Do I really need two years of tax returns?

For most conventional loans, that's the general expectation, though there are situations where a shorter history can work — particularly when you're doing the same work you previously did as an employee. There are also loan programs that look at bank-statement deposits instead of returns. Which applies to you is a lender's call, and it's worth asking before you assume you have to wait.

Should I stop taking deductions the year before I buy?

That's a real strategy and a real trade-off, and it's a conversation for your CPA and a lender together — not for me. Showing more income can improve what you qualify for, and it costs you in taxes. What I can tell you is that it only works with lead time, so raise it a year before you plan to buy, not a month.

Can I Even Buy?

Buying a Home When You're Self-Employed or 1099

You make good money. The problem is that a lender reads your tax return, not your bank balance — and your tax return was written to minimize income, which it did, successfully. Qualifying income is generally what's left after your deductions, so every write-off that cut your tax bill also cut what a lender is allowed to count. That isn't a mistake; it's the system working exactly as designed, in a direction that happens to work against you here. Raised a year before you buy, with your CPA and a lender in the same conversation, it's a strategy. Raised a month before, it's a problem.

Browse homes for sale

Is this right for you?

The honest fit

Best for

Business owners, contractors, freelancers, and commission-only earners
Anyone who's been told they "don't make enough" while sitting on a healthy bank account
Buyers whose income is real and steady but doesn't fit a W-2 shaped box

Maybe not if…

You've been self-employed only a few months with no prior history in the same line of work
Your business income is genuinely declining year over year — that's a real underwriting problem, not a paperwork one

The process

How it works

01
We name the actual obstacle first: is it documentation, or is it the income itself? They have completely different fixes.
02
You talk to a lender who writes self-employed loans regularly, not one who does it occasionally.
03
We look at every path — conventional with two years of returns, and bank-statement and other non-QM options if returns won't tell the true story.
04
We shop with a real number, because a pre-approval built on the wrong income figure falls apart at the worst moment.

The trade

What you get — and what to weigh

What you get

A lender who has seen your situation many times before
An honest read on whether waiting one more tax year materially improves your position
Multiple financing paths compared side by side instead of one rejection

The trade-offs (straight talk)

Loans written off bank statements rather than tax returns typically carry higher rates and larger down payments
The write-offs that lower your tax bill also lower your qualifying income — you may not get both
Expect to document more than a W-2 buyer, not less

“The most common thing I hear is that somebody was told no by one lender and stopped. One lender's no is one underwriting box, not a verdict on you. I'm not a lender and I won't pretend to underwrite you — what I'll do is put you in front of people who write these loans every week and let them tell you where you actually stand.”

Homes sold: 175+Homes sold
In closed sales: $54M+In closed sales
Texas markets served: 2Texas markets served
Counties served today: 6Counties served today

Career totals across two Texas markets — DFW, then Greater Houston.

Questions, answered

Frequently asked questions

Because qualifying income is generally based on what's left after your business deductions, not your gross receipts or your deposits. Every write-off that reduces your taxes also reduces the income a lender can count. That's not a mistake — it's the system working as designed, in a direction that happens to work against you here. Knowing it in advance lets you plan the year before you buy.

Let's find out where you actually stand

One conversation with a lender who writes these regularly usually beats months of guessing.I'll make the introduction.

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Call (832) 709-2540

Not sure this is the right path? Let's figure it out together.

A quick, no-pressure conversation is all it takes.