Oregon Health & Science University is Portland’s largest employer, with more than 21,000 employees across its Marquam Hill campus, its South Waterfront Center for Health & Healing, and its affiliated clinical network throughout the region. OHSU Hospital is a 576-bed Level I trauma center — one of only two in the state of Oregon — and the only academic health center in Oregon. The OHSU School of Medicine maintains a faculty of 2,480 and accepts approximately 130 students per year into its Doctor of Medicine program. Nearly a third of Oregon’s practicing physicians completed all or part of their training at OHSU. The OHSU Knight Cancer Institute is the only NCI-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center between Sacramento and Seattle.
This concentration of medical education, research, and clinical care in a single city creates one of the most active physician mortgage markets in the Pacific Northwest. OHSU residents and fellows are buying homes in South Portland, the Pearl District, and the Northeast neighborhoods within commuting distance of both the Marquam Hill campus and the South Waterfront’s Center for Health & Healing. Newly matched attendings are moving into Irvington, Laurelhurst, and the West Hills neighborhoods whose prices often require financing above the conventional threshold. Legacy Health — with approximately 13,000 employees across multiple Portland-area hospitals including Legacy Emanuel and Legacy Good Samaritan — and Kaiser Permanente’s network of over 12,000 Oregon providers add further depth to the physician buyer pool throughout the metro.
Phil Knight and Penny Knight’s historic $2 billion gift to OHSU, announced in August 2025 and focused on cancer care — the largest single gift to a U.S. university — signals the kind of institutional momentum that draws and retains top medical talent in Portland for decades. Physicians who choose Portland are not just taking a position. They are planting roots in a city with an academic medical center that is growing its national research profile significantly. Our physician mortgage programs are built for every stage of that career.
No Private Mortgage Insurance
Physician mortgage loans eliminate PMI entirely, even with down payments below 20%. For a Portland physician purchasing a $700,000 home with 5% down, eliminating PMI can mean several hundred dollars per month in immediate savings.
Student Debt Treatment
Standard conventional and jumbo underwriting count the full student loan payment in debt-to-income calculations. Physician programs use income-based repayment amounts or, for loans in deferment during residency, may exclude the payment entirely — a critical difference for OHSU residents with six-figure student loan balances.
Offer Letter Qualification
OHSU match recipients and physicians transitioning to new attending roles don't need a full year of pay stubs to qualify. We can use a signed employment contract or offer letter to establish qualifying income for loans closing within 90 days of the start date.
Higher Loan Limits Without Jumbo Friction
Portland physician programs extend into jumbo territory — beyond the $832,750 conforming limit — without imposing the same reserve requirements and documentation standards as traditional jumbo underwriting. Physicians purchasing in Irvington, the West Hills, or upper Pearl District can access higher loan amounts with a
physician-specific structure.
Down Payment Flexibility
Many Portland physician programs allow 0% to 10% down, depending on loan amount and program tier. This preserves cash for student loan payments, practice setup costs, licensing fees, and the emergency fund every new homeowner should maintain.
OHSU Aerial Tram Proximity Premium
Homes within easy commuting distance of both the Marquam Hill campus and the South Waterfront Center for Health & Healing carry a premium in the Portland market. We know this corridor — South Portland, Johns Landing, the Pearl District, and Central Eastside — and help physicians make informed financing decisions in these neighborhoods.
MD — Doctor of Medicine
DO — Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine
DDS / DMD — Dentist (OHSU School of Dentistry admits 75 DMD students per year)
DVM — Doctor of Veterinary Medicine
OD — Doctor of Optometry
DPM — Doctor of Podiatric Medicine
PharmD — Doctor of Pharmacy
PA-C — Physician Assistant — Certified (OHSU PA program ranked 21st nationally as of January 2026)
APRN — Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
Residents and fellows in accredited OHSU and Portland-area training programs
For OHSU residents, fellows, and newly matched attendings purchasing in neighborhoods like South Portland, Boise, Mississippi, and Northeast Portland’s established corridors. No PMI, student debt accommodation, and offer letter qualification available.
For physicians at OHSU, Legacy Health, Providence Health & Services, and Kaiser Permanente purchasing in Irvington, Laurelhurst, the West Hills, or upper Pearl District properties. Combines physician loan benefits — no PMI, student debt treatment — with higher loan amounts suited to Portland’s upper-tier neighborhoods.
For OHSU-affiliated physicians commissioning custom builds in Portland or the surrounding metro, our One-Time Close Construction program funds the build and converts to a permanent mortgage in a single closing. Particularly valuable for physicians at the attending level who want to build in Dunthorpe, Washington County, or the Portland West Hills rather than compete for existing inventory.
Deep knowledge of OHSU's residency and fellowship programs and the specific mortgage needs they create
Experience with offer letter qualification for OHSU match recipients and physicians transitioning to Portland attending roles
Student debt analysis — we calculate exactly how your loans affect qualification and structure the loan accordingly
Physician jumbo programs for Portland's upper-tier neighborhoods
No-PMI programs at multiple down payment levels
Familiarity with Portland's physician-adjacent neighborhoods — South Waterfront, Pearl District, Irvington, Laurelhurst, and the West Hills
Available for evening and weekend consultations to accommodate physician schedules
Ryan Lehrman, NMLS #235295
License/Training Status: Active MD, DO, DDS, DMD, DVM, OD, DPM, PharmD, PA-C, or APRN license, or current enrollment in an accredited residency or fellowship program
Employment/Income: Signed employment agreement, offer letter, or documented residency/fellowship stipend; attending physicians qualify via standard income documentation
Credit: Minimum credit score typically 700; programs available for physicians earlier in their credit history
Property: Primary residence only; single-family homes, condominiums, and townhomes in Portland and the greater metro area
Career-stage assessment — We identify the right program based on where you are in training — resident, fellow, newly matched attending, or established physician — and what that means for income documentation.
Student debt analysis — We calculate your student loan's effect on debt-to-income under multiple scenarios and identify the documentation approach that positions you most accurately.
Neighborhood and budget alignment — We help you understand what your target Portland neighborhoods require in terms of loan amount, program tier, and down payment strategy.
Application and approval — We manage the full application process with the lender, coordinating appraisal, title, and any OHSU-specific employment verification.
Closing — We coordinate with your employer, your agent, and your title company so that your closing aligns with your start date and move timeline.
Yes. Residents and fellows currently enrolled in OHSU or Portland-area accredited training programs qualify for physician mortgage programs based on their residency stipend income. For residents who have received a signed attending offer letter, we can also use the future income to qualify — provided closing occurs within 90 days of the employment start date. This is one of the most important features of a physician loan for OHSU trainees who want to buy before completing residency.
Yes. Our physician jumbo programs extend well above the $832,750 conforming limit in Multnomah County, allowing physicians to purchase in Portland's upper-tier neighborhoods without the reserve and documentation requirements of traditional jumbo underwriting. Irvington's median list price is near $888,000, and physician buyers in this neighborhood routinely need financing in the $700,000 to $1.1 million range. Our physician jumbo program handles this comfortably.
OHSU's dual-campus setup — Marquam Hill and the South Waterfront Center for Health & Healing, connected by the iconic aerial tram — creates two distinct geographic anchors for physician homebuying. Physicians based primarily on Marquam Hill often favor Johns Landing, Hillsdale, and the West Hills for proximity. South Waterfront staff frequently purchase in the Pearl District, the Central Eastside, and the rapidly developing South Waterfront residential towers. We help physicians understand the commute calculus for each campus when selecting a neighborhood and structuring their purchase.
Ready to finance your Portland home with a program designed for your career? Let’s talk through your situation.
Originally from Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, I moved to Phoenix to attend Arizona State University and have proudly called Phoenix home ever since.
My journey into the mortgage industry began with a friend’s encouragement, who saw how my energy and people-first mindset could make a difference. He was right — I found my calling.
I’ve always embraced what makes me different. With ADHD as my secret weapon, I thrive in fast-paced, detail-heavy environments. I’ve built my career on clear communication, creative problem-solving, and putting clients first, always.
Outside of work, my greatest motivation is my wife and three amazing kids. I’d be honored to help guide you through your lending journey with care, clarity, and commitment.
Who we are
Our website address is: https://loansbylehrman.com/
Embedded content from other websites
Articles on this site may include embedded content (e.g. videos, images, articles, etc.). Embedded content from other websites behaves in the exact same way as if the visitor has visited the other website.
These websites may collect data about you, use cookies, embed additional third-party tracking, and monitor your interaction with that embedded content, including tracking your interaction with the embedded content if you have an account and are logged in to that website.
SMS Privacy
I respect your privacy. I will not share or use your mobile number for any other purpose. I will only use information you provide to transmit text messages. Nonetheless, I reserve the right at all times to disclose any information as necessary to satisfy any law, regulation or governmental request, to avoid liability, or to protect my rights or property. When you complete forms online or otherwise provide me information in connection with the Service, you agree to provide accurate, complete and true information. You agree not to use a false or misleading name or a name that you are not authorized to use. If I, in my sole discretion, believe that any such information is untrue, inaccurate or incomplete, I may refuse you access to the Service and pursue any appropriate legal remedies.
Analytics tracking
Our website uses analytics tools such as Google Analytics to better understand how visitors interact with our site. These tools collect data through cookies and similar technologies, including information about on-site activity and, in some cases, IP addresses. We use this data to improve user experience, monitor performance, and track conversions. Visitors who prefer not to be tracked can opt out by using the Google Analytics opt-out browser add-on or other available opt-out methods.
