Income documentation drives the file
Self-employed mortgage reviews usually start with tax returns, year-to-date profit and loss, bank statements, business history, and how income is likely to be calculated for underwriting.
Not every strong business shows strong qualifying income
Write-offs can reduce taxable income. That can be good for tax planning but challenging for mortgage qualification, so the review should happen before a purchase contract is at risk.
Alternative documentation may be available
Depending on the borrower and property, a broker may compare conventional, FHA, bank-statement, DSCR, or other non-QM paths. Each has different pricing, documentation, and equity expectations.