A lot of the founders and business owners I work with have the same problem when they go to buy a house. Their wealth sits in vested shares or a company they own, and the salary on their W-2, if they pay themselves one at all, looks small next to the home they want. A standard lender looks at that tax return and sees a much weaker borrower than the person sitting across from me.
There are loan programs built for exactly this. Which one fits depends on where your money is.
Where the jumbo line is
For 2026, the Federal Housing Finance Agency set the baseline conforming loan limit at $832,750 for a one-unit home in most of the country (some high-cost counties go higher). Any loan above the limit for your county is a jumbo loan. On a $3 million purchase with 25% down, you're borrowing $2.25 million, so you're well into jumbo territory and the usual Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac rules don't apply.
If your wealth is in investments: asset-based loans
Asset-based loans, sometimes called asset depletion loans, let the lender count what you own instead of what you earn. The lender looks at your eligible assets, such as brokerage accounts and retirement funds, and converts them into a qualifying monthly income figure on paper. Someone with $8 million in a portfolio and a modest salary can qualify for a loan their pay stubs alone would never support.
If you own a business: bank statement loans
Business owners often write off enough that their taxable income looks thin, which is good for taxes and bad for mortgage applications. Bank statement loans use your actual deposits, usually over 12 or 24 months, to show what the business brings in. It's the same money, documented in a way that reflects reality.
If you're an executive with a large salary
A traditional full-documentation jumbo loan is often still the best rate. If your compensation includes RSUs or bonuses, the lender will want a history showing that income is likely to continue, so bring your offer letter and vesting schedule early.
If you're building
Construction-to-permanent loans cover the build and then convert into a regular mortgage, so you close once instead of twice. This comes up a lot with clients buying acreage and building a main house.
Buying in a trust or an LLC
Many of my clients want title held in a trust for privacy or estate planning. Whether a given loan can close that way depends on the program and the type of entity, so I sort that out with your attorney's structure in hand before you're under contract, not the week before closing. I'm not your attorney or your CPA, and the structure itself should come from them.
Paying cash versus financing
Some clients pay cash, and that's a fine choice. Others would rather keep their money invested or keep liquidity on hand for the business and borrow against the house instead. That's a decision for you and your financial advisor. My job is to make sure either path is ready to go when you find the right property.
As a mortgage loan officer, I originate loans in 49 states and Washington, D.C., with a lending team that keeps every file on schedule. If you want to see which of these fits you, start with a private consultation and bring a rough picture of where your assets sit.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or investment advice. All loans are subject to underwriting approval.
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