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19 |Thursday July 27, 2017 | OAKVILLE BEAVER |www.insidehalton.com Community Update Forward announcements o f non-profit local events fo r Community Update to the Oakville Beaver, 5 0 4 6 Mainway, Unit 2, Burlington, ON, L7L 5Z1; email mmarychuk@oakvillebeaver.com o r call 289-293-0661. Free. THURSDAY JULY 27 Nar-Anon, a 12-step self help program for family and friends of someone with addiction(s) to drugs, meets in Oakville Thursdays 7:30 p.m., lower level of 484 Kerr St. All meetings only use first name. Info can be downloaded from w ww nar-anon.org or picked up at meeting. Divorce financial counselling, 10 a.m.-12 p.m., important tips to navigate the financial side of divorce. Receive guidance, and support. No fee. Call 905-847-5520 to register. Networking Club with job developer Carolyn McCleister, Thursdays in July, 10-11:45 a.m. at Goodwill - The Amity Group, Oakville Career Centre, 2387 Trafalgar Rd. - Unit B5. Free. Call 905-257-8856 for info. Veterans' Luncheon, Bronte Legion, Branch 486, 79 Jones St., every Thursday at noon. Lunch is free to veterans, $6 for guests. Codependent N o More at the Women' s Cen tre, 10 a.m -12 p.m. Co-dependency is an emotional/behavioural condition that effects an in dividual' s ability to have a healthy relationship. Free. Call 905-847-5520 to register. a.m.-noon and 2-4 p.m., Care For Newcomer Children, 690 Dorval Dr., Unit 100, Oakville. Parents must be on site and readily available at all times. Call 905-875-3851, ext. 5001. Branch 114 Royal Canadian Legion, Oakville, serves chicken wings , $1 each with carrots, cel ery and dip, 4:30 p.m., 36 Upper Middle Rd. Fish Fry at Bronte Legion, 79 Jones St., $10, Fridays 5-8 p.m. Karaoke is free 7:30-11:30 p.m. Music (free) will be provided from 7-11 p.m. All welcome. OAKViLLESBiGGEST &BESTBRiTiSHSTO RE Sr SATURDAY JULY 29 Backyard Bark Bash , a fundraiser for the Oakville Milton Humane Soceity, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. behind 3001 Silverthorn Dr., Oakville. Potluck lunch $5 - meat, buns, condiments and beverages. Water and pupcakes for fur-friends. Email m_rinaldo@hotmail.com. The biggest & BEST selection of all your favorite British products and hand made, award winning butchery & bakery items in store! C H E C KO U TO U RN E W W E B S iT E ! mybritishgrocer.com Find all your favourites online! S e n io r s MONDAY JULY 31 The Women' s Centre offers a free immigra tion law legal clinic , 6:30-8:30 p.m. Call 905 847-5520 to register. First come, first serve. Women only. Coffee and Conversation at the Women' s Centre, Mondays, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Call 905 847-5520 for information. Special offers & much more! facebook.com/britishgrocer1 Like Like Like us on Facebook! D a y ! 10% d is c o u n t e v e r y M o n d a y if you a re o ve r 60! TUESDAY AUGUST 1 The Oakville Wind Orchestra presents its an nual free outdoor summer concert series Tues days until Aug. 8, Bronte Harbour Park, 7-8 p.m. Bring your own lawn chair. www.owo.ca. Monday to Saturday 10am-5:30pm, Sunday 11am- 5pm · (905) 845 2748 259 Lakeshore Road East (Opposite the Church), Oakville, ON L6J 1H9 mybritishgrocer.com FRIDAY JULY 28 Games day f o r children fo u r and older, 10 Dominion Lending Centres Chief Economist, Dr. Sherry Cooper: Canadians have options when it comes to housing developers are frequently bidding for the same properties. People thinking of moving up may want to consider another option: Buying a larger condo in the suburbs or in smaller communities. There is a demand for more choice in this market segment, she says, that has led to developers start building two and three-bedroom units in the suburbs that include amenities like indoor and outdoor play "That's the whole story of why mortgage brokers make so much sense, because they can shop the loan for you and can find something that is much more customized to what your personal needs are." For first-time buyers and boomers, renting is also an option that shouldn't be ignored, she says. Boomers can then get the full amount of equity from their home while first-time buyers can continue to save for their down payment. Similarly, those in the move-up market may want to consider using the equity in their home to finance a home renovation rather than buying a new residence. The lifestyle issues, Cooper says, are best solved by family discussion. First, sit down and talk. Then, talk to a mortgage broker, a real estate agent and possibly an accountant. "For a first-time home-buyer in particular, you really do need to know how much you can afford. It may be less than what you can borrow. You don't want to go right to the edge because there's just too much risk," she says. "You want to have enough of a cushion that you could take care of an emergency, or in the event of one of you losing a job. You have to have some precautionary savings." For all demographic groups Cooper advises locking into a fixed-rate mortgage. "I would go for a five-year fixed if I were buying right now. Because rates are low and the chances are that in the future, they will be higher." Mortgages are complex, and she cautions against simply taking the best deal a bank has to offer. For example, the first-time buyer may want the option of paying down the principal more quickly. By: Gord Hamilton Despite the variation in real estate markets across Canada, homebuyers face the same fundamental question whether they are first time buyers in Toronto, families purchasing a fixer-upper in Atlantic Canada, or down-sizing boomers in the West, says Dominion Lending Centres chief economist Sherry Cooper: What are you willing to do to achieve your goal. "For the first-time homebuyer, it's a trade off between living close to your workplace and having to pay more for your home versus living farther away and facing a meaningful commute to get more for your money," she says. Baby boomers with their retirement nest egg tied up in their single-family homes, face very similar circumstances. For boomers, staying in the city usually means downsizing to a condo, which is more expensive per square foot and can take a serious bite out of that nest egg. Moving out of the city often means giving up family, friendship, and services. In between, there's the move-up market people with growing families who are looking for their second home. They have equity, so they can afford a larger down payment and typically, they are close to their peak earning years. The challenge they face, particularly in regions where the market is strong, is a shortage of suitable homes. Investors and Dr. Sherry Cooper Chief Economist for Dominion Lending Centres D o m in io n nm r L e n d in c 1-888-806-8080 www.dominionlending.ca