The company behind me
Personal mortgage guidance. National lending strength.
You are hiring me. What you are also getting is a lender with a nationwide footprint that underwrites, closes and services its own loans — which matters on exactly the days when a mortgage gets difficult.
Here is the honest version of what each side contributes, with sources.
Who does what
- Travis Nicolaysen · NMLS #1782820
- Your loan officer. Structures the file, answers the phone, tracks every condition by name, and stays accountable for the closing date.
- Fairway · NMLS #2289
- The lender. Underwrites, funds and services the loan, and supplies the product shelf, the technology and the capacity behind it.
$25.27B
Funded in 2025
Fairway published $25.27 billion in loan volume for 2025. Capacity is the reason a file does not sit in a queue.
6 years
USA TODAY Top Workplace
Named a USA TODAY Top Workplace six years running. Retention on the operations side is why closing dates hold.
Nationwide
Lending footprint
Fairway lends across the country. I am personally licensed in North and South Carolina, which is where I take files.
In-house
Underwriting & servicing
Underwriting, closing and servicing sit inside one company, with the FairwayNEXT portal handling payments after closing.
Loan volume figures are published by Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation and reflect company-wide originations, not the production of any individual loan officer.
What it buys you
Six things a national lender does that a local shop cannot.
None of this replaces having one person accountable for your file. It is what sits underneath that person.
The whole product shelf, not a handful of programs
Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, renovation, single-close construction, reverse and non-QM documentation programs all sit under one roof. Nobody has to be talked into the wrong loan because it is the only one available.
Underwriting in the same building as the file
Fairway underwrites, closes and services its own loans. When a condition needs a human decision, the human is reachable — not on the other side of a correspondent relationship.
Technology that removes paperwork, not people
Income, employment and asset verification can often be pulled electronically rather than collected as PDFs, and the borrower app tracks every condition. You still get my mobile number.
A servicer that stays put after closing
Payments, escrow questions and payoff requests are handled through Fairway rather than sold to a company you have never heard of on day 31.
Community programs with a real history
Fairway Cares, the company’s employee-funded charitable arm, and the American Warrior Initiative, a nonprofit Fairway backs to support military families and veterans, have been running for years rather than a quarter.
A borrower resource library behind the education here
Fairway maintains homebuyer guides, a glossary, credit resources and calculators. The versions on this site are written by me, for Carolina buyers, in language I would use on the phone.
The product shelf
12 programs, one point of contact.
The practical value of a full shelf is negative: nobody has to be steered into the wrong loan because it is the only one on the truck.
- ConventionalThe default for most buyers. 3% down is available, and mortgage insurance comes off at 20% equity.
- FHA3.5% down at a 580 score, forgiving on credit and debt ratios. The trade is mortgage insurance you keep.
- VAUsually the strongest loan on the board if you are eligible: no down payment, no monthly mortgage insurance.
- USDAZero down with no monthly mortgage insurance in the conventional sense — if the address and the income both qualify.
- JumboAbove the conforming limit, underwritten by hand. Reserves and documentation matter more than the rate.
- ConstructionOne closing covers the land, the build and the permanent loan. Interest-only while the house goes up.
- RenovationRoll the repair budget into the purchase loan, underwritten on what the house will be worth finished.
- RefinanceLower the rate, drop mortgage insurance, or use equity. Worth it when the break-even beats how long you are staying.
- Fixed vs ARMA structure decision, not a product. How long you are keeping the loan decides it more than the rate does.
- Manufactured & landPermanent foundations, retired titles, private well and septic, outbuildings on acreage. Routine here, not an exception.
- Self-employedWhen write-offs make your returns unrepresentative, qualify on deposits or assets instead.
- Down payment helpGifts, seller credits, employer help and state agency programs. Most buyers need less cash than they think.
Beyond the loan
The parts that have nothing to do with closing a file.
Fairway Cares
Fairway’s employee-funded charitable arm, which supports families facing illness, loss and hardship — including the care packages that go out to families in treatment. It has been running for years, not for a quarter.
American Warrior Initiative
A nonprofit Fairway backs to support veterans and military families, including service dogs, mortgage-free homes and adaptive equipment. If you are a veteran, ask me about it — and about your VA entitlement, which is separate and often unused.
USA TODAY Top Workplace
Six years running. It sounds like a plaque, and it partly is. What it means practically is low turnover in operations, which is the actual reason a closing date holds when a file gets complicated.
In their words
Travis and his whole Fairway team was wonderful to work with! From the beginning Travis was very friendly and super helpful. He was always available to answer any and all questions that we had, responding to calls and texts right away. He kept us up to date on everything going on with our home loan, and we never had to second guess where we were in the process. As first time homebuyers, we are so thankful that we had the smoothest home buying process thanks to Travis and his team. I would recommend Travis and Fairway Mortgage to anyone looking to purchase or refinance their home. They are the best!!
Travis went above and beyond to get us in our home !! The whole team works great together and their communication is the best I have dealt with . We could not be any happier with the service and care we received !! 10 out of 10 recommendation !!
Fair questions
What people actually want to know.
- Who am I actually borrowing from — Travis or Fairway?
- Both, in different roles. I am your loan officer: I take the application, structure the file, and stay accountable for the outcome. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation is the lender that underwrites, funds and services the loan. You get one person to call and a national balance sheet behind them.
- Does a big lender mean I get treated like a number?
- That is the usual trade-off, and it is why I work the way I do. You get my mobile number, not a queue. What the company size buys you is capacity, a full product shelf, and in-house underwriting — so when your file needs a human decision, a human is reachable.
- Will my loan get sold to a servicer I have never heard of?
- Fairway services many of its own loans, and payments, escrow questions and payoff requests are handled through the FairwayNEXT portal. Servicing transfers are always possible on any mortgage, but the default here is that the company that closed your loan is the company you keep dealing with.
- What states can you lend in?
- Fairway lends nationwide. I am individually licensed in North Carolina and South Carolina, and that is where I take files. If you are buying outside those two states, tell me anyway — I can point you to a licensed Fairway loan officer in that market.
- Is Fairway a bank?
- No. Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation is an independent mortgage lender, which means mortgages are the entire business rather than one product line inside a bank. It also means Fairway is not affiliated with any government agency, including FHA, VA, USDA or HUD.
Fairway Home Mortgage is a division of Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation. NMLS Entity ID #2289.
Fairway Independent Mortgage Corporation is not affiliated with any government agencies. These materials are not from HUD, VA, USDA or FHA, and were not approved by HUD, VA, USDA or any other government agency.
This is not an offer to enter into an agreement or a commitment to lend. Not all applicants will qualify. Information and rates are subject to change without notice. All loans are subject to credit review and approval.
Next step
Big enough to fund it. Small enough to answer.
One conversation tells you what you qualify for, which program fits, and what closing day actually costs. No application required to have it.