Eugene’s super-jumbo market is defined by geography and scarcity in equal measure. The South Hills — the forested corridor stretching from Amazon Park toward Spencer Butte, where the Ridgeline Trail System threads through properties that back directly to protected forest — produces the city’s most significant estate-scale residential real estate. Properties here are defined not by lot dimensions on a plat map but by their relationship to the landscape: half-acre and one-acre parcels with ridge-line sightlines over the Willamette Valley toward the Coast Range, wooded privacy within minutes of the UO campus, and custom Northwest-style architecture that was commissioned rather than purchased from a builder’s plan book. These properties rarely appear on the open market, and when they do, they carry values that can reach $1.5 million to over $2 million — firmly in super-jumbo territory.
Beyond the South Hills, Lane County’s rural fringe — east toward the McKenzie River corridor, south toward the Territorial Highway wine country, and north toward the hills above Eugene — contains estate parcels and working farm properties where land value, custom
residential improvement, and the privacy of a genuinely rural setting combine to produce values that exceed what any Eugene city neighborhood benchmark would suggest. The buyers who participate in this market are a specific profile: University of Oregon endowed chairs and deans who have built careers and wealth over two or three decades in Eugene; PeaceHealth RiverBend physicians who have established subspecialty practices with the production volume that generates significant income; Lane County business owners and agricultural landholders who are converting accumulated equity into generational residential real estate; and relocators from the Bay Area, Seattle, or Portland who have made a deliberate choice to fund a dramatically different lifestyle with proceeds from a metropolitan market sale. At Loans by Lehrman, we understand this profile and structure super-jumbo financing accordingly.
A super-jumbo mortgage in Eugene is a non-conforming loan that exceeds $2 million, well above the 2026 Lane County conforming limit of $832,750. These loans are portfolio-held, manually underwritten, and structured entirely around the borrower’s complete financial profile.
Super-jumbo borrowers in Eugene typically have:
Long-term academic or institutional income with ORP and PERS retirement accumulations that represent significant deferred wealth
Medical practice income with production-based variable compensation and possible ownership interests in practice groups or imaging centers
Self-employment income from Lane County businesses, agricultural operations, or professional consulting with significant add-back complexity
Proceeds from metropolitan real estate sales — Bay Area, Portland, Seattle — that provide substantial down payment capital
Desire for discretion and a single point of contact throughout a complex transaction
For South Hills estate purchases, ridge-line custom builds, and rural Lane County parcels where site characteristics, views, and privacy create values that exceed standard appraisal methodology, we access portfolio programs specifically designed for Pacific Northwest high-value residential real estate.
For Eugene buyers — including retired UO faculty with ORP
distributions, emeritus professors, and investment-income-primary borrowers — whose documented liquid and semi-liquid assets
substantially exceed their reported annual income, asset depletion programs convert portfolio balances to qualifying income. ORP and PERS account balances are generally documentable as qualifying assets under most super-jumbo portfolio guidelines.
For PeaceHealth RiverBend subspecialists, surgeons, and cardiovascular physicians at the Oregon Heart & Vascular Institute whose compensation includes base salary, RVU production bonuses, and possible practice group ownership distributions, we develop documentation strategies that accurately present total annual compensation to portfolio underwriters.
For buyers commissioning custom builds on South Hills parcels, McKenzie River corridor acreage, or rural Lane County estate lots, our construction-to-permanent super-jumbo program closes once, funds in draws, and converts to a permanent mortgage at completion — eliminating re-qualification risk through a build cycle that can extend 12 to 18 months in Eugene’s custom construction market.
South Hills Estate Corridor
The South Hills represent Eugene's most distinctive residential landscape. Protected forest, the Ridgeline Trail System, and the southern exposure toward Spencer Butte create a setting that has no equivalent in any other Eugene neighborhood. Properties at the top of this market — custom-designed homes on one-acre-plus forested parcels with valley views — are rarely listed, transact quietly, and command values that reflect their irreplaceability. Architectural character ranges from Northwest Contemporary timber-frame builds to modernist glass-and-steel structures designed to maximize the forested view corridor. Super-jumbo buyers here are typically long-tenured Lane County professionals making a generational purchase, not a
transitional one.
McKenzie River Corridor
East of Eugene, the McKenzie River flows through one of the most scenic landscapes in western Oregon — clear glacial-melt water, old-growth Douglas fir, and a canyon that transitions from Willamette Valley to Cascade Mountain character within 30 minutes of the city. Properties along the river corridor in communities like Leaburg, Vida, and Blue River offer estate-scale riverfront acreage within plausible commuting distance of Eugene and Springfield. Super-jumbo buyers in this corridor are typically purchasing a property that will serve as a primary residence, an artist or academic retreat, or a combination of both.
Lane County Rural Estate Acreage
South and west of Eugene — along the Territorial Highway through the heart of the Willamette Valley's Pinot Noir country — residential acreage combines agricultural land value, established vineyard or orchard infrastructure, and custom residential improvements into properties that can easily reach super-jumbo territory when land and structure are valued together. These transactions require lenders who understand rural Lane County appraisal methodology and agricultural income documentation.
Access to portfolio lenders with Pacific Northwest estate and academic borrower expertise
ORP and PERS income and asset documentation — critical for Eugene's long-tenured academic super-jumbo tier
Asset depletion programs for retired UO faculty and investment-income-primary Lane County buyers
Medical production income structuring for PeaceHealth RiverBend high-income specialists
Construction-to-permanent experience for South Hills custom builds and McKenzie River corridor projects
Full discretion — Eugene's tight-knit academic and medical community requires confidentiality we routinely provide
Ryan Lehrman, NMLS #235295
Credit: Typically 720 or above; 740+ for the most favorable program terms
Income: All sources considered — academic salary, ORP distributions, clinical production, self-employment, investment income, and agricultural income; asset depletion available for qualifying borrowers
Reserves: Typically 12 to 24 months PITI in liquid or semi-liquid accounts; ORP and PERS balances typically documentable as reserve assets
Property: Estate homes, riverfront parcels, rural acreage, and custom builds considered with appropriate appraisal methodology
Confidential financial review — We assess your complete income picture, asset position, and target property before recommending a program or portfolio lender.
Documentation strategy — We develop a presentation of your financial profile — including ORP, PERS, production income, and any agricultural or business income — that accurately reflects your capacity to portfolio underwriters.
Lender selection and term negotiation — We identify the right portfolio lending partner for your transaction type and negotiate terms on your behalf.
Appraisal — Super-jumbo appraisals on South Hills estates, McKenzie River corridor parcels, and Lane County rural properties require specialists; we manage selection and review.
Closing — We coordinate with your legal and financial advisors, and with title, to deliver a fully managed close.
In Eugene, super-jumbo financing primarily applies to estate-scale South Hills properties on large forested parcels ($1.5 million to $2.5 million and above), custom builds commissioned on ridge-line or forested sites, McKenzie River corridor riverfront acreage, and rural Lane County estate properties where land and residential improvement together exceed $2 million. These are rare transactions — Eugene is not a high-volume super-jumbo market — but they occur consistently among the city's academic, medical, and business-owner upper tier.
Yes, in most cases. ORP (Oregon Retirement Plan) accounts are documentable retirement assets and can typically satisfy reserve requirements under most super-jumbo portfolio guidelines. For retired or near-retirement UO faculty whose ORP represents their primary wealth accumulation vehicle, asset depletion programs can also convert the ORP balance to qualifying monthly income — a structure that allows borrowers with limited current earned income but substantial accumulated wealth to qualify for high-value purchases.
Yes. Our construction-to-permanent super-jumbo program is available for custom builds on South Hills parcels, provided the borrower profile, builder qualifications, and lot documentation meet program standards. For buyers who have secured a ridge-line or forested parcel in the South Hills and are commissioning an architect-designed home, this structure closes once before construction begins, locks the rate, funds in draws as milestones are met, and converts to a permanent mortgage at certificate of occupancy — eliminating the double-close risk of a two-loan approach across a 12 to 18 month build timeline.
Super-jumbo transactions benefit from early engagement. Let’s have a confidential conversation about your property and financial profile.
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.
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