Purpose Mortgage · Self-employed
Your tax returns don't tell the whole story.
Every write-off that helps you in April can hurt you at the closing table. Banks read one number off a tax return and stop there. I work with lenders who will look at 12 or 24 months of bank statements, a profit and loss statement, your 1099s, or your assets instead. Same house, different math.
How do you get paid?
Schedule C, S-corp, partnership 1099 or contract
Contractor, gig, commission Assets, not income
Retired or living on savings Mix of everything
W-2 plus a side business
Free deal review. No hard credit pull, your score is never affected. About 60 seconds.
Andrew Malm Mortgage Broker · NMLS# 2663426
Why this page exists
I grew up watching the write-offs win.
My dad was self-employed the whole time I was growing up. He worked constantly and provided for us, and our home was never short on love or character. On paper, though, he barely existed: every legitimate write-off that kept the business alive also shrank the income a bank would count. We never owned the home we lived in.
I didn't understand why as a kid. Now it's my job to understand why, and to know every program built so the number on your tax return doesn't get the final word. Self-employed borrowers aren't a niche to me. They're the reason I take this personally.
If you've been told no because of how your income reads on paper, that no was one lender's answer. It wasn't the market's.
The programs
Alternative documentation, not no documentation.
These are fully underwritten loans. The difference is what counts as proof of income: real deposits, real business performance, real assets, instead of one line on a tax return.
Bank statement loans
Qualify on 12 or 24 months of real business or personal deposits. The lender reads what your business actually brings in, not what's left after write-offs. The workhorse program for established business owners.
P&L statement loans
Qualify on a profit and loss statement prepared by your CPA or tax preparer. Useful when your deposits run through multiple accounts or your business structure makes bank statements messy.
1099 income loans
Qualify on your 1099s alone. Built for contractors, gig workers, and commission earners whose gross income is strong but whose Schedule C tells a thinner story.
Asset depletion
Your savings, investments, and retirement accounts become qualifying income by formula. Built for retirees and anyone whose balance sheet is stronger than their pay stubs.
Buying rentals instead? DSCR loans qualify the property's rent, not your tax returns. See investor programs.
How it works
Four steps, no surprises.
More than 25 of my 100+ lenders focus specifically on alternative documentation. Matching your file to the right one happens before anything touches your credit.
Tell me how you get paid
The free deal review takes about 60 seconds. No hard credit pull, your score is never affected.
I match your file
Your scenario goes against the lenders whose guidelines actually fit the way your income reads.
You see real options
Programs, trade-offs, and honest numbers in plain English. Including the truth if the answer is not yet.
You decide
No pressure, no pitch. When you're ready, we move, and I stay on it through closing.
Straight answers
What self-employed borrowers ask me first.
Do I need two years of self-employment history?
Usually, but not always. Some programs work with one year of self-employment when you have prior experience in the same field. If you're not there yet, I'll tell you exactly what the timeline looks like instead of just saying no.
Will my write-offs count against me?
On a standard loan, yes: deductions shrink your qualifying income. That's exactly what these programs exist to fix. Bank statement and P&L loans read your business's real cash flow, so a smart tax strategy stops costing you the house.
Is this subprime?
No. These are fully underwritten loans with real documentation standards. The industry calls them non-QM, which only means the income is documented outside the standard tax-return box. It's different paperwork, not lower standards.
What about down payment and credit?
Requirements are program-specific and generally run higher than conventional minimums. Where you land depends on your credit, down payment, and how your income documents. The deal review shows you the real picture for your file, not a generic chart.
Are the rates higher than a conventional loan?
Pricing varies by program and profile, and flexibility has a price. My job is showing you the honest numbers side by side, including whether waiting and qualifying conventionally would serve you better. You'll know before you commit to anything.
Your income is real. Let's make it count.
Tell me how you get paid and I'll show you what's actually available. Free, honest, and no hard credit pull to start.