S
Sharon
Google reviewGreat guy! Nick was the most helpful in my first home buying experience. Very reliable and personable. Highly recommend.
Read Google reviews
I'm Nick Bachusky, a licensed Ottawa mortgage agent arranging purchases, renewals, refinances, and divorce and separation financing across Ottawa, Ontario. As a Mortgage Agent Level 1 with Referral Mortgages Inc., I compare dozens of lenders to find your lowest total cost, and I reply in about 30 minutes during business hours.
4.9 stars · 64 Google reviews
14+ yrs
experience, formerly RBC and TD
Level 1
licensed Mortgage Agent, Referral Mortgages Inc.
40+
lenders compared for you
$0
cost to you for my service
Every kind of mortgage Ottawa families ask for
Home Purchase
Clear, steady guidance from offer to keys, whether it is your first home or your fifth. I get you broker complete early so your final weeks stay calm.
Ottawa purchase mortgagesFirst-Time Buyers
Down payment rules, pre-approval, and what first-time home buyers in Ottawa can actually afford, explained without jargon.
First-time buyer helpMortgage Renewal
A mortgage renewal is a fresh decision, not a rubber stamp. The first mailed offer is rarely the best rate, so let me check it first.
Renewal strategyRefinance
A mortgage refinance can free cash flow, consolidate higher-interest debt, or unlock home equity. I weigh any penalty against the savings first.
Refinance optionsDivorce and Separation
Calm, confidential help to keep the home or refinance into one name. I review your equity and income quietly and move at your pace.
Separation mortgagesMortgage Rates
Current Ottawa mortgage rates, dated and explained. I shop credit unions, mortgage-only lenders, and banks so you compare on total cost.
Compare Ottawa ratesReverse Mortgage
Turn home equity into tax-free cash at 55 plus, with no monthly payments, and stay in the home you love.
How reverse mortgages workCondo Mortgages
Buying a condo in Ottawa means reading the condo fees, status certificate, and special-assessment history. I know what to look for.
Condo financingMy service standards
What you can count on
These are the promises I hold myself to on every file. Not marketing lines, the way I actually work.
Replies in 30 minutes
Email or WhatsApp me during business hours and you hear back within about 30 minutes, not the next day.
Daily updates
While your file is active I update you every day, so you always know exactly where things stand.
Twice-daily lender follow-up
I chase your lender at least twice a day to keep your approval moving and catch snags early.
Complete three weeks early
My goal is broker complete about three weeks before closing, so your final weeks stay calm.
Total cost, not headline rate
I choose the lender on the full picture including the penalty, and keep watching your rate after closing.
How I Work
A clear, honest process that gets you approved without the stress.
1
Let's Talk
A relaxed video or phone call to understand your goals, your timeline, and what you are comfortable spending. Every call ends with a recap email.
2
Get Options
I compare products from dozens of lenders, walk you through the numbers on a screen-share, and tell you plainly what I would do. You decide.
3
Get Approved
You upload your documents securely through the portal, I take the lender conversation off your hands, and you hear where the file stands every day it is active.
4
Broker Complete
Every condition signed off and every document with the lawyer well before your closing date, so your final weeks are about the house, not the financing.
Keep me on your home screen
Apply, message me on WhatsApp, book a video call, open your client portal or run the calculators from one icon. No download and no app store, it pins straight from your browser.
Buying a home is stressful enough.
"Every client should feel like my only client."
You deserve someone who is honest about mortgage rates, clear about mortgage penalties, and who handles the paperwork so you do not have to. I explain your options in plain words and tell you exactly what I would do in your position.
I am a licensed Mortgage Agent Level 1 with Referral Mortgages Inc. I compare dozens of lenders for Ottawa buyers and homeowners, explain the costs, and handle your file personally from application to closing.
If you want the fuller picture, here is more about who I am and how I work.
Book a free 15-minute call
Access to 40+ lenders
Real choice from lenders you know
I shop banks, credit unions, and mortgage-only lenders for your lowest total cost. Here are a few of the names I place Ottawa clients with.
Lender logos shown for identification only. Nick Bachusky is a licensed Mortgage Agent Level 1 with Referral Mortgages Inc., FSRA brokerage licence #13316.
Why an agent, not just your bank?
Your bank can only offer its own products. A mortgage agent compares dozens of lenders and works for you, not for a single bank. For most Ottawa buyers that means a lower total cost and far less back and forth.
A bank will not phone you to say it found a way to save you a few thousand dollars by switching. I watch your rate against the market and reach out first when a move makes sense.
Choice of lender
One set of rates, its own, and you are left to compare on your own.
Working with Nick
I shop credit unions, mortgage-only lenders, and banks for your lowest total cost.
Whose side the incentive is on
Paid to keep you, so the incentive is the bank, not your best fit.
Working with Nick
I am not tied to any one lender, so nothing pushes me to place you anywhere but where you fit best.
Who makes the first move
Waits for you to accept the renewal letter, often not its best rate.
Working with Nick
I reach out first when switching lenders can save you money.
A rate is not just a rate.
A mortgage penalty is what a lender charges if you break or pay off your mortgage early. Two mortgages at the same rate are not equal once you count the exit cost, and the wrong cheap-rate product can cost thousands later.
The size of the penalty depends heavily on the lender, and almost nobody asks about it before signing. That is why I weigh the penalty before choosing your mortgage, not after.
Credit union or mortgage-only lender
Lower exit cost$3,000 to $4,000
It could be a smaller penalty on the same rate, so you stay freer to switch and capture savings later.
A big bank
Higher exit cost$10,000 to $15,000
It could be a much larger penalty on the same rate that quietly locks you in for the full term.
Illustrative example as of June 2026, breaking the same fixed mortgage. Not a quote or a promise.
Prefer a callback?
Leave your details, I'll call you back
Not ready for a full application or a booked call? Drop your number and a short note and I will come back to you with a straight answer.
- You work directly with me, start to finish
- Replies in about 30 minutes during business hours
- You deal directly with me, never a call centre
Across the city
Where Nick works across Ottawa
I arrange mortgages across Ottawa and the surrounding area, with meetings by phone, video, or WhatsApp. My licence covers Ontario, so I do not arrange mortgages in Quebec or Gatineau.
Verified Google Reviews
Real Stories
4.9 stars from 64 Google reviews left by home buyers I've worked with across Ottawa.
Straight answers
Common questions about working with an Ottawa mortgage agent
These are the questions I answer on WhatsApp every week, written down the way I would say them across a table.
Still wondering about your own numbers?
Send me the question exactly as it sits in your head. I am one WhatsApp message away.
Message NickDoes it cost me anything to work with a mortgage agent?
For a standard residential mortgage you do not pay me a fee for my service. You get my full lender comparison and ongoing rate monitoring without paying out of pocket. A fee is rare. If one ever applies to your file, you hear about it in writing, up front, before you commit to anything.
Is a mortgage agent cheaper than going straight to my bank?
Often, yes, because an agent compares dozens of lenders instead of one. Your bank can only offer its own rates, while I shop credit unions, mortgage-only lenders, and banks for your lowest total cost, and that wider comparison can save you a good deal over the term.
Mortgage agent or mortgage broker Ottawa: what is the difference?
In Ontario the licensing levels differ, but for you the day-to-day service is the same: someone who shops many lenders on your behalf. I am a licensed Mortgage Agent Level 1 working under Referral Mortgages Inc., which advertises under FSRA brokerage licence #13316. Most people looking for a mortgage broker in Ottawa are describing exactly what I do, so if that is the phrase you searched, you are in the right place.
What is a mortgage penalty and why would I pay one?
A mortgage penalty is what a lender charges if you break your mortgage before the term ends, usually by selling, refinancing, or switching lenders early. It exists because your rate was priced around keeping the loan for the full term. The size varies a lot by lender and product, which is why I weigh the penalty before choosing your mortgage, not after.
How fast can you get me approved?
It depends on the lender and how quickly your documents come in, but speed is built into how I work. No message sits longer than about 30 minutes during business hours, I chase the lender at least twice a day, and I update you every day your file is active. My goal is to be broker complete about three weeks before closing.
Do you help first-time buyers in Ottawa?
Yes, first-time buyers are one of my four core specialisations. I walk you through down payment rules, pre-approval, documents, and what you can comfortably afford, in plain words. I would rather you keep doing the things you enjoy than be approved for the maximum and end up house poor.
Which areas around Ottawa do you serve?
I work with clients right across Ottawa and the surrounding area, including Orléans, Kanata, Barrhaven, Nepean, Gloucester, Hintonburg, the Glebe, and Stittsville. I am licensed in Ontario, so I cover Ottawa and area, not Quebec or Gatineau. Wherever you are in the city, you work directly with me.
Ottawa mortgage guides
Latest from the blog
Plain-language answers to the questions I get asked most. New guides land here as I write them.
Find your next home with someone in your corner.
Honest advice, a simple process, and dozens of lenders working for you.