Can I buy a home if I'm self-employed?

Absolutely — and this is one of the areas where having a broker really matters, because not all lenders treat self-employment income the same way. The traditional path is two years of business tax returns plus a year-to-date P&L; the lender averages your net income (after deductions and write-offs) and uses that as your qualifying income. The catch is that all those legitimate deductions you take to lower your tax bill also lower your qualifying income, which can make it look like you earn less than you actually do. That's where alternative documentation programs come in: bank statement loans qualify you on 12-24 months of business deposits instead of tax returns, asset depletion loans use your liquid assets as income, P&L-only loans work off CPA-prepared statements, and DSCR loans qualify investment properties on the rental income alone. These products usually carry slightly higher rates than fully-documented conventional loans, but they make homeownership very achievable for self-employed buyers. We'll figure out which path uses your real financial picture to your advantage.