About · Mortgage in Ottawa
A licensed Ottawa mortgage agent with 14 years behind him, and a practice built around one idea: every client should feel like my only client. No call centres, no handoffs, no sitting on hold. Just one person who shops every lender for you, and replies in about 30 minutes.
Nick Bachusky · Mortgage Agent Level 1 · Referral Mortgages Inc. · FSRA #13316
Every client should feel like my only client.
Nick Bachusky
Mortgage Agent Level 1 · Referral Mortgages Inc.
The story
I started at RBC and TD because I wanted to understand how banks actually work, and because I loved looking after customers. At TD I began placing mortgages, trained on one bank’s rates, rules, and products. What I saw there stayed with me. Files were often brokered complete only two or three days before closing, and people who should have been celebrating were stressed, sometimes in tears.
I also saw a pay structure that quietly nudged staff away from quoting the lowest rate a client could get. I could not keep doing that to people.
So 14 years ago I left and built my own practice on a single promise. I still place plenty of mortgages with banks when they are the right fit, so this was never about villains. It was about incentives, and about doing right by the person across the table. If you want to see how that works on a real file, read how Nick’s process works step by step.
The difference
Only I touch your file. No call centre, no handoff to a junior. The person you message is the person handling your mortgage.
No message sits longer than roughly half an hour during the day. On an active file you hear from me daily. I call it AI without AI.
Banks, credit unions, and monoline lenders, compared on total cost of borrowing rather than the headline rate alone.
I aim to finish and send lawyer instructions about three weeks before closing, so your final weeks are the move, not the money.
The track record
Mortgages are private, so I do not publish client files. What I can show instead: my licence, my reviews, and the real spread of lenders I fund with.
In 2025 to 2026, I funded 38 mortgages across 13 different lenders, from Scotiabank, TD, and BMO to credit unions like Meridian and monoline lenders like Strive and First National. The biggest bank took the largest single share, because it often fit, yet more than 70 percent of those deals went somewhere else. That is the difference between an agent who compares and a branch that sells one shelf. It also quietly backs the point that a rate is not just a rate, the penalty matters. Want the longer version? Read how Ottawa mortgage rates and penalties really work.
“As first-time homebuyers, we were a bit intimidated by the whole process but Nick made everything feel manageable. He is always quick to respond to emails and takes the time to explain things clearly and patiently.”
Caroline Lacroix · verified Google review
What Nick handles
Whatever stage you are at, I handle the mortgage that fits your situation.
Away from the desk
I grew up in Guelph and have called Ottawa home for about 20 years. I studied software engineering, then finished an honours international management degree at the University of Ottawa, and I have a soft spot for travel, from Australia to Southeast Asia and Europe. The engineering background is a big part of why speed and systems matter so much to me.
Closer to home, I volunteer with Ottawa Inner City Ministries, have been part of Bluesfest for 20 years, and am active in my church. None of that is a sales pitch. It is simply the reason I try to treat every client the way I would want to be treated.
4.9 stars from 60 Google reviews left by clients I have worked with across Ottawa.
Get in touch
Getting a mortgage does not need to be stressful. Leave your details and I reply within about 30 minutes during business hours.
Common questions
I am a licensed Mortgage Agent working under Referral Mortgages Inc., FSRA #13316. In Ontario, both agents and brokers are licensed by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority to arrange mortgages, so both can shop many lenders for you. The difference is the licence tier. Many people search for a mortgage broker, and for a standard residential purchase, renewal, or refinance, the work you receive from me is the same: I compare lenders on total cost and handle the file through to closing.
For a standard residential mortgage there is no cost to you. You do not pay me a fee, since I am paid when your mortgage funds, and it does not raise your rate. A fee only comes up on certain alternative or private files, and I put any fee in writing before you sign anything.
Fast, on purpose. No message sits longer than about 30 minutes during the day. On an active file I update you daily and follow up with the lender at least twice a day. As I put it, I am one WhatsApp message away. You deal with me directly, not a call centre or an assistant.
I am licensed in Ontario and work across Ottawa and the surrounding area, including Orléans, Kanata, Barrhaven, Nepean, Hintonburg, the Glebe, Stittsville, Centretown, and Vanier. I do not arrange mortgages in Quebec or Gatineau. Everything runs by phone, screen-share, and WhatsApp, so where you are in the city is never a barrier.
Yes, and I welcome it. Go get your bank’s number and bring it to me. If your bank truly has the better deal on total cost, I will tell you so plainly, because I am not paid more to steer you anywhere. Remember that a rate is not just a rate, the penalty matters, so the mortgage that looks cheapest today is not always the one that costs the least.
Ready when you are
No pressure. WhatsApp is the fastest reply, usually within about 30 minutes during the day. Or call, apply online, or book a time and I will call you. See the mortgage services I offer in Ottawa first if you like.
Nick Bachusky is a licensed Mortgage Agent Level 1 with Referral Mortgages Inc., regulated by the Financial Services Regulatory Authority of Ontario. FSRA #13316. Office: 1320 Carling Avenue, Suite 205, Ottawa, ON K1Z 7K8. Figures on this page are dated 2025 to 2026 examples, not guarantees.