A primary residence is the home you actually occupy for the majority of the year, and lenders verify occupancy rather than take it on faith. The definition leaves less room than people hope. When you sign loan documents for a primary residence, you are committing to move in, generally within 60 days of closing, and to live there as your main home. Where your mail goes, where your utilities run, and what you report on your tax return all follow from that. Intending to move there eventually does not satisfy the test today. Why this matters for financing: lenders offer their best terms on primary residences, so occupancy gets real scrutiny. The common snag is employment. If your job sits where you live now and the plan is to work remotely from the new home, the lender will typically want a letter from your employer confirming remote work is allowed. Without that, your income may not support qualifying the new place as a primary residence, and you could be looking at second-home or investment-property terms instead, which usually means a larger down payment and a higher rate. And do this one straight. Signing primary-residence documents with no genuine intent to occupy is misrepresenting occupancy, and no rate is worth that. If an out-of-state move is on your radar, the free Roadmap conversation (about 20 minutes) is where we run your real numbers and map out how your income and occupancy plan let you qualify.