Two names
Buying with a partner or parent
Everyone on the loan has to qualify. Everyone on title has to make sense for the program. Those are two different lists.
On the loan
Income, credit, and debts for every borrower go into the underwrite. Adding a person with strong income can help. Adding a person with heavy student loans or a thin score can cost you the program. We run it both ways before anyone applies twice.
On the title
Title is who owns the house. Occupancy programs — FHA, VA, USDA — care who will live there. A parent who is helping with cash does not automatically go on the deed or the note. Gift funds exist so they often do not have to.
Co-signers
A co-signer is a last tool, not a default. Occupancy rules, non-occupant co-borrower guidelines, and state law all change what is allowed. If a parent is offering to “just sign,” call us before anyone promises the seller that structure.
Breakups and what-ifs
We cannot lawyer a relationship. We can tell you that removing a name later is a refinance, and that occupancy fraud on an owner-occupied loan is a dead file. Be honest about who is moving in.
Questions
- Can my parent co-sign and not live there?
- Sometimes, on certain conventional structures. FHA, VA, and USDA occupancy rules are stricter. Tell us the living plan first. We will not put a parent on an owner-occupied product if they are not going to occupy when the program requires it.
- Should my partner be on the loan if their credit is rough?
- Not always. Sometimes they belong on title only, or not yet. We will not drag a second credit report into the file if it sinks the program you actually qualify for alone.
- We are not married. Does that matter?
- For the loan, less than people think. For title and inheritance, more. Occupancy still has to be true. We originate the mortgage. A closing attorney or title company handles how the deed is held.
Keep reading
More first-time guides
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Before you tour
Get ready to buy
What “first-time buyer” means, how debt-to-income works, and what to stop doing 60 days out.
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Paperwork
Documents and where to find them
Paystubs, bank PDFs, tax transcripts, rent history, and how to pull each one without a scavenger hunt.
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The money
Down payment and cash to close
Earnest money, closing costs, seller credits, gifts, and Ohio down payment assistance — one number, not five.
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The payment we count
Student loans and a mortgage
Deferred, income-driven, parent PLUS, and why paying them off mid-file can backfire.
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Income that is not a W-2
Self-employed and 1099 buyers
Two years of returns, add-backs, a current P&L, and why a brand-new LLC does not qualify you overnight.
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The house type
Condos, manufactured, well and septic
Warrantable condos, titled manufactured homes, private well, and septic — what kills a file before the appraisal.
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House hack
Owner-occupied 2–4 units
Live in one unit, rent the others. How FHA and conventional treat rental income on a first purchase.
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Build or buy
New construction vs resale
Builder contracts, rate locks that expire, specs that change, and why a resale file is a different clock.
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The stretch
From offer to keys
Inspections, appraisals, insurance, underwriting conditions, and closing day in this market.
Start here
Structure the application right
Call (740) 314-5324 before two people start two applications. One conversation is cheaper.