Non-qualified mortgage programs for Los Angeles buyers whose income story doesn't fit the traditional mold. Self-employed, investors, entertainment industry, and more.
Non-QM (non-qualified mortgage) loans are mortgage programs that fall outside the standard agency guidelines set by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. They're not subprime — they're alternative documentation programs designed for real borrowers with non-traditional income profiles.
In Los Angeles, Non-QM isn't a niche product — it's the primary path to homeownership for a huge portion of buyers. Freelancers, business owners, entertainment industry workers in Studio City and Burbank, and real estate investors from Highland Park to Sherman Oaks all commonly use Non-QM programs.
Derek Vail at LiveLendLA specializes in matching LA buyers to the right Non-QM program based on their exact income situation.
W-2 income is increasingly uncommon in LA — most buyers are self-employed, 1099, or have complex income structures
High home prices mean strict DTI rules knock out even high earners using conventional loans
Entertainment industry income is real but project-based — traditional lenders don't know how to underwrite it
Real estate investors need loans based on rental income, not personal income
Every program uses a different way to document income. The right one depends on how you get paid.
12–24 months of bank statement deposits qualify you. No tax returns needed. Derek uses your actual deposits — not what the IRS sees after write-offs.
Investment property loans based on rental income alone. Your personal income doesn't matter — the property's cash flow qualifies you.
Use liquid assets — brokerage accounts, savings, retirement — to derive qualifying income. No employment required.
Alternative documentation for contractors and business owners. Use your 1099s or a CPA-prepared profit and loss statement to qualify.
How big — or how modest — can a Non-QM loan be in this market? More flexible than most people assume.
These programs are built to scale with the LA market. On the lower end, Non-QM can finance a modest primary residence — a condo or starter home in neighborhoods like Glendale, Burbank, or Silver Lake — for a self-employed buyer whose tax returns don't tell the whole story. On the higher end, the same family of programs comfortably handles multi-million-dollar purchases in Encino, Studio City, or on the Westside near Santa Monica, with options reaching $3 million and beyond.
The right loan amount comes down to your qualifications and the specific program's guidelines — your income documentation, credit, down payment, and reserves all factor in. Rather than forcing your purchase into a one-size-fits-all limit, Derek matches you to a program whose parameters actually fit what you're buying. Whether you're stepping into your first home in Los Feliz or trading up to something larger in Sherman Oaks, text your scenario and you'll get a clear read on the loan size your situation supports.
These programs exist because real borrowers — with real income and real assets — don't always fit into a standard box. Here's who Derek works with every day.
You run a business and write everything off. Your tax returns show $60k but your bank deposits show $180k. A bank statement loan uses 12 or 24 months of deposits to calculate your qualifying income instead of your tax returns. No W-2 required — Derek qualifies you on what you actually earn, not what the IRS sees.
→ Bank Statement LoanActors, writers, producers, directors, and crew work 1099 and project-to-project in Los Angeles — and many of them are buying near the studios in Studio City, Burbank, Sherman Oaks, and Los Feliz. Income is real and substantial — but it's inconsistent from a conventional mortgage standpoint. A 1099-only loan or bank statement program qualifies you based on how you actually get paid, not how a bank wishes you did. This is one of the most common Non-QM scenarios Derek handles in LA.
→ 1099 Loan or Bank Statement LoanYou want to buy a rental property but your personal income doesn't support another mortgage under conventional guidelines. A DSCR loan qualifies you based on the property's rental income — not your salary. If the rent covers the payment, you can qualify. Whether it's a duplex in Glendale or a small multi-unit in Silver Lake, you can close in an LLC if needed. No limit on how many properties you own.
→ DSCR LoanYou have significant assets in a brokerage, savings, or retirement account but your taxable income looks thin on paper. Tech executives with RSUs, business owners who take minimal salary, and retirees in places like Encino, Santa Monica, and Pasadena all fit this profile. An asset depletion loan converts your liquid assets into qualifying monthly income — no employment required.
→ Asset Depletion LoanBankruptcy or foreclosure in the last one to two years doesn't automatically disqualify you. If you've recovered, rebuilt, and have stable income now, Non-QM programs exist specifically for buyers in your timeline. Derek has helped borrowers close in LA as little as 12 months after a bankruptcy discharge.
→ Non-QM Credit Event ProgramStraight answers to the questions Derek hears most from LA buyers exploring Non-QM programs.
Non-QM is its own world. The right program — and the right structure — depends on someone who works in it every day.
Non-QM lending lives in the details, and the details are exactly where most borrowers get tripped up. Derek Vail has spent his career helping Los Angeles buyers whose income doesn't fit a standard template find financing that actually reflects how they earn. That means self-employed business owners who write down their taxable income, entertainment industry professionals paid project-to-project, real estate investors growing a portfolio, and high-net-worth buyers whose wealth sits in assets rather than a W-2. These aren't edge cases to Derek — they're the bulk of the people he works with across the city.
What makes the difference is knowing which program fits which story. A 24-month bank statement loan for a restaurant owner in Silver Lake is structured very differently from a DSCR loan on a rental in Glendale, an asset depletion loan for a retiree in Pasadena, or a 1099 program for a freelance editor working the studios in Burbank and Studio City. Derek matches the borrower to the program — and just as importantly, he sets realistic expectations on documentation, down payment, and timeline before you're under contract, so there are no surprises when it counts.
He specializes in finding solutions when traditional financing falls short. If a producer in Sherman Oaks was told their income was "too complicated," if a business owner in Encino was denied because their write-offs shrank their qualifying income, or if an investor in Los Feliz hit a wall on conventional property limits — those are precisely the situations Non-QM was designed for, and the ones Derek navigates routinely. Where a conventional lender sees a file that doesn't fit the box, Derek looks for the program that does.
You also get a direct line. Derek works with buyers throughout Los Angeles — from Santa Monica to Pasadena — and he keeps it personal: text him your scenario and you'll get a straight, honest read on your options, including when Non-QM isn't the right fit. Every loan is subject to credit approval, underwriting, and verification, and nothing here is a commitment to lend — but if there's a workable path to your purchase, Derek's goal is to find it and explain it to you in plain language.
Derek Vail at LiveLendLA specializes in Non-QM loans for Los Angeles buyers — including self-employed borrowers, entertainment industry workers, real estate investors, and high-net-worth buyers. Text your scenario and get real numbers back within the hour.
📲 Text Your ScenarioServing buyers across Los Angeles, Burbank, Studio City, Sherman Oaks, Encino, Glendale, Pasadena, Santa Monica, Silver Lake, Los Feliz, and surrounding areas.