Megan Higgs

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Megan Higgs Trusted by buyers. Counted on by agents. Megan Higgs NMLS 77202
Loan Officer | Sales Manager
Lic in AZ, CA, OR, & WA

Equal Housing Lender

Bryte Home Loans Team
powered by Canopy Mortgage, LLC
NMLS 1359687| CA 60DBO45254| OR ML-5379| AZ Corp BK 1012617
Licensed in AZ, CA, OR & WA
Equal Housing Lender
Licensed under the Oregon Consumer Finance Act
Licensed by the Department of Financial Protection and Innovation (DFPI). under the California Residential Mortgage Lending Act. https://canopymortgage.com/privacy-policy/
https://canopymortgage.com/terms-of-use/
https://canopymortgage.com/state-licenses/
www.nmlsconsumeraccess.org

A buyer purchasing in Arizona while living in Alaska has enough moving pieces already. The lending process shouldn’t be ...
10/18/2026

A buyer purchasing in Arizona while living in Alaska has enough moving pieces already. The lending process shouldn’t be one of them.

When you refer a buyer to me, my job is simple: communicate well, know the file, stay ahead of the details, and give both the buyer and their agent confidence in the financing from start to finish.

Out-of-state uncertainty doesn’t belong in the lending process.

House hunting this weekend? I’m available. Call me. 🏡

Megan Higgs
NMLS 77202
📲 360-731-3464
[email protected]

10/14/2026

Data before the decision. Or reconsideration after it?

A recent VA appraisal triggered Tidewater, which gave the transaction parties an opportunity to provide additional market data before the appraisal was finalized.

The report ultimately came in at value.

Thinking about the process itself…

VA has had Tidewater since 2003. The stated goal is to make sure relevant market evidence gets considered before the report is complete and potentially reduce the need for a later reconsideration of value.

There are legitimate thought points on both sides.

More information before a conclusion sounds useful.

So does protecting the appraiser from pressure tied to the contract price.

Would you want a Tidewater-type step on every appraisal?

I’m curious where you land.

10/06/2026

It might not be the perfect time but it could indeed be the right time for you.

Let’s avoid any buzz word bait and have a real conversation about what tools are out there, what options you have and how it would potentially look.

Grab your coffee and let’s have a chat! 🤎🍂✨☕️🏡

Megan Higgs
NMLS 77202
[email protected]

09/24/2026

Temporary buydowns are showing up in a lot more conversations lately, and I actually really like them.

I just don’t like using one to make an unaffordable payment look affordable.

With a 2-1 temporary buydown, the full note rate is there from day one.

The first year, the payment is calculated as though the rate were 2 percentage points lower.

The second year, 1 percentage point lower.

Year three, the temporary help is gone and the full payment is in place.

So before I get excited about making Year 1 look better, I want to know:

Does the full payment work for this household?

If yes, now we can talk about what that runway could do for you.

Maybe it gives you time to rebuild reserves after closing.

Maybe another monthly expense is on its way out.

Maybe you just want a little more room while settling into the new household budget.

And one of my favorite ideas:

Bank the difference.

If your payment is temporarily lower, move that difference into savings anyway.

Now the buydown is helping cash flow without quietly letting that extra room disappear into the monthly budget.

You are easing into the full housing expense while building reserves at the same time.

I like that use of the runway.

And if a seller credit is available, I’d rather start with:

What do we want those dollars to do?

Less cash needed at closing?

Temporary payment relief?

Longer-term rate help?

Same negotiated dollars. Different jobs.

One more thing because I am seeing more “lender-paid” buydown language:

Ask what comes with the credit.

Sometimes there is a true promotion.

Sometimes the credit is tied to mortgage pricing.

Look at the whole structure.

Want the one-page version to keep for your next buyer or listing conversation?

Comment BUYDOWN and I’ll send it over.

🤎
Megan

Temporary buydown availability, funding sources and qualification requirements vary by loan program and lender guidelines. All loans subject to credit and property approval

The Fed can make a move today and your buyer’s mortgage rate can do something completely different.So instead of another...
09/16/2026

The Fed can make a move today and your buyer’s mortgage rate can do something completely different.

So instead of another post guessing what one decision will do to mortgage rates, I’d rather ask better questions.

Today’s Fed decision matters. But mortgage rates do not simply move up because the Fed moves up, or down because the Fed moves down.

Fixed mortgage rates are influenced by the bond market, inflation expectations, economic data, mortgage-backed securities and what markets think comes next. The Fed itself notes that agency mortgage-backed-security yields are an important factor in setting home mortgage rates.

Which is why I’ll ask:

If you are waiting for rates, what are you actually waiting for?

A specific rate?

A specific payment?

More cash saved?

A different house?

A better monthly comfort level?

Waiting can absolutely be a strategy.

I just want the strategy to be more specific than “maybe rates will come down.”

And sellers, this is part of your conversation too. Your buyer may be watching the rate headline, but they are living in the payment. Price, credits and structure can all change that math.

Today I’ll be watching the Fed, the bond market, and especially what gets said about what comes next.

But your own numbers still deserve more attention than the headline.

Hi. I’m Megan. 👋If you’ve been here awhile, you probably know mortgages are a pretty big part of my world. But if you’re...
09/11/2026

Hi. I’m Megan. 👋

If you’ve been here awhile, you probably know mortgages are a pretty big part of my world. But if you’re newer here, a proper introduction is probably overdue.

I’m a mortgage lender and sales manager, and I’ve spent a lot of years helping people make really big financial decisions feel a whole lot more manageable.

I love the strategy behind lending. I love figuring out the puzzle, finding the opportunity, catching the thing that could become a problem later, and helping people understand their options well enough to make a confident decision.

I also really love people.

I’m a wife, a mom of two teenagers, a chauffeur to sports, a walker of many miles, a lover of a good party theme, and someone who will absolutely commit far too hard to a pun if the opportunity presents itself.

Our family spends a lot of time around golf courses, soccer fields, the water, and home. Home matters a lot to me, which probably explains why I’ve built a career around helping other people find theirs.

Professionally, I’m serious about what I do.

I believe preapprovals should actually mean something. I believe communication matters. I believe numbers deserve context, not just a payment at the bottom of a worksheet. And I believe the person helping you finance one of the biggest purchases of your life should know what they’re doing and pick up the phone.

I also believe this process can feel human.

So around here you’ll find mortgages, real estate, market perspective, homeownership, a little family life, community, occasional questionable humor, and probably more puns than anyone requested.

If buying a home, refinancing, or simply figuring out what might be possible is somewhere on your radar, I’m glad you’re here.

And if you’re just here for the puns… honestly, I respect that too.

Who you work with matters. 🏡

The backpacks have addresses now.For anyone new around here, One Loan = One Backpack is my August and September giveback...
09/05/2026

The backpacks have addresses now.

For anyone new around here, One Loan = One Backpack is my August and September giveback campaign.

Every completed application or closed loan turns into either a backpack full of school supplies valued at $100, or a $100 donation, sent to the school district connected to that transaction.

I absolutely love that the support follows the address.

Not just my office zip code.

The actual community tied to the home, the buyer, the refinance, the move, the next chapter.

So far, August support is heading to:

Tacoma School District
Bend-La Pine School District
Central Kitsap School District
South Kitsap School District
Round Valley School District
Olympia School District

And behind that list are real people.

A growing family making room for what comes next.

A new job and a home base in a brand new state.

Young renters becoming the owners of the home they already knew. Pup included! 🐾

A one-of-a-kind property finding the buyers who could see the life in it.

A work move back to Arizona.

And a move from Arizona back home!

It is not a giant grand gesture.

It is a backpack-sized kind of good.

But it is consistent, and I think consistent good counts.

Real estate changes lives in big ways.

This is one small way I like to let that work ripple outward into the school communities connected to it.

And September still counts.

If you have a buyer, refinance, or “can you take a look at this?” scenario sitting in your messages, I’d ask that you send it my way.

I would be honored to help, and I would love to add another backpack to the list.

One Loan = One Backpack
August + September

♥️
Megan

09/03/2026

Let’s talk VA Jumbo loans and how much down payment is required.

Another really great question from the Call Your M.O.M. event.

And Jessica Knicely | REALTOR Gig Harbor + Tacoma knows her VA buyers, so of course she brought the nuance.

The word “jumbo” makes people think big loan = big down payment.

With VA, the first thing I want to see is the Certificate of Eligibility.

Full entitlement changes the conversation in a really good way.

If the Veteran has full entitlement available, VA does not set a loan limit. A larger VA purchase may still be possible with zero down, as long as the borrower qualifies, the appraisal supports the purchase price, and lender guidelines allow the loan amount.

The down payment conversation usually shows up when full entitlement is not available.

Maybe there is another VA loan.

Maybe entitlement is still tied up.

Maybe we need to look at remaining entitlement, county, purchase price, loan amount, and any lender overlays before we know what the structure looks like.

Local 2026 note:

Pierce County is a high-cost county with a one-unit conforming/high-balance limit of $1,063,750.

Kitsap County follows the baseline one-unit limit of $832,750.

Those limits do not cap a full-entitlement VA buyer, but they can matter when remaining entitlement is part of the math.

So yes, VA Jumbo can be an incredible option.

It just deserves a real review.

COE.

County.

Entitlement.

Purchase price.

Loan amount.

Overlays.

Jessica, thank you for the question.

Agents, if you have a VA buyer looking above the usual price point, send me the scenario.

I’ll tell you what I see.

General note: VA eligibility, entitlement, borrower qualification, appraisal, property type, county limits, and lender overlays can all affect final loan structure.

Megan Higgs
Loan Officer/ Sales Manager NMLS 77202
[email protected]

Address

5727 Baker Way NW Ste. 102
Gig Harbor, WA
98332

Opening Hours

Monday 8:30am - 5pm
Tuesday 8:30am - 5pm
Wednesday 8:30am - 5pm
Thursday 8:30am - 5pm
Friday 8:30am - 5pm

Telephone

+12536494051

Website

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