Your Local, Real, Mortgage Agent
Looking for a mortgage agent in Ontario who truly puts your needs first? Chris Burns from Burns Mortgages serves all of Ontario with his target market being Southern Ontario and the GTA. Whether you’re buying your first home, renewing your mortgage, refinancing to consolidate debt, or just exploring your financing options, you’ll receive the same advice we give to our friends and family. No pushy sales pitch, just expert guidance, education, and options to help you make the right decisions for both your short- and long-term financial goals. My approach is simple: start with a conversation and go from there. If you can relate to anything above, reach out and schedule a call.
Chris Burns – Mortgage Agent
Mortgage Agent serving Cambridge, Guelph, Toronto, and Waterloo
Smith Maneuver™ Certified
Welbanks Mortgage Group
Lic.# 12232 | M22002455 (Level 2)
Chris Burns is a licensed Level 2 mortgage agent serving clients across Ontario, with a primary focus on Southern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area, including Guelph, Cambridge, Kitchener-Waterloo, Toronto, and surrounding communities. Born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, Chris and his family have now proudly called Galt home for the past six years. A proud father of three, former world traveller, and self-proclaimed wannabe handyman, Chris brings the same care, curiosity, and dedication to his clients that he brings to his family and community.
Over the last decade, Chris has focused on building his own version of the Canadian dream: family, home, pets, vacations, community, and hopefully a comfortable retirement. One belief has guided both his personal and professional life—it takes a village. That philosophy carries directly into his work as a mortgage agent. With a background in hospitality, Chris built his business by forming genuine relationships and collaborating closely with accountants, lawyers, insurance professionals, and wealth advisors. The goal is simple: help clients turn their short- and long-term financial goals into reality through clear guidance and smart strategy.
Passionate about mortgages, real estate, financial services, and personal growth, Chris believes everyone should have a trusted mortgage agent in their corner. He focuses on education, transparency, and providing the same advice he would give his friends and family—so clients can make confident, informed decisions.
As part of Welbanks Mortgage Group, Chris has access to many lenders, including banks, credit unions, alternative, and private lenders, allowing him to create customized mortgage plans tailored to each client’s unique situation. Whether you’re buying your first home, renewing, refinancing, or exploring advanced strategies like the Smith Maneuver™, Chris provides guidance, clarity, and peace of mind every step of the way.
Mortgage Products & Services
Anything & Everything Mortgage-Related
Whether you’re buying, renewing, refinancing, or exploring alternative solutions, we provide expert mortgage advice and access to a wide range of products to help you make the right financial decision.
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Support for first-time buyers, repeat buyers, and homeowners renewing their mortgage. Includes pre-approvals, purchase planning, renewal reviews, and lender comparisons to secure the right rate and terms.
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Mortgage refinancing to lower your rate, access home equity, or consolidate high-interest debt into one manageable payment.
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Flexible mortgage options for self-employed borrowers, non-traditional income, or clients who don’t fit standard bank guidelines.
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Mortgage solutions for rental properties, investment real estate, and mixed-use or small commercial properties.
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Personalized mortgage advice and long-term planning to help you make smarter financial decisions — including tax-efficient strategies such as the Smith Manoeuvre.
What to Look for When Choosing a Broker
Having an expert in your corner should be your mindset around every major decision in life. Real estate and mortgages especially! You are dealing with what will likely always be the largest transactions of your life and those can’t be left entirely to self study, well wishes or hope.
Below are my commitments to my clients and my business. If those align with what you are hoping to accomplish when it comes to your life and real estate, let's start the conversation.
Why Choose Burns Mortgages?
We try to bring the same care, curiosity, and dedication to our business and clients as we do to our everyday lives. Service, education, and strategy.
Strategy
Lenders
Every agent or broker is going to promote that they have access to dozens of lenders - banks, credit unions, monolines or private money. The truth is we have access to all of these too, but at the end of the day we primarily work with the big banks, a couple of monolines and a local credit union or two when it makes sense. We believe that the results have proven that building a strong relationship with the right few is better than trying to be friendly with all.
Rates
At the end of the day, any Canadian can chase rates. The issues arise when you realize you don't have the time or the patience to make an appointment with a half dozen plus financial institutions. That's where we come in to ask the necessary questions, process that information and then pair the best rate with the right product.
Options
Tons of brokers and agents have turned this profession into a sales role in the eyes of many consumers. We can admit there is a technical sales aspect to this industry, but we prefer to provide options and then offer support to decide which is the best path forward.
Negotiation
By staying informed with what the broker and non-broker channel lenders are offering internally, we can better leverage our clients' positions during purchases and at renewal. Our brokerage’s decades of experience means we have those relationships in place so we stay informed and up to date.
Education
Advice
Mortgages are complex legal contracts. By looking past rates and reviewing your current and long term goals, we can avoid unnecessary penalties, fees and ultimately stress. The goal from my team will always be to make sure our clients understand exactly what they are signing.
Experience
I can’t sit here and tell you that I've been at this for my entire adult life - but what I can lean into is who I have behind the scenes. The fact is I was able to spend years training and sitting across from a broker who has over two decades in the mortgage industry. Maybe he hasn’t seen it all, but there damn sure isn’t a lot that surprises him. The ongoing support at Welbanks Mortgage Group allows me to give my clients the best possible advice.
Licensed
Bank representatives do not require a provincially regulated mortgage broker licence since they are employed by the financial institution. They more often than not wear multiple hats with mortgage services being a stepping stone to their real ambitions and goals. I am currently a Level 2 Agent, which means I am licensed to arrange mortgages with traditional banks, credit unions, monolines, and private lenders. I will be a mortgage agent next year and the year after and the year after. This is my passion and hopefully will be for the remainder of my life.
Coaching
Having hard conversations SUCK, but they are a part of life and growth as a person. In this industry, we are forced to have them all the time. Just because you can’t do what you want now doesn’t mean you can’t achieve it a little further down the road. We want to give you that map. Follow it and more times than not you will end up where you want to be.
Service
Convenience
Our team walks you through this process from start to finish. We handle the paperwork, submissions, negotiations, and follow-ups to save you time while eliminating the stress of trying to navigate this process alone and unrepresented.
Communication
One of the biggest knocks we hear from clients is that their previous broker, or representative from the bank, is never available, doesn’t get back to them, or pawns them off to a junior member of the team. We take great pride in making ourselves available by overly sharing consistent updates with clients, referral partners, and lenders.
Support
We are going to continually educate our team on regulatory changes, lender policies, and best practices. The objective is simple - stay at the top of our game so that we can never stop working for you. We advise and look for savings opportunities from funding, throughout the term of the mortgage, all the way until the day your mortgage has been paid off in full.
No lender can guarantee that when you call them three months after your mortgage has been funded, much less three years later, that you will be able to speak to that same representative you dealt with originally. You will likely never have a lender match what we offer here at Burns Mortgages.
Here Are Some Nice Things Clients Have Said About Working With Us
Allison Hutchison
As a first-time home buyer, working with Chris made the entire process much easier than I ever expected. He took the time to explain every step in simple terms, answered all my questions (even the ones I thought were silly), and always made me feel supported and confident in my decisions. Chris genuinely cared about finding the best mortgage option for me. I never felt rushed or pressured. This could have been a stressful experience but ended up being a smooth, positive one due to Chris guiding me through the long mortgage process.
I am grateful for his help and would recommend him to anyone, especially other first-time buyers.
Mae Villatoro
For my mortgage renewal, I spoke with 4 different banks & brokers in total. Nobody else took more than 15-30 minutes speaking with us throughout the application process. Our first call with Chris, he added more value and knowledge to the process than the other 3 competitors combined; he went above and beyond with us, getting to know our situation/goals & possible future scenarios, and in doing so, he gave us recommendations for things we had not even thought of. Ultimately, we are so much more confident in our decisions and know we are making the best choice for our future with the assistance he was able to provide us. Thank-you Chris!
Maxwell Taylor
I've known Chris for +15 years. When we first met he taught me foundational saving and budgeting skills. Through the years he has guided me through various investments and the purchases of several rental properties. I can always count on Chris to think outside the box and find a way to get a deal done. He's a very talented broker and I would highly recommend his services! I really do have Chris to thank for a large part of my financial literacy and independence.
Brad Kovatch
Chris is my go to Mortgage Agent for all my Real Estate Clients. Highly detailed, extremely well organized, he takes the stress and guesswork away from a highly stressful situation. I know when I send my people to him they are in good hands. He makes my job easier and I appreciate that.
What are the Next Steps to Working with Burns Mortgages?
1. Start with a Conversation
The basis for all paths forward. Whether you are making your first purchase, selling to upgrade / downsize, refinancing, renewing, etc. - it all starts with a conversation!
2. Application & Documents
Our application is simple to navigate, and gathering all of the required documentation will likely be the most intensive and hands on part of the process for the client
3. Strategy Call
We reconnect to review numbers, products and strategize what path forward product wise makes the most sense. Next steps will differ depending on if you are making a purchase, refinancing or up for renewal.
15 minutes could change your wealth trajectory. Whether you’re buying your first home or reviewing a mortgage you already have, we focus on helping you make informed decisions, not rushing you into one.
Advanced Mortgage Strategies for Long-Term Wealth
The Smith Manoeuvre™
For homeowners looking to go beyond the basics, we also offer guidance on advanced mortgage strategies like the Smith Manoeuvre™ — a long-term strategy designed to help convert non-deductible mortgage interest into potentially tax-deductible investment interest.
This approach isn’t for everyone, and it’s not about shortcuts or hype. It’s about understanding how your mortgage, cash flow, and investments can work together over time to help build long-term wealth.
If you’re curious, we are happy to explain how it works, who it may be suitable for, and whether it aligns with your financial goals.
Ready to Talk About Your Mortgage Options?
Whether you’re buying, renewing, refinancing, or just want a second opinion, we’re here to help. No pressure. No obligation. Just clear advice, education, and options so you can make the right decision with confidence.
Fill out the form below, schedule a meeting directly with Chris, or start your mortgage application online.
