09/02/2026
“Just wait two more years.”
That's the answer a lot of newly self-employed buyers get — and it can quietly cost them the home they wanted, at the price they could've locked in.
Here's a composite of a story we see often: a buyer left her corporate W-2 job to build her own business. Eleven months in, the income was strong and steady. But the first lender she talked to had one rule — two full years of self-employment history, full stop. No approval, no discussion.
The thing is, that's ONE lender's overlay, not a universal law. As a broker, I'm not tied to a single rulebook. I shop hundreds of lenders, and some have programs built specifically for recently self-employed borrowers — in certain cases counting as little as 12 months of self-employment when the income and documentation support it.
We pulled her business records together, matched her to the right program, and got her approved this year instead of telling her to wait.
If you (or someone you know) went out on your own recently and assumed a mortgage was off the table until you hit that magic two-year mark — don't assume. The right program might already fit.
I'm a broker, not a bank. Different problem, different solution. Think this is you? DM me and let's look at your scenario.
