Honestly, I still can't quite believe it. After years of freelancing, dealing with irregular income, and hearing horror stories about banks turning down self-employed folks, I finally got the green light on my mortgage application. It was a rollercoaster ride, you know? Tons of paperwork, proving income from multiple sources, explaining gaps in earnings...ugh. At one point I was pretty sure they'd just laugh me out of the office.
But nope. Got the call yesterday afternoon saying everything's approved and good to go. I legit did a little dance around my kitchen (my dog looked at me like I'd lost it). It's just such a relief after months of stress and uncertainty.
I think what really helped was keeping super organized records of all my invoices and payments over the past couple years. My accountant friend kept nagging me about it, and turns out she was totally right (don't tell her I said that though). Also, finding a broker who actually understood freelancing made a huge difference—someone who didn't just stare blankly when I mentioned multiple clients or fluctuating monthly income.
Anyway, I'm curious if anyone else here has had similar experiences? Like freelancers or small biz owners who've managed to navigate this whole mortgage maze successfully. Would love to hear how it went for you guys—did you have any tricks or tips that made things easier? Or maybe just share your own happy dance moment...
Congrats, that's a huge win—especially considering how banks usually treat freelancers. I totally get the stress you're talking about. A couple years back, I helped a friend who runs her own graphic design biz prep for her mortgage application, and it was honestly like pulling teeth. She had to dig through years of invoices, bank statements, and even client emails to prove her income was stable enough.
"I think what really helped was keeping super organized records of all my invoices and payments over the past couple years."
This right here is gold. Keeping meticulous records is probably the single best thing freelancers can do to boost their chances. Banks love seeing consistency, even if the numbers fluctuate month-to-month. Also, totally agree about finding a broker who actually gets freelancing—makes a massive difference. My friend switched brokers halfway through because the first one just didn't understand her income structure at all.
Anyway, enjoy the moment—you've definitely earned that kitchen dance.
Interesting point about switching brokers mid-process...never considered that. I'm just starting to look into mortgages now and it's a bit overwhelming tbh. Did your friend end up having delays or extra fees because she switched brokers halfway through? Wondering if it's worth the hassle or if I should just spend more time upfront finding someone who understands freelance income from the get-go.
"Did your friend end up having delays or extra fees because she switched brokers halfway through?"
My friend switched brokers midway and while she didn't get hit with extra fees, it definitely added some stress and delayed things by about two weeks. Honestly, if you're freelance, I'd recommend spending a bit more time upfront finding someone who really gets your income situation. It'll save you headaches later on...trust me, been there! Good luck with it all—mortgage shopping can be intense but totally worth it in the end.
Switching brokers mid-process can definitely be a mixed bag. I haven't personally done it, but I've seen it happen a few times with clients. Usually, there aren't extra fees per se, but the delays can be pretty frustrating—two weeks sounds about right. The main issue is that the new broker has to essentially redo a lot of the paperwork and underwriting checks, which can feel like starting from scratch.
I'd second the advice about finding someone who understands freelance income from the get-go. Freelancing income can look pretty messy on paper, especially if your earnings fluctuate month-to-month. A broker who's experienced with self-employed clients can make a huge difference in smoothing things out.
Funny enough, I once had a client whose broker kept asking for "proof of stable income"—and the client was a freelance graphic designer with wildly varying monthly invoices. Took a while to explain that "stable" doesn't always mean "same every month." 😂 Anyway, glad you got approved—it's a big milestone, congrats!
