Portland, Oregon · Licensed in OR · WA · CA · AZ · ID

Let's get you taken care of.Twenty-two years at this, and a lender list a lot longer than a bank's.

I've been originating mortgages in Portland since 2004, and because I'm a broker I work with dozens of lenders rather than the handful of programs any one bank keeps on its shelf. So whether your file is completely straightforward or it's the kind that takes some figuring out, there's usually a good option on the table, and my job is to go find you the best one.

You don't need to fill out an application to talk to me. And if somebody else is offering you a better deal than I can, or if I don't think I'm the right person for what you're doing, I'll tell you that on the first call rather than running your credit to find out.

Mark Ruhl
I've been originating mortgages in Portland since 2004, at the same company, on the same license, the whole time.
154Verified client reviews
4.95Average across Google, Zillow & Experience.com
22Years originating in Portland
5States licensed

Where I'm most useful

The files other people call complicated are the ones I do every week

A lot of what I do is ordinary, and I like those loans just fine. But twenty-two years in, the files that find their way to me tend to have something unusual about them, and sorting those out has turned into the part of the job I'm best at. So what does that actually look like?

01

You're self-employed

Your tax returns show what a good accountant made them show, and a bank reads that bottom number literally. But there are programs that look at your deposits instead (twelve or twenty-four months of bank statements, or a profit-and-loss statement), and they arrive at a very different figure. The income was always there, it just needed to be documented a different way.

02

The property is unusual

Maybe it's a manufactured home in a park, or a property with acreage, or a condo in a building the lender doesn't like, or a place that needs work before anyone can live in it, or an ADU (accessory dwelling unit) you want to build out back. Every one of those has a real financing path behind it, it's just not the path most banks keep on the shelf.

03

Your situation needs a little explaining

Maybe you file with an ITIN (Individual Taxpayer Identification Number) instead of a Social Security number, or you're buying before you sell, or you're recently divorced and the paperwork is still mid-flight, or you've got plenty of assets and not much income on paper. All of that is normal, and I see it constantly. It just takes a lender who works those files regularly, and I know which ones do.

What I can go get

There's a lot more on the shelf than the usual three

Everyone does conventional, FHA and VA, and I do too. In fact I'd rather put you into one of those if you qualify, because they're usually the best deal available. But here's the rest of the shelf, and twenty-two years of collecting lenders has made it a long one.

Bank statement loans

Qualify on your deposits rather than on your tax returns. It's built for self-employed borrowers, contractors, restaurant owners, and anyone whose returns understate what they actually earn.

Few lenders offer

ITIN mortgages

Buy a home with an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number instead of a Social Security number. It's a real program with real terms, and I'll walk you through exactly what's required.

Few lenders offer

Manufactured & in-park homes

Including chattel financing (a loan against the home itself, not the ground it sits on) for homes in a park where you don't own the land. That's the case most lenders decline outright without ever explaining why.

Bridge loans

Buy the next house before you've sold this one, so that you're not making an offer with a sale contingency attached to it in a market that punishes them.

Construction, one-time close

Build with a single loan and a single closing instead of two of each. It covers ground-up, major renovation, and ADUs.

ADU financing

Portland's ADU rules are unusually permissive and the financing options are unusually confusing. There are at least four ways to pay for one, and they are not equally good.

Reverse mortgages

For homeowners 62 and older. It's a useful tool in some situations and clearly the wrong tool in others, and I'll tell you which one you're in.

Investor & DSCR

Qualify the property on its rent rather than qualifying you on your income. It's for buyers building a portfolio past what conventional financing allows.

Everything else

Jumbo, HELOC and HELOAN, non-QM, commercial, land. Twenty-two years of collecting lenders adds up to a long shelf, so have a look at the full list.

What clients say

Mostly, people mention that I pick up the phone

154 reviews across Google, Zillow and Experience.com, and the same three things keep coming up over and over, so I'll let a few of them speak for themselves.

"Communication is timely, clear, helpful, and kind. Couldn't ask for a better guide to walk you through all of the options and details of mortgage financing."Leonard D. · Experience.com
"Mark sent me regular updates on the loan status and was very good at answering any questions the few times I needed to call him. Very smooth process."Kelley A. · Experience.com
"Mark is amazing and I would recommend him to my clients any chance I get. He has great communication and always closes on time."Linda S. · Realtor partner

Read all 154 reviews →

Every Friday

I write a weekly market update, and I don't sugarcoat it

Rates move for reasons, and most mortgage marketing either ignores those reasons or spins them. What I do instead is walk through what actually happened that week (treasury auctions, inflation prints, Fed language, Fannie Mae's revised forecasts) and then what all of it means for somebody trying to buy a house right now.

Sometimes the news is bad, and when it is, I say so.

Indicators are leaning our way! We've had two months of lower inflation in the CPI reports, and the labor reports are showing a weaker job market than expected. The stage is set for the Fed to ease interest rates, but despite the data, rates are staying stubbornly high. What gives?

It's all about the treasuries. Government debt has reached an all-time high of $40 trillion, and we now pay more in interest on that debt than we do on Defense or Medicare. So to help cover it we keep issuing bonds, but the market isn't finding them as attractive as it once did. To make our bonds more attractive we need to increase the yield on them (the interest the government pays back), and since mortgage rates are based on yields, rates are staying elevated.

Fannie Mae updated their forecast Wednesday, and it isn't what you want to hear. They now have rates averaging 6.8% through mid-2027, which is up about 0.3% from last month's prediction. So if you're a buyer who has been waiting on rates to drop, you might want to get comfortable.

Four ways in

Start wherever you're comfortable

There's no wrong door here, and none of these commit you to anything at all, so pick whichever one matches how much you've figured out so far.

Fastest

Text me

Ask me a real question and you'll get a real answer, usually within the hour. This is how most people start.

503-317-7620 →
15 minutes

Book a call

Pick a time on my calendar. It's good if you'd rather talk something through before putting anything in writing.

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No credit pull

Ask for a quote

Tell me the basics (what you're buying, roughly what you earn, and what the situation is), and I'll come back with real numbers.

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This is the full application. If you're under contract already, or you need a pre-approval letter today, start here.

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