A straight answer
Can I get a mortgage when I move my self-employed business to another state?
The direct answer
Yes, I offer mortgages for self-employed owners moving a business into California, Utah, Oregon or Arizona. The lender's question is whether your income continues after the move, and Fannie Mae lists the location and nature of the business among the factors a lender must analyze.
I'm Zach von der Linden (NMLS 1652805), a mortgage broker with West Capital Lending, based in San Clemente. I put the financing together, and I tell you plainly which program fits. I work with homeowners 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
Moving your business into California, Utah, Oregon or Arizona? Text me the business type, where it runs now, and whether your clients are coming with you.
This situation is worked out in a short conversation. No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Texts go to Zach's cell.
What does a mortgage lender need to see after a move?
Fannie Mae says borrowers "must be qualified with income the lender can reasonably expect to continue for the foreseeable future" (Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.1-01).
For a self-employed borrower, the factors include "the location and nature of the borrower's business" and "the demand for the product or service offered by the business" (B3-3.5-01).
For example, a consultant whose clients stay the same has a different file from a contractor who starts with new clients in a new state.
So the first thing I ask is where your income will come from after the move.
Does my company have to register in the new state?
Each state says an entity formed elsewhere registers before it does business there.
California: "Before transacting intrastate business in California, the business must first qualify/register with the California Secretary of State" (California Secretary of State).
Utah, for an LLC: "you must deliver a foreign registration statement to the division to do business in Utah" (Utah Division of Corporations).
Oregon: a foreign entity "may not transact business in this state until it has been authorized to do so by the Secretary of State" (Oregon Secretary of State).
Arizona: "If a foreign entity wants to transact business or conduct affairs in Arizona, it must register with the Arizona Corporation Commission" (Arizona Corporation Commission).
Whether your business must register is a question for that agency or your attorney.
Does my contractor license move with me?
Not in California. The state board says: "You cannot use your contractor license from another state or country to perform services in California" (CSLB).
Utah: "Utah does not have reciprocity," and it "allows for licensure by endorsement" (Utah DOPL).
Oregon law requires anyone paid for construction work on real property "to be licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board" (Oregon CCB).
Arizona law makes it unlawful to act as a contractor "without having a contractor's license in good standing" (A.R.S. 32-1151).
Tell me where the new license stands, because it decides when your business can work in the new state.
Other trades and professions have their own state boards.
Can bank statements carry the file through a move?
I offer loans qualified on 12 months of personal or business bank statements instead of tax returns.
I use whichever account shows the larger average monthly deposits over those 12 months.
Business-account deposits get an expense factor.
On the bank statement HELOC I offer, a new business account opened for the move counts from day one.
Your past business accounts count toward qualifying too, so you get credit for both the prior business and the new one.
Your prior and new accounts together make up the statement history.
You do not need a business entity or a business account for the HELOC.
Any account you receive income into can be used, as long as it gets frequent deposits.
The bank statement HELOC I offer has no set minimum time in business.
The page on a business under two years old covers the HELOC, and the newly self-employed page covers the history rules for a mortgage.
What should I send first?
- What the business does, how long it has run, and how it is set up.
- Where your clients are, and which ones come with you.
- Where the license and the business registration stand in the new state.
- Which account your business deposits land in, and whether that changes with the move.
- Your last two personal and business returns.
- The state and the area you are buying in.
Send documents through the secure process I give you when we talk, not by ordinary text.
Questions people ask next
Should I buy before or after I move the business?
Text me before you sign anything in the new state, and I tell you which order fits your file.
Does my new business account count on a HELOC?
Yes. The bank statement HELOC I offer reads a new business account from day one, and your past business accounts count too, so you get credit for both the prior business and the new one.
Does a Fannie Mae loan have a rule about moving a business?
No rule in Fannie Mae's income topics names a move. The lender applies the continuance rule and the self-employed factors, including the location and nature of the business.
Do you work in every state?
No. I work with homeowners in California, Utah, Oregon and Arizona, so the home has to be in one of those four states.
Does asking about this affect my credit?
A conversation does not pull credit. A full application does.
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 19, 2026 (9:29 PM PT, via the Chief of Staff) (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 (checked 2026-10-19) · Confirmed by Zach, October 17, 2026 (checked 2026-10-17) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.1-01, General Income Information (10/07/2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023) (checked 2026-10-19) · California Secretary of State, Business Entities FAQs (checked 2026-10-19) · Utah Division of Corporations, Do I need to register? (December 28, 2021) (checked 2026-10-19) · Oregon Secretary of State, What Does Doing Business Mean? (checked 2026-10-19) · Arizona Corporation Commission, Business Services FAQs (checked 2026-10-19) · California Contractors State License Board, Journeymen Reciprocity (checked 2026-10-19) · Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Contracting FAQs (modified April 20, 2026) (checked 2026-10-19) · Oregon Construction Contractors Board, About the CCB (checked 2026-10-19) · Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1151 (checked 2026-10-19) · West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) (checked 2026-09-09).
Show each claim on this page, what it depends on, and the date it was checked (15)
| What we say, and what it depends on | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Zach offers financing for these self-employed situations: a HELOC to pay off an IRS tax lien; mortgage income for S corporation owners (W-2 wages, K-1 income and distributions); a HELOC to pay off business loans and business credit cards; a divorce buyout for a self-employed homeowner; a DSCR cash-out refinance of a rental qualified on its rent; business funds for a down payment; a HELOC after a drop in self-employed income; combining a spouse's W-2 income with bank statement income; a mortgage when the business pays a debt in the owner's name; seasonal business income; bank statement loans when real business expenses are lower than the expense factor; and a mortgage when a self-employed owner moves a business into California, Utah, Oregon or Arizona. He arranges each as a broker. | Confirmed by Zach, October 19, 2026 (9:29 PM PT, via the Chief of Staff) | 2026-10-19 |
| After a move, the bank statement HELOC Zach offers reads a new business account from day one, and past business accounts can count toward qualifying too, so the borrower gets credit for both the prior business and the new one; the prior and new accounts together make up the statement history. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach's answers for the self-employed HELOC answers. The bank statement HELOC he offers has no set minimum time in business, so a business under two years old is fine. An unfiled or extended tax year does not matter for the bank statement HELOC, because tax returns are not part of how it qualifies; no extra documents are needed for it. He also offers a HELOC qualified on a profit-and-loss statement; it counts profit only, not losses, based on what runs through the borrower's bank accounts each month. He takes 1099 and gig earners with no business entity and no business account: any account the borrower receives income into can be used, as long as it gets frequent deposits, and those deposits count toward qualifying income. | Confirmed by Zach, October 2026 | 2026-10-19 |
| Zach offers loans qualified on 12 months of bank statements instead of tax returns, at any loan size. He qualifies the borrower on either the personal or the business bank account, whichever shows the larger average monthly deposits over the past 12 months, and business-account deposits get an expense factor. | Confirmed by Zach, October 17, 2026 | 2026-10-17 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.1-01, General Income Information (10/07/2026): "Borrowers must be qualified with income the lender can reasonably expect to continue for the foreseeable future. The lender must evaluate the likelihood of continuance based on the nature of the income and supporting documentation." "A stable and predictable flow of income is a foundational element in loan underwriting." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.1-01, General Income Information (10/07/2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| Fannie Mae Selling Guide B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023): an individual who owns a quarter or more of a business "is considered to be self-employed." "The following factors must be analyzed before approving a loan for a self-employed borrower: the stability of the borrower's income, the location and nature of the borrower's business, the demand for the product or service offered by the business, the financial strength of the business, and the ability of the business to continue generating and distributing sufficient income to enable the borrower to make the payments on the requested loan." The analysis must "measure year-to-year trends for gross income, expenses, and taxable income for the business". The lender may verify income with signed federal returns "(both individual returns and in some cases, business returns) that were filed with the IRS for the past two years". It may waive business returns when the borrower uses personal funds for the down payment, closing costs and reserves, "has been self-employed in the same business for at least five years", and the individual returns "show an increase in self-employment income over the past two years". "When a borrower is using self-employment income to qualify for the loan and also intends to use assets from their business as funds for the down payment, closing costs, and/or financial reserves, the lender must perform a business cash flow analysis to confirm that the withdrawal of funds for this transaction will not have a negative impact on the business." "To assess the impact, the lender may require a level of documentation greater than what is required to evaluate the borrower's business income (for example, several months of recent business asset statements in order to see cash flow needs and trends over time, or a current balance sheet)." "When co-borrower income that is derived from self-employment is not being used for qualifying purposes, the lender is not required to document or evaluate the co-borrower's self-employment income (or loss)." | Fannie Mae Selling Guide, B3-3.5-01, Underwriting Factors and Documentation for a Self-Employed Borrower (12/13/2023) | 2026-10-19 |
| California Secretary of State, Business Entities FAQs: "Before transacting intrastate business in California, the business must first qualify/register with the California Secretary of State online at bizfileOnline." The same page says: "The Secretary of State's office cannot advise you as to whether or not the business must qualify/register to do business in California." | California Secretary of State, Business Entities FAQs | 2026-10-19 |
| Utah Division of Corporations, Do I need to register? (December 28, 2021): for a limited liability company, "Yes, you must deliver a foreign registration statement to the division to do business in Utah." For a corporation, "Yes, you must deliver an application for authority to conduct affairs to the division to transact business in Utah." | Utah Division of Corporations, Do I need to register? (December 28, 2021) | 2026-10-19 |
| Oregon Secretary of State, What Does Doing Business Mean?: "A foreign entity (home jurisdiction is another state or country) doing business in Oregon may not transact business in this state until it has been authorized to do so by the Secretary of State." | Oregon Secretary of State, What Does Doing Business Mean? | 2026-10-19 |
| Arizona Corporation Commission, Business Services FAQs: "If a foreign entity wants to transact business or conduct affairs in Arizona, it must register with the Arizona Corporation Commission." | Arizona Corporation Commission, Business Services FAQs | 2026-10-19 |
| California Contractors State License Board, Journeymen Reciprocity: "You cannot use your contractor license from another state or country to perform services in California." | California Contractors State License Board, Journeymen Reciprocity | 2026-10-19 |
| Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Contracting FAQs (modified April 20, 2026): "Utah does not have reciprocity." "Instead, Utah allows for licensure by endorsement." | Utah Division of Professional Licensing, Contracting FAQs (modified April 20, 2026) | 2026-10-19 |
| Oregon Construction Contractors Board, About the CCB: "Oregon law requires anyone who works for compensation in any construction activity involving improvements to real property to be licensed with the Oregon Construction Contractors Board (CCB)." | Oregon Construction Contractors Board, About the CCB | 2026-10-19 |
| Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1151, Engaging in contracting without license prohibited: "It is unlawful for any person, firm, partnership, corporation, association or other organization, or a combination of any of them, to engage in the business of, submit a bid or respond to a request for qualification or a request for proposals for construction services as, act or offer to act in the capacity of or purport to have the capacity of a contractor without having a contractor's license in good standing in the name of the person, firm, partnership, corporation, association or other organization as provided in this chapter, unless the person, firm, partnership, corporation, association or other organization is exempt as provided in this chapter." | Arizona Revised Statutes 32-1151 | 2026-10-19 |
| On the West Capital Lending HELOC registration page, checking qualifying rates and terms uses a soft credit pull that does not affect the credit score; continuing and submitting an application requests a full credit report, which is a hard pull that may affect credit. | West Capital Lending HELOC registration page (referral id omitted here) | 2026-09-09 |
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.
Moving your business and buying a home?
No credit pull happens from a conversation. The options check is a soft credit pull with no impact on your credit score for the first look. Text Zach first so he can review your situation. The online check covers one HELOC program, not every option he may be able to arrange. Texts go to Zach's cell.