Friendly and welcoming from day one — Molly says she was never afraid to ask a question, and Mel was easy to reach whenever the family needed her.
Molly M. · Wasilla, AKFamily purchase
Meet Money Mel
Mel McFarland
Branch Sales Manager · VA Loan Specialist · NMLS #729261
Fairway Home Mortgage · Wasilla, AK
She started in finance 18+ years ago, began originating mortgages in 2012, and found her lane fast: military families. Hundreds of VA closings later — first in Washington serving JBLM, now in Alaska — she's Fairway's VA Business Development Manager, which is the title for "the person other loan officers call with VA questions."
The story
From JBLM to JBER
Mel is a Washington native who built her early career around Joint Base Lewis-McChord families — the PCS orders, the deployments mid-transaction, the "we close in 30 days and I'm still overseas" phone calls. She became a VAREP-certified professional, an American Warrior Initiative real estate professional, earned the Tacoma-Pierce County Association of Realtors' Affiliate of the Year award in 2019, and was named a Five Star Mortgage Professional three years running — an honor given to roughly 7% of the Seattle market.
Then Alaska. Today she leads the Fairway Home Mortgage branch in Wasilla, serving the Mat-Su, Anchorage, JBER, Fairbanks, and communities across the state — plus her Washington, Montana and Hawaii clients. Wells and septic, remote appraisals, AHFC program layering: the Alaska-specific stuff is now second nature too.
Off the clock: hiking, reading, movies. On the clock: texts answered in minutes, options explained like a friend would, and no surprises. Her reviews say it better than she does.
Credentials & recognition
- VA Business Development Manager, Fairway
- Veterans Association of Real Estate Professionals (VAREP) — Certificate of Achievement 2020
- American Warrior Initiative Real Estate Professional
- 3× Five Star Mortgage Professional (Seattle, 2020–2022)
- TPCAR Affiliate of the Year 2019
Memberships
- Valley Board of Realtors (Affiliate)
- Wasilla Chamber of Commerce
why do you only ever talk about VA loans lol
Because it's the best mortgage in America and too many people who earned it never use it. (I do all the other ones too, promise.)
How Mel works
Three things you can count on
Texts, answered
Communication is the #1 word in her reviews. You'll know what's happening with your loan before you think to ask.
Options, not pressure
She lays out every program side by side, with the pros and cons, and lets you pick. If waiting is smarter, she'll say so.
Fluent in military
Orders, BAH, COE, POA, VA appraisals — none of it needs explaining to Mel. She's been doing this for military families since day one.
Real clients, real reviews
Five stars.4.86 across 229 verified reviews
Verified on Experience.com, Zillow, Facebook & Google — highlights paraphrased here, originals one click away.
Went in with no idea how home buying worked; came out feeling educated and empowered. Meagan credits Mel’s VA loan guidance and says she won’t use anyone else.
Meagan R. · AlaskaVA loan
When the appraisal came in low and the seller balked, Mel sat down with both sides and walked through every option until the deal held together.
Shawn D. · Palmer, AKNo-agent purchase
Moving from Georgia to Alaska with a time-zone gap — Mel laid out multiple options, explained the pros and cons plainly, and kept every step seamless.
Christopher B. · Wasilla, AKRelocating from GA
Extra care and constant communication — Kristina says Mel made her money work for her, not the other way around.
Kristina J. · Puyallup, WARefinance
Easy to talk to, explained each step and what came next — no surprises anywhere in the process.
Gregory C. · Wasilla, AKPurchase
Great communication and a knack for keeping everything on track and moving forward on time.
Jeshua L. · Spokane Valley, WAPurchase
Very friendly and willing to answer any and all questions quickly.
Kailea V. · Palmer, AKFirst home
Friendly and welcoming from day one — Molly says she was never afraid to ask a question, and Mel was easy to reach whenever the family needed her.
Molly M. · Wasilla, AKFamily purchase
Went in with no idea how home buying worked; came out feeling educated and empowered. Meagan credits Mel’s VA loan guidance and says she won’t use anyone else.
Meagan R. · AlaskaVA loan
When the appraisal came in low and the seller balked, Mel sat down with both sides and walked through every option until the deal held together.
Shawn D. · Palmer, AKNo-agent purchase
Moving from Georgia to Alaska with a time-zone gap — Mel laid out multiple options, explained the pros and cons plainly, and kept every step seamless.
Christopher B. · Wasilla, AKRelocating from GA
Extra care and constant communication — Kristina says Mel made her money work for her, not the other way around.
Kristina J. · Puyallup, WARefinance
Easy to talk to, explained each step and what came next — no surprises anywhere in the process.
Gregory C. · Wasilla, AKPurchase
Great communication and a knack for keeping everything on track and moving forward on time.
Jeshua L. · Spokane Valley, WAPurchase
Very friendly and willing to answer any and all questions quickly.
Kailea V. · Palmer, AKFirst home
Want to work with Mel?
Text her. That's it — that's the whole onboarding process.