30pm. Performers range from solo songstresses to big bands with a little bit of something for every jazz lover.

Wrightsville Beach Brewery – Not only do they offer craft beer and great food, but guests can also enjoy weekly live music lineups.

Ready to make a move to the Wilmington area and start enjoying the local music scene? Learn where you can build your dream home, in one of our specially curated communities in the Wilmington Area of North Carolina, click here for current incentives. Or if you own a preferred lot, you can choose from our portfolio of floor plansto personalize with numerous design options. Contact us today to get started on your new home journey.

Summer Blooms

Summer in North Carolina is a time when your garden delivers an array of color and texture, not to mention attracting beautiful butterflies and hummingbirds. Whether you plant summer-blooming perennials or annuals that bloom all summer, your yard will be a sea of color. When planning your garden landscape, you can choose from a variety of options, from tall flowering plants, small flowering shrubs, or gorgeous blooming ground cover plants. If you’re looking for the best flowers that offer a parade of color all summer long, check out these easy-to-care-for bright, colorful blooms that will be garden stunners for years to come.

Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)—A tall flowering plant with bright yellow flowers that last all summer.

Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus)—True annual flowers that bloom from spring to fall. This plant has large, showy, colorful blooms that last from late spring until frost.

Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)—These flowering perennials have feathery foliage, fragrant showy flowers, and a long blooming time.

Ornamental Onions (Allium)—Producing purple globe-shaped flowers on the end of a long stem, these perennials are excellent for cut flower displays or for dried flower arrangements.

Ice Plant (Delosperma cooperi)—Ice plants are ideal for providing colorful ground cover in hot, dry, sun-parched gardens. These evergreen succulents produce a plethora of purple-pink flowers.

Lantana (Lantana Camara)—These sun loving clusters of brightly colored blooms can be yellow, orange, white, red, pink, and purple. Growing as shrubs or as creeping groundcover, Lantana is a beautiful low maintenance perennial.

Dahlia—Perennial flowers that bloom from spring to fall. This plant has large, showy, colorful blooms that last from late spring until frost.

Coneflower (Echinacea)—The plant has large blossoms with a long flowering time from summer to fall.

Petunias—Colorful annual plants that grow in full sun and bloom continuously from spring until fall.

Lavender—A small flowering shrub that blooms all summer and comes back every year.

Hydrangeas—Large flowering perennial shrub with showy flowers that bloom year on year and last all summer long.

Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus)—Low maintenance, sun-loving shrub that flowers relentlessly throughout summer.

Garden phlox (Phlox paniculata)—Perennial flowering plant with dazzling fragrant blossoms that bloom all summer until fall.

Creeping thyme (Thymus serpyllum)—Flowering groundcover plant for full sun that creates a carpet of purple from early summer.

Bee balm (Monarda)—One of the showiest summer-blooming perennials with spiky red flowers that last until the fall.

Now you just need to get started planting! Come see our specially curated communities in the Wilmington Area of North Carolina, click here for current incentives. Or if you own a preferred lot, you can choose from our portfolio of floor plans to personalize with numerous design options. Contact us today to get started on your new home journey and enjoy the summer blooms of your new McAdams Home!

Floor Plan: Introducing The Wren

Boasting just over 2,300 heated square feet, and featuring four bedrooms with two and a half baths, The Wrenis thoughtfully designed and sure to be a favorite. With its inviting front porch, multiple alternative elevations (Elev. E and Elev. F), sideload garage, and great curb appeal, this home is sure to impress and meet all your family’s needs.

As you walk through the front door, your eyes are drawn to the great room that offers an optional fireplace as the main focal point. Just off the living area is a thoughtfully designed kitchen that connects to a dining room, or the space could be used as an office/study. The beautiful kitchen seamlessly blends into the casual dining area and gives access to the walkout patio, conveniently located powder room and two-car garage.

The Wren’s upstairs offers includes a well-appointed owner’s suite complete with two sizeable walk-in closets, dual vanities, walk-in shower, and soaking tub. The laundry area is conveniently located upstairs as well. Three well sized bedrooms complete the upstairs and offer great space for guests or your growing family. If space clean lines are your desire, then The Wren is the home for you!

Floor Plan: Introducing The Azalea

The Azalea is the perfect home for your family. This two-story stunner features 2,114 heated square feet, offering four bedrooms, two and a half baths, and a first-floor owner’s suite. The Azalea features multiple floor plan options like an alternate kitchen, side load garage, bonus room and alternate elevation, allowing you to personalize this plan to fit your family’s needs.

Stepping on the cozy front porch you feel home. The beautiful open design seamlessly blends the living areas and offers an optional fireplace as the main focal point. The living area connects to the thoughtfully designed kitchen and dining area with access to the walkout patio. The well-appointed main floor owner’s suite is complete with a sizeable walk-in closet, dual vanities, shower tub. The laundry area is conveniently located near the garage and owner’s suite.

The Azalea’s upstairs offers three well sized bedrooms and a loft room you could use as a rec room, home office or additional living space. An optional bonus room would allow for a fifth bedroom depending on your family’s needs. If charm and space are your desire, then The Azalea is the home for you!

Strategies to Save for a Down Payment

You’ve saved up for an outfit, a vacation, maybe even a car, but saving for a down payment on a house is a completely different story. A savings goal in the tens of thousands of dollars can seem out of reach as a first-time homebuyer, but it’s more attainable than you might think. Give yourself time and with these helpful strategies you can reach your down payment target without necessarily pinching pennies.

Cut back on expenses. The obvious starting place when saving for a down payment is cutting costs. Look at the costs in your budget and cut out the ones you wouldn’t miss. You don’t need to cancel every subscription and service to save. Just remember, this doesn’t have to be a permanent change but a temporary sacrifice in exchange for your future home sweet home.

Now, look at the expenses you’re not willing to give up. Talk to those providers and see if they can provide discounts or rate reductions. If that doesn’t work, shop better rates. Maybe you can switch cellphone providers or insurance companies? Do their competitors offer an incentive or discount for becoming a new customer?

Mindfully spend. Prioritize your spending by matching your savings to your discretionary spending. Every time you spend money on something you want, transfer the same amount to your savings account. By doubling the amount that is leaving your checking account, you’ll be more conscientious about the purchases you make.

Adjust your timeline. Saving for a $60,000 down payment in a year’s time is a lot harder than saving that same amount over multiple years. If you want to buy a home and still enjoy life, you have to play with your timeline.

Look at how much money you’re willing to save each month without drastically changing your budget. Take your goal amount and divide it by the amount you can save each month. If you can save $1,000 per month and want to reach $60,000, it will take you 60 months to do so (or five years). Decide what is important to you and by thinking long term, you can accomplish your goals and still live your best life.

With these strategies we are sure you’ll be kicking back and enjoying your new McAdams home in no time. We offer specially curated communities in the Wilmington Area of North Carolina, click here for current incentives. Contact us today to get started on your new home journey.

Questions to Ask Yourself When Buying a New Home

Buying a house is as wonderful and exciting, as much as it is nerve-racking and overwhelming. Purchasing a home takes a significant investment of your time and money. So before your real estate search begins, take some time to ask yourself key questions to help uncover your preferences and goals so that your home buying search is as fruitful as possible.

How would you use your home? Or maybe a better way to ask this is, what is your endgame? Whatever the reason you have for purchasing a home, understanding the primary goal behind your purchase will help inform your house hunting strategy. Your focus might be to create an investment to sell, or you could be hoping to find the best home for your children while they are in school. Budget and life stage are important factors in determining what is most important to you with such a significant purchase.

Can you afford homeownership? Contacting a local lender will be a big help in determining your down payment and what you’ll need to budget for your monthly mortgage payments. Working with a Real Estate expert will also be able to help you navigate the buying process.

What is important to you in a new home? An abundance of natural light? Loads of extra space? Hardwoods throughout? Maybe you need wheelchair access? Or you want a large yard? What’s the proximity to schools, a park, or your gym? When it comes to homes and communities, the list of amenities, features, and options can seem endless. Determining the home features that are deal breakers from nice-to-haves will help you make the tough decisions when you get close to finding the perfect home.

Now that you’ve determined your must-haves, the next question is, which McAdams Homes floor plan will you choose? See our portfolio of floor plans that you personalize with numerous design options. Contact ustoday to get started on your new home journey. McAdams Homes offers specially curated communities in the Wilmington Area of North Carolina, click here for our current incentives.

Floor Plan: Introducing The Juniper

Boasting 1,591 heated square feet, three bedrooms with two and a half baths, The Juniper is a well-appointed attached home. With its inviting front porch and variety of architectural detail, this charming home is sure to fit all your family’s needs.

As you walk through the front door, your eyes are drawn to the great room that connects to the thoughtfully designed kitchen and dining. The beautiful open design seamlessly blends the living areas and offers an optional corner fireplace as the main focal point.

The Juniper’s upstairs offers two bedrooms, a laundry area and a well-appointed owner’s suite complete with a sizeable walk-in closet and dual vanities. The optional bathroom upgrade comes with a walk-in shower and soaking tub. depending on your family’s needs. If the lock and leave lifestyle is appealing or if you want less maintenance, then The Juniper is the home for you!

Floor Plan: Introducing The Holly

Boasting 2,381 heated square feet, four bedrooms with three and a half baths, The Holly is the perfect home for any family. With its inviting front porch, alternate elevation and great curb appeal, this home is sure to wow family, friends, and neighbors alike.

As you walk through the front door, your eyes are drawn to the dining room that connects to the thoughtfully designed kitchen. The beautiful open design seamlessly blends the living areas and offers an optional fireplace as the main focal point and access to the walkout patio. The well-appointed main floor owner’s suite is complete with two sizeable walk-in closets, dual vanities, walk-in shower, and soaking tub. The laundry area is conveniently located near the garage and owner’s suite.

The Holly’s upstairs offers three well sized bedrooms and a bonus room you could use as a rec room, home office or fifth bedroom. Bathroom three also offers an optional configuration depending on your family’s needs. If charm and space are your desire, then The Holly is the home for you!

Spring Is In The Air

Hooray, the temperatures are beginning to climb, the days are getting longer, and winter is nearly in our rearview. This time of year, we all have an itch to get outside. As our focus turns to spring, there are so many opportunities to indulge in the active coastal lifestyle our beautiful area offers. The list below details the many ways that residents revel in the natural beauty of the Wilmington area.

Nature Trails and Biking. Wilmington and our surrounding area offer diverse backdrops that range from scenic parks, gardens, and lakes to serene oceanfront landscapes and maritime forests. Traverse the Gary Shell Cross-City Trail or roam Carolina and Kure Beaches on a self-guided bike tour, take a pause and enjoy the marshes and salt air as you round The Loop in Wrightsville Beach.

Boating, Kayaking and Paddleboarding. Whether you love boating, taking morning kayak excursions with a friend, paddleboating on the lake with your sweetheart. Wilmington residents make the most of life on the water – from the Cape Fear River to the Atlantic Ocean and every creek in-between. Wake up and take a solo paddleboard along the tranquil waters of the barrier islands. Hop into a paddleboat or kayak and take in the bright, beautiful landscape of Greenfield Lake. If you seek more adventure, drop in your boat, kayak, canoe, or paddleboard into one of the areas public boat launches.

Tennis and Pickle Ball. There’s no shortage of racquet fun Wilmington either. Enjoy lighted tennis courts, pickleball courts, and plenty of active welcoming groups who are ready to join you for a great match! Parks website on tennis. Click here for information on Althea Gibson Tennis Complex and court reservations.

Bocce Ball. Located at Empie Park, Bocce can be enjoyed by kids and adults alike. Enjoy an afternoon under the shade of the pines as you play.

Fishing. The first thing you’ll need – especially if you are heading to the local beaches – is a Coastal Recreational Fishing License. This license is available in 10-day, annual or lifetime basis and can be found at a number of bait and tackle stores or even Walmart and Dick’s. Some local piers you’ll want to explore are River Road Park, Smith Creek Park, Trails End Park, Sutton Lake, Snows Cut Park, Johnnie Mercer’s Pier or the Carolina and Kure Beach Fishing Piers. Most of these locations also have boat ramps for those that want to do some inshore and offshore fishing.

Itching to make the move to the Wilmington area? Learn where you can build your dream home, in one of our specially curated communities in the Wilmington Area of North Carolina, click here for current incentives. Or if you own a preferred lot, you can choose from our portfolio of floor plans to personalize with numerous design options. Contact us today to get started on your new home journey.