Jawad Chaudhry - Realtor

100% Financing now available! (oac)

2009-02-10T17:59:00.000-08:00

If you're trying to save up for a downpayment on the house of your dreams, stop saving and start moving. 100% financing is now available for the purchase of a home. It's great timing with the lower house prices, its better to buy now than to save for a few years just to see the lending rates and the prices rise again.
I know you're landlord is in love with you, but valentines day is comming so do yourself a favour and break up with them and fall in love with your new house/condo!
For a free consultation, contact me and I'll go over the program with you and get you prequalifed. By the way, if your self-employed that's ok too!

City of Hamilton wants your help

2009-02-05T16:58:00.000-08:00

I received an email today regarding the economic development strategy of Hamilton. Apparently its been 5 years since the plan was visited. So it's being revisited for a new 5 year strategy. If you are like me, I'm sure you've sat a "Timmy's" thinking why doesn't the city do this or the city do that. Well our chance has come to have our opinions heard before the new strategy is set in stone. Have your voice heard at one of the open houses the City of Hamilton is having, or just fill out the questionnaire by clicking the link below.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=3nFhO_2bnCXEykuSHCIjK01g_3d_3d

more info: http://www.investinhamilton.ca/

Its all about perspective

2009-02-02T15:42:00.000-08:00

I spoke to a friend of mine today and he told me that a job promotion he was looking forward to getting in the next few days fell threw. He didn't want to say he was upset but I could tell that he was ticked. As we spoke it occurred to me that maybe he was just looking at it from the wrong point of view, maybe by not getting this promotion it was actually a blessing. You can't look in to the future, but you can look to the past and see how the dots connect. For my friend taking this job would have required him to move out of province leaving behind all his friends and family. Being away from everyone might have actually been the biggest pay cut he could imagine. I guess all of us lose perspective from time to time and we only realise how good we have something when it's gone. Check out this video of Steve Jobs where he speaks about how precious life is.

Open house today!

2009-02-01T09:26:00.000-08:00

Come by and say hi! I'll be at 111 Southbend Rd in Hamilton (Mohawk & Upper Wellington)
This house is a 2 bedroom 2 bathroom home located on the central mountain. Very cozy home, perfect for 1st timer or empty nesters! I'll be there from 2-4 this afternoon!

Will the budge give you a nudge?

2009-01-29T17:17:00.000-08:00

So the federal budget was revealed on Tuesday and boy was it ever tense. On one hand the government's political doctrine to stay the coarse and to be "conservative", on the other pressure from an international recession to spend and stimulate the lagging numbers. Not to mention the fact that the sitting Tories are only holding a minority and no longer have the luxury of a conservative big brother south of the boarder to hid behind. With that all said, I guess it was little suprise that the budget was anything but conservative, $40 billion in stimulus through tax cuts and actual spending should lead to the creation or saving of 190,000 jobs and boost the canadian economy a whopping 1.9%.
There are many industries that will be effected by the new policy, but I'll just highlight a few that effect me in a personal manner.
Home Buying

1st timers will be alowed to withdraw $25,000 from their RRSPs to purchase a home. (up from $20,000)
Tax credit program which offers a 15% tax credit on up to $5000 in closing closts. This credit is also exclusive to 1st timers and the credit will come off of the taxes owing.

Home Renovations

Tax credit of 13.5% on up to $10,000 of the amount spent. So if you spend the max $10,000 you can get a tax credit of $1350, but if you spend more lets say $20,000 on a reno you will still only receive the $1350.
Items that can count as home reno range from new windows to new flooring to paint and to new sod for your lawn. The range is huge.
This can be used for your home or cottage. Or even a combination of both.
The Credit can be used with other government programs that put money back into your pocket when you renovate your home. For example making your home more energy-efficient you can qualify for grants of up to $5,000 under the ecoENERGY Retrofit Program

Gung Hay Fat Choy! Happy Chinese New Year!

2009-01-26T07:51:00.000-08:00

Happy Chinese New Year! The year of the Ox. The Ox is a strong and confident animal who has the the stamina to out work just about anyone. They say people born in the year of the ox are natural born leaders and make great surgeons, business leaders, and military generals. Did you know that Barack Obama is an ox? I hope the traits of an ox are transferred to the economy and that government and industry stay the coarse and not get hysterical when it comes to leading us through the recession.
Introducing the VIB program on askJawad.com. If you or someone you know is in the market for a property don't forget to join the buyer incentives program on my website. Membership is free and the rewards are fantasic. I believe that the program is unique in the industry and is exactly what buyers deserve.

Finally Something Positive

2009-01-22T12:36:00.000-08:00

After months and months of economists predicting the end of times it was definitely refreshing to finally hear something positive. Mike Carney the Bank of Canada Governor spoke about the current recession and an economic forecast for the coming year or so. Based on the current situation it looks like the recession will be harsh and short with a recovery that will be quick and substantial. In fact by 2011 the economy should be back to full power again. The BOC expects our nation GDP to be down 1.2% in 2009 with a robust bounce back of 3.8% in 2010.
So what does this mean? Basically this gives investors the peace of mind that if they decide to invest now they will reap the rewards more sooner than later!

Obama's in and I'm back!

2009-01-20T19:44:00.000-08:00

After a hiatus I'm back to blogging! Between taking an extra long holiday and fighting an ongoing flu, I've been neglecting my duty to blog. Congratulations are in order to Barack Obama on becoming the 44th President of the United States today. I honestly believe that he'll lead the US back to prosperity and bring consumer confidence back. I know that he can't make it happen overnight, but if you ask people from anywhere in the word they will tell you that this was the change that the US needed, and hopefully the positive energy will pull the world out of this economic slump.

On our side of the boarder the big banks slashed their prime lending rate to 3% today! Can you believe this?? TALK ABOUT AN OPPORTUNITY!!!! Wake up investors! Wake up first time buyers! Prices have somewhat stabalized and interest rates are way down this is when the rich get richer and the rest of us will look back one day and say "I should have bought some real estate in 2009".

Fair Market Value + Amazing Interest Rates = Time To Act Now!!

Hello, has anyone seen a crises?

2008-12-30T12:42:00.000-08:00

After a few days away with some family and friends, I am definately well rested. It's really great to take advantage of the time off and enjoy it with the people that mean the most to you. With that said I noticed this article by Terry Pedwell (The Canadian Press) in which Pedwell reveals that the consumer confidence in Canada may be stonger than what meets the eye, "A new poll suggests a significant majority of Canadians remain optimistic as they look ahead to 2009 - notwithstanding all the gloomy talk about a looming recession. The Canadian Press Harris-Decima survey found that 58% of respondents were upbeat about the coming year, and only 21% were pessimistic. Another 20% said their outlook was neither optimistic nor pessimistic.". This is terrific news to cap of 2008 with. At least it looks like things may be looking brighter in the near future.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

2008-12-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

I'm going to keep this short and sweet!
Have a nice day whether you are celebrating or not, be sure to use the holiday to the fullest!

Joyful Holiday
At this sparkling, joyful time of year,

We think of people who are special and dear;

We’re sending this poem in the hopes it conveys

Our best wishes for your Happy Holidays!
- By Joanna Fuchs

Mortgage vs Life insurance

2008-12-23T06:51:00.000-08:00

I made the mistake of answering my phone at dinner time yesterday. "Mr. Chaudhry we're hoping to give you a 10 minute presentation on your life insurance needs." Yeah that's exactly what I need at 5:30 in the afternoon. Anyways, I often get asked by clients, what the difference between life and mortgage insurance is, and which product they should be subscribing to. Here's a few points about each to help you understand the difference.

Mortgage insurance
- Your insurance covers only your mortgage balance.
- Even though your mortgage debt reduces over time, your premiums remain level.
- If you die, only the outstanding balance on your mortgage is paid off.
- The mortgage lender is automatically the beneficiary.
- If you take your mortgage to another company, you may lose your existing mortgage insurance and may be required to re-qualify for new mortgage insurance.
- You lose all your coverage when your mortgage is repaid, assumed or in default.
- You have no flexibility to change your coverage as your needs change.

Life insurance
- You can choose from different types of insurance (i.e. term or permanent) with a death benefit to cover more than just your mortgage.
- Your coverage amount does not decrease over time unless you choose to change it.
- If you die, the death benefit is paid to your beneficiary who can use it as they see fit, not just to pay off your mortgage.
- You name the beneficiary.
- If you take your mortgage to another company you keep your existing insurance, so you don't have to re-qualify.
- As long as premiums are paid your coverage remains in place, even if your mortgage is repaid, assumed or in default.
- If you decide you need coverage only until your mortgage is repaid but later realize you require coverage for other needs, you can convert your insurance to a permanent plan.

Snow & Bailout!

2008-12-20T10:25:00.000-08:00

Just as predicted it snowed like nuts yesterday. So all meetings and appointments were cancelled and the city seemed like it was in shut down mode. While the weather was a carbon copy of recent consumer confidence, Prime Minister Harper announced stimulus worth $30-billion “We're going to do whatever it takes to get our economy through this recession and on to a long-term recovery” and Mr. Harper said he's prepared to go further if necessary. “It will be scalable. We will be able to move it up if we need to move it up,”. This is great news and will hopefully help people who are sitting on the fence make a decision.

My first BLOG

2008-12-18T19:40:00.000-08:00

Its about 7:30pm on December 18/08 and this is my first ever post! This Blog will be a view threw my eyes of the real estate world here in Hamilton/Burlington Ontario. On the way I'll be sure to pass on any valuable info I may have, as well as fill everyone in on some of the more interesting things that occure in my profession.
The latest in the news today is that we're expecting a ton of snow tomarrow so maybe I'll get a snow day, just have to wait and see.

"Success is the sum of small efforts, repeated day in and day out."
- Robert Collier