Thinking of purchasing a home? Even if you don’t plan to take advantage of Penn’s guaranteed mortgage programs, the Office of Community Housing can help. The office’s brown-bag seminars cover all of the major issues involved in buying and maintaining a home. Except where noted, all of the upcoming seminars this spring are offered twice each day; choose either the noon to 1 p.m. session or the 1 to 2 p.m. session. The seminar topics are:

Homeowner’s Insurance: Protect your investment. Learn about the different types of insurance and what you need to ensure proper coverage of your home and its contents. Current homeowners can determine whether they are carrying enough insurance or need to update their policies.

- Wednesday, March 13, Room 720, Franklin Building, 3451 Walnut St.

- Thursday, March 14, Office of Community Housing, 4046 Walnut St.

Home Inspection: Are you getting what you paid for? What are the inspector’s responsibilities? This seminar answers these and many other questions so you can be a knowledgeable buyer.

- Thursday, March 21, Office of Community Housing

Hiring a Contractor/Spring Cleaning: What do you need to prepare your home for the spring? Do you need to hire a contractor? Arm yourself against potential cons and gimmicks with this workshop that teaches you how to check out a contractor’s bona fides and know his responsibilities.

- Wednesday, April 3, Room 720, Franklin Building

Credit Counseling and Repair: Learn how to repair damaged credit. Know the common myths about credit, the factors banks consider when making loans, including credit scoring and credit reports, and the sources of credit and their differences.

- Wednesday, April 17, 5:30 p.m., Office of Community Housing

- Thursday, April 18, Office of Community Housing

Registration is required for all workshops. To register, send e-mail to pdca@pobox.upenn.edu indicating the workshop dates and times you wish to attend. For more information, call Outreach Coordinator Paulette Adams at 215-898-7422.