Your CPA saved
you money.
The bank may not care.
Write-offs are great for your tax bill. They can also lower the income a lender uses to qualify you — which is why business owners with strong cash flow still get told no.
See my options →See what you may qualify for.
Answer a few short questions. No credit pull required to start. A member of Team Metzdorf will review your situation and follow up with options that may fit your goals.
Same year.
Same business.
Illustrative example. Figures shown are not a quote, an offer, or a promise of qualification.
What does the bank
think you make?
This is a rough illustration, not a pre-qualification, a quote, or an offer to lend. Actual figures depend on your full financial picture and program guidelines.
See my options →How a good year
turns into a denial.
Your CPA does their job
Equipment, mileage, home office, depreciation, contractor payments. Every legitimate deduction lowers what you owe in April.
Your taxable income drops
The revenue is still real and the deposits still land, but the number at the bottom of your return is a fraction of it.
The lender qualifies you on that number
Traditional underwriting reads the return, not the business. Strong company, healthy cash flow, and a ratio that says no.
Other ways a file
may be reviewed.
Bank statement programs
Deposits and cash flow may be used in place of relying only on tax returns.
1099 income programs
For contractors and commission earners whose write-offs shrink the net.
Profit & loss programs
On some programs a CPA-prepared P&L may support the file.
Asset depletion
Where qualifying leans on assets rather than monthly income.
Who this
is built for.
- Owners with 2+ years in the same business
- Anyone whose write-offs outpace their taxable income
- Buyers already denied on a conventional application
- Owners buying a primary, second, or investment home
- Owners refinancing to pull cash out
If any of this is you,
keep reading.
You could make great money as a business owner and still get denied for a mortgage.
The reason the bank said no may not be that you don't make enough.
Your CPA saved you money on taxes — that same strategy may be hurting your approval.
Most business owners think the bank looks at what they earn. That's not always how it works.
Self-employed buyers are getting told they don't qualify — even with strong cash flow.
The bank may not care what your business makes. They care what your tax returns say you kept.
Martin Metzdorf · Originating Branch Manager · NMLS #387719
Originating Branch Manager · CrossCountry Mortgage® · NMLS #387719
Gilbert, AZ · 480.900.0882 · 425.508.2202 (mobile)
Martin Metzdorf is an Originating Branch Manager at CrossCountry Mortgage in Gilbert, Arizona, with more than 23 years in home financing. He has spent that career next to business owners, investors and commission-paid buyers — the files a tax return alone tends to describe badly.
His day-to-day work includes purchase, refinance, renovation, investment property and Portfolio lending, so the conversation isn’t limited to one box. If your write-offs shrink the income a lender can count, there may be a program that reads your deposits or 1099s instead.
His process starts with a short conversation about how you’re actually paid, then points you toward the programs that may fit your file — no pressure to gather documents before that first call. Outside the office he’s a family man, an investor, a golfer and an outdoors enthusiast.
Book a call instead →Questions worth
asking first.
Do I have to change how I file my taxes?
Typically no. These programs generally exist so that you don't have to choose between filing the way your CPA recommends and being reviewed for a mortgage. Whether your returns are used at all depends on the program. Nothing here is tax advice — talk to your CPA about your filing.
Is the rate higher than a conventional loan?
It may be. Pricing on alternative documentation programs is typically different from conventional pricing, and it depends on the program, the file, and market conditions. No rate can be quoted on a web page — any pricing discussion happens after a review of your actual scenario.
How much do I need for a down payment?
It depends on the program and the file. Alternative documentation programs typically ask for more down than a minimum-down conventional loan, and the range can vary widely based on credit, reserves, property type, and occupancy.
I was already denied somewhere else — does that hurt me?
Not necessarily. A denial is often a sign that the file was reviewed under guidelines that don't fit how a business owner is paid. It may be worth reviewing what was submitted and which documentation approach was used before assuming the outcome would be the same.
What do I actually need to send you to find out?
Usually a short conversation first, then some combination of recent business bank statements, 1099s, or a P&L depending on the direction that fits. Nothing has to be gathered before that first conversation.