Underwriters read your tax returns more carefully than anything else you hand them. Missing years and aggressive write-offs quietly cost people the house.
Don't send documents yet — this is just so I know what we're dealing with.
I'll follow up shortly with next steps and exactly what I'll need from you.
— Jenai
Because this is where I watch deals die. Three patterns, over and over:
Most lenders want two years of returns. A missing year is a full stop until it's filed — and that takes weeks you didn't budget for.
Every deduction lowers the income an underwriter can count. The return that saved you most in April can shrink your approval by six figures.
It matters enormously whether a fix happens before or after you apply. Wrong order restarts the clock.
The move is simple: handle this 6–12 months before you want to buy, not the month you find a house.