Helping a Friend with Less-Than-Prime Financials Buy a House… Any Lenders/Programs That Could Work?

Hi everyone!

I’m hoping to help a friend who’s a contractor buy a home. I’m about to list a house that’s ideal for him, and I’m willing to give him a deal.

It’s eligible for USDA financing, so it sounds perfect, right? But there’s a catch.

Here’s his situation:

  • He’s not a permanent resident or US citizen but is self-employed. He can provide two years of tax returns and bank statements showing about $90k a year in income.
  • His credit score is around 660, and he can put 10% down.
  • The purchase price would be $235k.
  • His wife is a permanent resident with a 710 credit score but has a thin credit file.
  • His mom, who is a US citizen, has excellent credit, but her only income is social security.

They have only one financed truck as debt. I’ve known him for over a year, and he’s one of the hardest-working people I know. I’d love to see him get this opportunity.

Mortgage experts—any ideas on lenders or programs that might make this happen?

If you think he’s a good risk, you could act as the bank and sell to him directly.

For self-employed people, income can look lower than expected if they have high write-offs. For example, if he brings in 90k but writes off 70k, the income that counts would be 20k.

This seems doable… shouldn’t be a problem.

Riley said:
This seems doable… shouldn’t be a problem.

That’s great to hear! Any specific lenders or programs you think would be a good fit?

Fionn said:

Riley said:
This seems doable… shouldn’t be a problem.

That’s great to hear! Any specific lenders or programs you think would be a good fit?

Which state is he in?

@Erie
Florida

Fionn said:
@Erie
Florida

Perfect, I can help with that.

Erie said:

Fionn said:
@Erie
Florida

Perfect, I can help with that.

Great! Are there any key questions I should ask him about his credit or income to make sure he’s eligible? I don’t want to get their hopes up if there’s a disqualifying factor.

@Fionn
Just a heads-up—avoid giving any personal info to random people on here. If they represent a legit company, they can provide the official company info so you can reach out directly.

@Fionn
No problem—we can handle this together. Let’s set up a call where I can answer questions and make sure we’re covering everything. My company specializes in helping people in unique financial situations.

@Erie
Sounds a bit off to me.

Bao said:
@Erie
Sounds a bit off to me.

Honestly, it’s normal for loan officers to reach out like that. They may want to explain options, especially since self-employment income can sometimes complicate things.

Bao said:
@Erie
Sounds a bit off to me.

You think I’m the one sounding sketchy?

Erie said:

Bao said:
@Erie
Sounds a bit off to me.

You think I’m the one sounding sketchy?

Yep, talking about calls and such feels off.

Wren said:

Erie said:
Bao said:
@Erie
Sounds a bit off to me.

You think I’m the one sounding sketchy?

Yep, talking about calls and such feels off.

If this comment is empty, might be a glitch on the forum.

That 710 score might be from Credit Karma.

Vanya said:
That 710 score might be from Credit Karma.

Yeah, probably! We’re planning to sit down and pull the 2/4/5 scores and get the full reports from Annualcreditreport.com soon. I might also add them as an authorized user on a few of my cards to help boost their credit score.

Lender here—this should be doable with either a USDA-guaranteed or FHA loan. Let me know if I can help!

Haru said:
Lender here—this should be doable with either a USDA-guaranteed or FHA loan. Let me know if I can help!

Thanks, but FHA might be an issue since I’ve owned the property for under 60 days. USDA might work, but I don’t think he has work authorization. We’ll look at his taxes, but maybe his wife’s permanent residency could help with eligibility?