A DSCR loan (debt service coverage ratio) qualifies on the property's income instead of yours: the lender checks whether the rent covers the mortgage payment rather than verifying your tax returns and personal debt-to-income. If the numbers pencil, you can qualify even when your write-offs would sink a conventional application. One hard limit: DSCR is for investment property only, never a home you live in, since the whole premise is the rent carrying the debt. These loans are available in most of the country, though not every lender offers them in every state. They work, and they fill a real gap for investors who own appreciated rentals and write off enough that conventional qualifying is tough. Expect trade-offs, and expect them to vary by lender, since these are non-agency products. The standard down payment runs 20 to 25 percent. Strong borrowers (think a 680-plus score and an existing primary residence) can sometimes get to 10 to 15 percent, occasionally with the seller carrying a second, but going that low usually adds roughly 1.5 to 2 percent to the rate versus the 20-percent tier. The requirement climbs the other way too, often 25 to 35 percent, when the rent does not fully cover the payment (a ratio under 1.0), on 2-to-4-unit or short-term rentals, or for a first-time investor. Plan on a higher rate than a full-doc loan either way, and confirm current terms, since these guidelines move. One practical warning: the market-rent survey used to confirm income tends to come in below what the unit actually rents for, so build some margin into your assumptions. If you want us to run whether a specific property pencils on DSCR versus conventional, that is a quick Roadmap conversation.