Have you ever wondered if there are any tips or tricks to buying your dream home? Well there sure are. Forbes.com has put out a great article "Bidding Wars Are Back! 10 Tips to Win the War for Your Dream Home.". Below we have highlighted the main tips that will benefit you in buying your dream home.

1. Cash is talk! Sellers love when you brining cash to the table, it makes them feel that you are serious about buying and have the funds to buy their home.

2. Start looking early! If you know you can't bring much cash to the table, don't stress! Start looking at homes that interest you and the prices of these homes. Decided what you can afford, and get your credit score. If there are any errors in your score, take this time to pay off any debts and help raise your score so you are mortgage ready.

3. Get pre-approved! Go get a bank's pre approval.

4. Have 20% down payment! You are going to want to put down 20% for a down payment. With 20% and a pre approval you have a good shot at purchasing this home. Remember mortgages are a little harder to get these days without at least a 20% down payment. Here are a few tips to saving a little cash for a down payment:

• First decided how much house you can afford
• Set a savings goal. Amount and time period
• Set up a savings plan... Open a separate bank account for your down payment. A good way to save for this is to find the difference between your current housing costs and your projected mortgage payment and put the difference in your "down payment account". 

5. Be prepared and organized! Have all your paper work in order to show your funds and where your money is coming from. With this all in order and being prepared, it will help move along your process.  

6. Make your best offer up front! You may only have one chance to put an offer down on your dream home. Do some research on sale prices in the area. This will help you come up with a good offering price that is not to low or high.

7. Keep contingencies for your protection! Don't drop any contingencies. Get a home inspection and protect yourself when putting an offer on a home.

8. Work with the Seller and their timeline on moving out! Try and be flexible with the seller. If the sellers move out date is a month after closing consider a "lease back" or "rent back" this mean you are their temporary landlords. This does happen a lot when buying a home. Homes are selling quickly once they are put on the market, so don't be shocked if the owners are not yet ready to move out. There are plenty of ways to make it work for both you and the seller.

Patients, patients, patients. Buying a home is a process, with these tip we hope it helps your process move as smoothly and as quickly as possible.

Visit forbes.com for the full article on "Bidding Wars Are Back! 10 Tips to Win The War For Your Dream Home"

Source: http://www.forbes.com/sites/trulia/2013/05/24/bidding-wars-are-back-10-tips-to-win-the-war-for-your-dream-home/

Thinking of doing some updates to your home? Need some new interior design ideas? We have a great Pinterest page set up with all different room ideas, organization tools, paint colors, DIY projects and much more. Click the link below to help get your creative juices flowing.

Pinterest

Your opportunity could be now! Wilmington is seeing a huge increase in home sales. Just in May of 2013 there were 266 homes sold, that’s an average of 9 homes per day. Log on today to find out the potential of your home!

We've sold hundreds of homes in the Wilmington area! Offering professional advice and knowledge service to many of your neighbors, we'd love to help you as well. Don't wait call or login today to receive and ongoing report of recent sales in your neighborhood.

www.WilmingtonPropertiesOnline.com

Who wants to listen to free music and walk fireworks on the beach? Well it's just your luck, this weekend there is the Fireworks by the Sea and Boardwalk Blast Music in Carolina Beach. The event feature the country rock Drew Smith Band followed by the beautiful fireworks for the perfect summer kick off!

To find the concert schedule visit www.mayfairetown.com for more information. We hope to see you all there!

With the sun shinning bright and the weather warming up, we know everyone is ready for some fresh local foods! Wilmington has great Farmers' Markets located all over Wilmington for your convenience. We have put a list together for you with location, dates and time! We hope you enjoy all the local goods, and beautiful weather Wilmington has to offer!

1. Wrightsville Beach Farmers' Market: Mondays 8am - 1pm 321 Causeway Drive Wirghtsville Beach 28480.
2. Popular grove Farmers' Market: Wednesdays at 8am - 1pm 10200 US Highway 17 North Wilmington 28411
3. Riverfront Farmers' Market: Saturdays 8am - 1pm Riverfront Park North Water Street Wilmington 28401
4. Carolina Beach Farmers' Market: Saturdays 8am - 1pm Carolina Beach Lake Park, Highway 421 & Atlanta Avenue Carolina Beach 28428

Your opportunity could be now! Wilmington is seeing a huge increase in home sales. Just in April of 2013 there were 259 homes sold, that’s an average of 9 homes per day. Log on today to find out the potential of your home!

www.WilmingtonMarketAnalysis.com

Interested in buying? Check out this beautiful 3 Bedroom, 2 Bath home that was just listed last week. Don't miss your chance to own your dream home!

217 Lido Dr. Wilmington, NC 28411

For more details visit u at http://www.wilmingtonpropertiesonline.com/Property/217-Lido-Dr-Wilmington-North-Carolina, and make your appointment today!

We are so lucky to live in such a great place like Wilmington, where every week brings a list of fun activities/events for everyone! We at Bailey & Company want you to be able to enjoy Wilmington to its fullest. With that being said, it's about time for the Downtown Sundown Concert Series begins! It begin May 24 at 6PM with a Pearl Jam Tribute Band. The list of bands is great this summer, so come out and enjoy the beautiful weather and rockin' music that awaits!

Click here for the full list of bands

Feel like being a little creative in your home? Want to add a new look to a boring wall or table? Do you have little ones that tend to color on tables and walls? Solution: chalkboard paint! We have put together a list of ideas to help get your creative juices flowing.

A chalkboard wall is a great for lists, messages to family members, or just a fun way to add some pizzazz to your home.

Don't just stop at a wall, you can use chalkboard paint on just about any object around the house.

With all these great ideas we hope a few will end up in your home. Chalkboard paint can be found in any paint or hardware store and a little goes a long ways! The one tip we suggest is when painting a wall or any kind of flat surface you will want to use a roller instead of a brush. Also, painters tape is great to follow even the hardest guidelines. Enjoy and have fun with it!!!

We all know that the weather is beautiful and the economy is making its way back! People are starting to become aware of the housing market and its great growth in the last few months. We would like to reach out to those who are looking for an investment in the real estate world. Bailey & Company believes that we can help you invest in a wonderful home.

Here's a tool to help you figure out the next best investment option. Visit casestudy.ownamerica.com to try their online calculator. Figure out where your money should go and what type of profit you will make from your investment.

The Case Study Calculator will allow you to enter your financial assumptions into the different fields provided, and will show you the future equality, cash flow, and rate to rent that this investment could generate for you. The Case Study Calculator does a great job breaking down all your information into well organized graphs. Use this tool today and get started on your next investment!

Azalea Festival Events!

It's that time of year again! The annual North Carolina Azalea Festival begins next week! Festivities begin with Queen's Coronation in downtown Wilmington on April 10 at 5PM. With so many things going on for the Azalea Fest weekend we wanted to make sure you had all the information you needed to enjoy a great weekend in Wilmington. Below are two websites that will give you all the information you will need!

List of Events: www.wilmingtondowntown.com

Azalea Festival Website: www.ncazaleafestival.org

The Children's Museum of Wilmington: 116 Orange St.

http://www.playwilmington.org/

• "With over 17,000 square feet of fun, you never know where your imagination will take you!"
• Adults & Children - $8.00
• Children (12yrs & under) - FREE!

Wilmington Railroad Museum: 505 Nutt St.

http://www.wilmingtonrailroadmuseum.org/

• They "provide an educational and enjoyable experience concerning the history, technology and impact of the rail industry with emphasis on the Atlantic Coast Line Railroad."
• Adults - $8.50
• Children (2-12 yrs.) - $4.50

Jellybeans Family Skate Center of Wilmington: 5216 Oleander Dr.

http://www.skatejellybeans.net/

• Family oriented environment where everyone can let loose and have fun! Offering summer camps, after-school camps & will even host your next birthday party!
• Skate Rentals: $1.50 - 2.50
• Skate Sessions: $3.50 - 7.50

The Wilmington Ice House: 7201 Ogden Business Lane

http://www.wilmingtonice.com/

• Take the whole family out and lace up your skates it's "the coolest place in town"
• Adults (6yrs+) - $7.00
• Children (5yrs and under) - $6.00
• Both prices include skates!

Don't be deterred by the commons misconception of small space design. You don't need white walls and little to no furniture.  What's the rule you ask? There are no rules! Using well placed colors, furniture arrangements and smart lighting you can make your one small room feel like the biggest one in the house.

Visit the HGTV website for decorating ideas.

www.hgtv.com

Interested in a relaxing fire pit, but don't want to spend the money? We have a DIY step by step for creating just that!

What you'll need is:

marine silicone-$2                 cheap glass frame-$4            small rocks- $2

any kind of metal mesh -$2      gel fuel - $4               a metal planter with an edge on it- $8

With the material you need, now all you have to do it put it together. Visit www.theartofdoingstuff.com for step by step directions on how to assemble this easy master piece!

Does your patio furniture have stains you just can't get out? Well we have a trick for you! Remove those old stains and create a new look for your furniture by using fabric spray paint to re-do your cushions.

For step-by step direction visit www.thehappierhomemaker.com  

Need a little privacy from the neighbors? Create your own privacy screen. The best part about this project is you can design it to fit the theme of your patio. You'll need a drop cloth, paint, painters tape, and the hanging hardware.

For step-by-step directions visit www.homedepot.com

With these easy DIY projects we at Bailey & Company hope you can get your home ready to enjoy the warm weather!

Looking for some family fun this weekend? Once again Wilmington has that covered for you! Come down the the Battleship of North Carolina for their annual Egg Hunt and Carnival. There will be endless kid friendly game, egg hunts, a bouncy house, petting zoo and pony rides. But Wait! That is not all, get your picture taken with Buddy the Battleship Bunny! Come out and enjoy the beautiful Wilmington weather and have some fun! 

For more information visit www.battleship.com

How often do you think people move in America? Well, statistic show that 40 million Americans move every year. Wonder where they're going? Use this interactive website to see how many people have moved out of a specific state, how many moved to that state, and where people are moving to and from. We took the liberty of finding out statistics here in Wilmington. http://www.forbes.com/special-report/2011/migration.html

Looking for a fun date night, or girls night out? Start your weekend off by stopping at Taste the Olive  Friday evening for their TGIF wine tasting from 6 pm - 8 pm! Can't make Friday night? Don't worry, you can try for an afternoon tasting on Saturday from 12 pm - 5 pm. Go  enjoy the relaxing environment and take a breather from the long work week that's finally over! 

For more information visit http://www.tastetheolive.com/events