Student loan forgiveness only helps your mortgage application once it is official and documented, while deferred, forborne, or in-progress loans still count against you. This guide to student loan forgiveness mortgage qualification explains how lenders treat forgiven, deferred, and income-driven-repayment loans in your debt-to-income ratio, and which paperwork gets your file approved.
How to Get a Mortgage When Your Credit Score Is Too Low: A Step-by-Step Plan from Duane Buziak
If a lender says your credit score is too low for a mortgage, you may still have options. Duane Buziak walks through a step-by-step plan: confirm the score your loan program actually requires, identify what is dragging your credit down, fix what can be fixed quickly, match your profile to the right loan program, and leave with a written plan.
How to Get Pre-Approved for a Mortgage: A Step-by-Step Guide from Duane Buziak
This step-by-step guide from Duane Buziak, Mortgage Maestro, explains how to get pre approved for mortgage financing in seven steps. It starts with checking your credit, debt-to-income ratio, and income, then walks through gathering documents and avoiding unnecessary hard credit pulls. You finish with a pre-approval letter that sellers and listing agents take seriously.
7 Strategies to Choose a VA Lender: Duane Buziak on What Veterans Should Look For
Searching for the best va lenders for veterans is less about picking a brand and more about how you evaluate lenders. Duane Buziak, NMLS #1110647, walks through seven strategies, starting with your Certificate of Eligibility and entitlement, to help veterans match funding fee, pricing, and guidelines to the right VA lender for their situation.
Does DTI Include Bonus Income? The Real Rules
Does DTI include bonus income? Learn the two-year history rule, calculation methods, documentation, and strategies to qualify with variable pay today
7 Strategies to Choose the Right USDA Lender: A Duane Buziak Guide for 2026
USDA guarantees loans but does not lend the money, so the lender you choose shapes your approval odds, pricing, and timeline. This guide from Duane Buziak shares seven strategies for finding the best USDA lenders, from confirming property and income eligibility first to comparing lenders on rules, cost, service, and credentials.
Short Sale Impact on Future Mortgage: Waiting Periods, Credit Effects, and Your Path Back to Homeownership
A short sale does not permanently block homeownership, but it brings a credit hit and a waiting period that varies by loan program, commonly two to four years in 2026. This guide explains the short sale impact on future mortgage underwriting, what your next loan may cost, and how to rebuild credit so you qualify sooner.
7 Strategies to Get Approved When It’s Hard to Qualify for a Conventional Loan
When it’s hard to qualify for a conventional loan, the cause is usually one fixable factor, such as credit score, DTI, down payment, income documentation, or a lender overlay. This guide walks through seven strategies in order: find the real blocker, fix the cheapest factor, adjust the loan structure, document income, switch programs, and shop without stacking credit pulls.
Duane Buziak’s 7 Strategies to Use Teacher Home Loan Programs and Lower Your Cost of Buying
There is no single national teacher mortgage, but teacher home loan programs from state housing agencies and local employers can lower what educators pay to buy a home. Duane Buziak shares seven strategies for finding the right program, qualifying correctly, and pairing it with the best FHA, conventional, or USDA base loan.
Non-QM Income Documentation Guide for Borrowers
This non QM income documentation guide shows self-employed and asset-rich borrowers how brokers test qualifying income, documents, and DTI before applying.
