Do you have the information you need to make the right decisions when buying a home? With the stock market in the tank, how should you handle your retirement savings?

“You’ll learn a step-by-step process of buying a home.”

— counselor Robin Brown

Those and other questions will be addressed in a series of seminars organized by  Davidson Housing Coalition in the coming year on home ownership and financial literacy for homeowners and prospective home buyers.

Home buyer education courses are offered one Saturday a month, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., or as a two-day workshop on a Wednesday and Thursday night, 5-8:30 p.m. Financial literacy is one Thursday per month, 6-8 p.m.  All workshops are at the housing coalition office, 220 Sloan St.  (See dates below.)

The workshops are led by housing coalition counselors Robin Brown and Gail Brooks-Lemkin.

In the home buyer sessions, “Basically, they learn a step-by-step process of buying a home,” Ms. Brown said.

The sessions, which cost $10 each, are aimed at people thinking about buying a home or who want help deciding to buy, or those who are in the process of buying a home and whose lenders require a certified class as part of the underwriting process, Ms. Brown said.

Meanwhile, free monthly financial literacy classes are on a different topic each session, ranging from insruance and credit cards to retirement plans and how to make your car last 300,000 miles. They can help people make smart decisions at a time when the economy is making them uneasy.

With retirement plans, for example, the poor stock market may prompt people to consider hasty decisions, Ms. Brown said. “A lot of people are scared and they may want to pull their money out (of their retirement accounts). A lot of times, that may not be the best thing,” she said.

Download a flier with the complete schedule (CLICK HERE>) or see below. To print this page, click the “print” button at the top of this article. To register, call the Davidson Housing Coalition, 704-892-4486.

SCHEDULE

(Feb. 5, 2009, update: The workshop schedule has been revised. Download the most up to date schedule, PDF format, CLICK HERE>)

Homebuyer workshops – (Saturdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., Wed/Thu 5-8:30) Saturday, Feb. 14; Wed./Thu., Feb. 25-26; Sat., March 21; Sat., April 11; Wed./Thu., April 29-30; Sat., May 9; Sat., June 6; Sat., July 11; Sat. Aug. 8; Wed./Thu., Aug. 26-27; Sat., Sept. 12; Sat., Oct. 10; Wed./Thu., Oct. 28-29; Sat., Nov. 14; Sat., Dec. 12. All sessions are at the Housing Coalition office, 220 Sloan St.

Financial Literacy, dates and topics – Thursdays, 6-8 p.m.

Feb. 5, Budgeting & Money Management

March 5, Understanding Credit

April 2, Dealing with bankruptcy, judgments, foreclosures

May 7, Banking – Online, ATM, Debit

June 4, Home ownership

July 2, Credit Cards

Aug. 6, Leasing vs buying cars/homes/etc

Sept. 3, Insurance-Life, Car, Health & more

Oct. 1, How to make your car last 300 miles

Nov. 5, Smart Shopping Needs/Wants

Dec. 3, Preparing for a New Year

All sessions are at the Housing Coalition office, 220 Sloan St.

Download the schedule, PDF format, CLICK HERE>

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