What happens when the bank tells you that you don't qualify for a mortgage?

According to mortgage loan originator Josue Reyes, that doesn't necessarily mean your path to homeownership is over.

In this episode of the Pick Up the Phone Podcast, Josue breaks down alternative mortgage options for buyers who may struggle to qualify through traditional lending—including self-employed individuals, 1099 workers, cash earners, and borrowers whose tax returns may not reflect their true financial picture.

One of the biggest topics in this conversation is the Earned Equity program, an alternative path that can allow qualified buyers to purchase a home with as little as 3.5% down and a 580+ credit score. Josue explains how the program works, how income can potentially be verified differently, and why buyers can still earn equity, refinance, and sell.

But Josue's expertise comes from more than understanding loan products.

After immigrating from El Salvador to Los Angeles at seven years old, Josue bought his first home at just 22. His own struggle to get approved for that first mortgage ultimately introduced him to an industry that would become his career.

He went from working in a mortgage call center and cold calling his own prospects to investing in real estate, relocating his family from California to Texas, launching his own mortgage branch, and eventually building a business producing approximately 100 loans per year and $3 million per month.

• Why being denied for a traditional mortgage doesn't necessarily mean you can't buy a home
• How the 3.5% down Earned Equity program works
• Why self-employed and 1099 borrowers often struggle with traditional mortgage qualification
• How bank statements and profit & loss statements may be used to document income
• Why a 580+ credit score can still provide options with certain programs
• The differences between traditional mortgages, Non-QM products, and Earned Equity
• How buyers using Earned Equity can build equity, refinance, and sell
• How Josue went from struggling to qualify for his own first home to becoming a mortgage professional
• Why he moved from California to Texas and began investing in the Texas market
• How persistence and tenacity helped him build a high-producing mortgage business
• Why Josue approaches mortgage lending as a consultant and educator rather than simply selling a loan

The Pick Up the Phone Podcast features conversations with entrepreneurs, investors, sales professionals, and business leaders about the experiences, strategies, failures, and lessons that helped shape their success.

If you enjoyed this episode, follow the show and share it with someone who may need to hear that being told "you don't qualify" doesn't always mean "no."