Hard to qualify?
Told no, or afraid to ask? Start with the calculation, not the verdict.
A denial can reflect a lender's requirements, the program's rules, or something that needs to change in your file. I start by identifying which one applies. The number is knowable before you shop, and it often moves once someone reads your file the way the rules actually read it.
The direct answer
A lender does not qualify you on what you earn. It qualifies you on what it can count, and the counting rules are written down: which deductions come back, how variable pay is averaged, how long a history is enough, what a job change or a gap does, which documents replace a tax return, how long each program waits after a bankruptcy or a foreclosure. Each page below takes one of those and explains it.
Where the standard count is too small, documentation-based programs exist and cost more. Where it is enough, you do not need them. The first step is a short conversation with Zach, and it does not touch your credit.
Talk it through with Zach first
Text Zach what you do, roughly what the last two returns or pay stubs show, and when you want to buy. He will tell you which page is yours and what the count looks like before anyone pulls credit.
Text ZachRather talk? Call (949) 537-1260
- Nothing to fill out before you text. Bring the rough numbers and Zach does the rest.
- No credit pull happens from a conversation.
I had a great experience working with my mortgage broker, Zach VonD. He was professional, knowledgeabele, and incredibly easy to work with throughout the entire process. He was always available to answer my questions, explained everything clearly and made the whole mortgage process feel smooth and stress free. I would definitely recommend him to anyone looking for a reliable and trustworthy mortgage professional.
Selected excerpts. Read all reviews on Experience.com.
What clients consistently mention
- Responsive and easy to reach
- Explains the process clearly
- Patient guidance through decisions
- Finds options that fit the situation
Read the reviews on Experience.com
Read on 2026-09-24. General service reviews; they do not prove a result for your situation or point to a particular lender.
Zach von der Linden, Mortgage broker and Branch Manager, West Capital Lending. Based in San Clemente. Branch office in Irvine.
Pick the one that sounds like you
- 01Write-offs shrank my incomeMy write-offs made my income look too small. Can I still get approved?
- 02Just went self-employedI just went self-employed. How long before I can buy a home?
- 03Commission, bonus, or overtimeMy pay is commission, bonus, or overtime. What counts toward a mortgage?
- 04Job change or a gapI changed jobs or had a gap. Does that stop me from getting a mortgage?
- 05Self-employed, returns look lowCan I refinance or buy if my tax returns do not show what my business earns now?
- 06Investment property: qualifies on the property’s rental incomeCan I buy a rental where the rent qualifies instead of my tax returns?
Paid partly in stock? Does my RSU income count for a mortgage? Savings or retirement accounts but no paycheck? Can I get a mortgage with no job but substantial savings? Switched from a W-2 job to 1099 contractor work? The newly self-employed page covers one year of 1099 income and a recent W-2-to-1099 switch.
Paid in salary, bonus, commission and stock together? Buying or refinancing with salary, bonuses, and stock compensation? routes each part of your pay to the page that counts it.
Own a business and the returns do not show this year? I offer loans qualified on a profit and loss statement: Can I get a mortgage with a profit and loss statement instead of tax returns? Just made partner? Do I need two years of K-1s before I can buy? A student loan payment the lender counted higher than what you pay? How does a lender count my student loan payment? Already told no? Here is what to do after a mortgage denial, reason by reason.
Already own your home? There is also a HELOC for self-employed owners, qualified on bank statements. Already carry two loans on the house? Can I get a HELOC if I already have a second mortgage? Had a late mortgage payment? Can I still refinance or get a HELOC?
Been through a bankruptcy, a foreclosure, a short sale or a deed-in-lieu? The event is a date on a credit report, and each program writes down how long it waits after that date and what it wants to see since. Can I buy or refinance after bankruptcy, foreclosure or a short sale? sets out what Fannie Mae, FHA and VA require, which date starts the clock, and what to have ready.
Utah investment property, a deadline a bank cannot meet, or a loan that is coming due? Can I get a hard money loan in Utah? covers private financing placed with investors, where approval depends on the property and the plan.
A doctor, attorney, CPA, nurse or teacher? Do doctors, teachers and nurses get special mortgages? separates professional mortgage programs, homebuyer assistance and the income questions behind them. Starting a new job before you close? Can I get a mortgage with a job offer letter before I start?
How the first pass works
- You text or call. Zach asks for the rough numbers, not documents.
- He reads them the way an underwriter would and tells you the count, what would move it, and whether a standard loan or a documentation-based program fits.
- A conversation is not an application. No credit is pulled until you choose to apply, and Zach will tell you before that step what the application will ask for.
Need a pre-approval letter while the count is worked out? Get pre-approved. The online path is for W-2 employees; everyone else starts with the conversation above, and the request uses a soft credit check only.
What this section will not do
It will not tell you that you qualify. Nobody can from a web page. It will show you how the count works so the answer you get on the phone makes sense, and it will say plainly when waiting a tax year, changing how you file, or adding a co-borrower is the better move.
Let's talk through your situation.
Tell me what you're buying and where you are in the process. I'll help you understand what needs to be reviewed before you move forward.
No credit pull happens from a conversation. Texts go to Zach's cell.