A straight answer
Are there mortgage programs for nurses?
The direct answer
Yes. I offer professional mortgage programs for nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). RNs qualify on the program versions that include them. LPNs and LVNs are not covered. I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente.
I offer the program with little or no down payment. It has no mortgage insurance. Deferred student loans can be left out of the debt ratio. An offer letter can be used. I review your license, how you are paid and the property, whether you are on staff, travel or contract.
The credential opens the program, and the pay is documented under its own rule. Steady hourly pay with changing hours needs a year of history under Fannie Mae's rule. Overtime needs at least a year, with two years recommended. I put the financing together with a lender; the lender and the program set the rules. I work with buyers in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona.
Zach von der Linden, mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending · NMLS 1652805
Wholesale pricing · California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona
5.0 across 66 reviews on Experience.com (read on 2026-09-24) · Text reaches Zach directly · Last updated 2026-10-19
Tell me your profession or income situation, the property state, and whether you're buying or refinancing. I'll explain which program requirements we need to review.
No credit pull happens from a text or a call. Texts and calls go to Zach's cell.
What happens after you text me?
Texts go straight to my cell, and I answer them myself when I'm free. I'll ask for the few details that actually matter, tell you whether the structure looks worth pursuing, and explain the next step. If I don't think the loan fits, I'll tell you that too.
A text or phone conversation does not pull your credit.
What does the professional program change for nurses?
I offer the professional program to nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists (CRNAs). RNs qualify on the program versions that include them. The program does not cover LPNs or LVNs.
It offers little or no down payment. It has no mortgage insurance. Deferred student loans can be left out of the debt ratio. The versions limited to your first 10 years in the profession apply only during those years.
An offer letter can be used. Can I get a mortgage with a job offer letter before I start? covers closing on an offer letter.
How are changing hours, overtime and shift pay counted?
As variable pay. Fannie Mae defines variable base income as "a fixed hourly rate with fluctuating hours, or an hourly rate that varies," and requires a year of history for it (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.3-01). The lender averages your hours over at least the most recent year at your current rate.
Overtime has its own rule. Fannie Mae says "A minimum two-year history is recommended; however, income received for a shorter period, but no less than 12 months, may be considered as acceptable if there are positive factors to reasonably offset the shorter income history" (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.3-02). If the overtime is falling, the lender must confirm it "has stabilized after the decline."
FHA averages varying hourly pay over the previous two years, and counts overtime earned for at least a year when it "is reasonably likely to continue" (HUD Handbook 4000.1, II.A.4.c). My pay is commission, bonus, or overtime. What counts toward a mortgage? covers the averaging in full.
What if I am a travel or contract nurse?
Changing assignments is not a problem by itself. Fannie Mae says borrowers "who change jobs frequently, but who are nevertheless able to earn consistent and predictable income, are considered to have a reliable flow of income" (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.2-02). Income from more than one job at the same time must meet the rule for each income type.
FHA asks for extra verification when someone has changed employers more than three times in a year, but "Additional analysis is not required for fields of employment that regularly require a Borrower to work for various employers (such as Temp Companies or Union Trades)" (HUD Handbook 4000.1, II.A.4.c). If your contracts are 1099 work, I just went self-employed. How long before I can buy a home? is the page that applies.
Is there homebuyer assistance for nurses?
In California, GSFA's Platinum "Select" feature "applies to certain occupations and types of Mortgage Loans," and its occupation list includes "Medical and health care workers" (GSFA Platinum). I arrange eligible GSFA financing through a GSFA-participating lender. GSFA is California only.
HUD's Good Neighbor Next Door does not list nurses. Its occupations are law enforcement officers, teachers from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and firefighters and emergency medical technicians (HUD, Good Neighbor Next Door).
For the state assistance programs I arrange, Do doctors, teachers and nurses get special mortgages? lists each agency's rules.
What should I have ready?
Your nursing license, your recent pay stubs and W-2s, your current contract if you travel, and statements for the accounts that will cover closing. Do not text documents or account numbers; I will tell you what to send and how.
Questions people ask next
Does a nursing license qualify me automatically?
No. The program covers nurse practitioners and CRNAs. RNs qualify on the program versions that include them. The lender still reads your income, debts, credit, funds and the property. How you are paid decides which income rule applies.
Can an LPN or LVN use the professional program?
No. The professional program I offer does not cover LPNs or LVNs.
Are deferred student loans counted?
Under the professional program I offer, deferred student loans can be left out of the debt ratio.
Can I use Good Neighbor Next Door as a nurse?
No. HUD lists law enforcement officers, teachers from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and firefighters and emergency medical technicians (HUD, Good Neighbor Next Door). Nursing is not on that list.
What should I text Zach?
Whether you are on staff, travel or contract, the property state, and whether you are buying or refinancing. Do not text documents or account numbers; I will tell you what to send and how.
What clients say
Zach was so easy to work with. He made a stressful situation into a very positive experience for us and did push us one way or another. He listened to what we hoped we could accomplish and made it happen.
Word for word from Experience.com. Read all reviews.
Sources and checked dates
Sources: Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 (checked 2026-10-18) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.3-01, Base Income (checked 2026-10-19) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.3-02, Bonus, Commission, Overtime, and Tip Income (checked 2026-10-19) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.2-02, Standards for Employment-Related Income (checked 2026-10-19) · HUD Handbook 4000.1, II.A.4.c, employment income (checked 2026-10-19) · Golden State Finance Authority, GSFA Platinum (checked 2026-10-19) · HUD, Good Neighbor Next Door (checked 2026-10-19).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (9)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| I offer professional mortgage programs for eligible attorneys, CPAs and nurses. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-18 |
| The professional mortgage program I offer covers nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists (CRNAs), attorneys and CPAs. Registered nurses qualify on the program versions that include them. LPNs and LVNs are not covered. The program offers little or no down payment, with no mortgage insurance. Deferred student loans can be left out of the debt ratio. An offer letter can be used. The program versions limited to the first 10 years in the profession apply only during those years. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| I arrange CalHFA, Utah Housing and OHCS down payment programs for eligible buyers. I arrange eligible CalHFA financing through a CalHFA-approved lender. I arrange eligible GSFA financing through a GSFA-participating lender; GSFA is California only. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-18 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.3-01, Base Income (03/04/2026): "Fixed base income refers to a set salary or fixed hourly rate with guaranteed minimum hours." For fixed base income, "A minimum history is not required for inclusion as qualifying income." "Variable base income refers to a fixed hourly rate with fluctuating hours, or an hourly rate that varies," and "A minimum 12-month history of receiving variable income is required." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.3-01, Base Income | 2026-10-19 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.3-02, Bonus, Commission, Overtime, and Tip Income (03/04/2026): "A minimum two-year history is recommended; however, income received for a shorter period, but no less than 12 months, may be considered as acceptable if there are positive factors to reasonably offset the shorter income history." Where the income is decreasing, "The lender must confirm the current income level has stabilized after the decline; otherwise, the income is not eligible for qualifying." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.3-02, Bonus, Commission, Overtime, and Tip Income | 2026-10-19 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.2-02, Standards for Employment-Related Income (03/04/2026): "Lenders must evaluate the borrower's work history to determine whether it reflects a reliable pattern of employment over the most recent two years. A shorter employment history may be considered eligible for qualifying purposes if the borrower's employment profile includes positive factors that reasonably offset the shorter employment history." "Borrowers who change jobs frequently, but who are nevertheless able to earn consistent and predictable income, are considered to have a reliable flow of income for qualifying purposes." Borrowers with income from multiple employment sources at the same time "must meet the requirements for each specific income type." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.2-02, Standards for Employment-Related Income | 2026-10-19 |
| HUD Handbook 4000.1 (Update 18, last revised 8/12/2026), Income Requirements: hourly pay with varying hours, "the Mortgagee must use the average of the income over the previous two years," or the most recent year of hours at a documented higher current rate (II.A.4.c.iii(C)(2)). Overtime earned for less than two years "may be considered Effective Income if the Mortgagee documents that the Overtime, Bonus, or Tip Income has been consistently earned over a period of not less than one year and is reasonably likely to continue" (II.A.4.c.v). A borrower who changed employers more than three times in a year needs extra verification, but "Additional analysis is not required for fields of employment that regularly require a Borrower to work for various employers (such as Temp Companies or Union Trades)" (II.A.4.c.xi(A)). | HUD Handbook 4000.1, II.A.4.c, employment income | 2026-10-19 |
| Golden State Finance Authority, GSFA Platinum: "The Platinum "Select" feature applies to certain occupations and types of Mortgage Loans." Its qualifying occupations include "Medical and health care workers" and employees "of a California accredited Private, Charter or Public School District or California State University, Junior College or Private College, including school administration and staff." GSFA describes Platinum for a primary residence in California. | Golden State Finance Authority, GSFA Platinum | 2026-10-19 |
| HUD, Good Neighbor Next Door: "Law enforcement officers, teachers (pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade) firefighters and emergency medical technicians" can buy homes through the program; "an eligible buyer must commit to live in the property for 36 months as his/her principal residence"; "If more than one person submits an offer on a single home a selection will be made by random lottery." A teacher must be "Employed as a full-time teacher by a state-accredited public school or private school that provides direct services to students in grades pre-kindergarten through 12," and that employment must "serve students from the locality where the home is located." | HUD, Good Neighbor Next Door | 2026-10-19 |
Written for and accountable to: Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending.
Last updated 2026-10-19.
Verify him: NMLS Consumer Access, ID 1652805 · 66 reviews on Experience.com.
Sources for product claims are listed on this page, with the date each was checked.