Your lender said the building doesn’t qualify and walked away? That’s not the end of your deal — that’s where I come in. Non-QM lenders already solved this problem. Let’s get it closed.
🔓 Rescue My DealMortgage broker access · 25–30% down solutions · Flexible income & credit
If you’ve been anywhere near Florida real estate lately, you’ve felt it: under the new Fannie Mae & Freddie Mac condo review rules, buildings across the state are being flagged — deferred maintenance, reserve shortfalls, pending litigation, structural review issues — and landing on the dreaded non-warrantable list.
When that happens, conventional financing shuts off like a light switch. And here’s the painful part: it usually happens mid-deal. Buyer’s ready. Seller’s ready. And then…
“Hey… so, underwriting flagged the building. It’s non-warrantable. We can’t do the loan. Sorry.” — Even with a strong buyer putting 25–30% down, a lender locked into agency guidelines has no move. Retail lenders have one menu. If the building’s not on it, dinner’s over.
“Good news — I’ve got a lender who finances this exact building type. Different income docs work, credit’s flexible, and with your down payment they’ll run their own review of the project. We’re still closing.” — That’s the broker difference.
As a mortgage broker, I’m not stuck with one bank’s rulebook. I work with a network of non-QM lenders who built programs specifically for non-warrantable condos — this is their bread and butter, and they’ve already solved the problems the agencies won’t touch:
With serious skin in the game, non-QM lenders will run their own streamlined version of a project review — and approve buildings the agencies just declined.
Full doc, bank statements for self-employed, asset depletion, DSCR rental income for investors, foreign national programs — the income box is bigger here.
Non-QM guidelines look at the whole picture, not just a rigid score cutoff — more borrowers qualify than you’d think.
Instead of the agency checklist that flagged the building, these lenders apply their own limited-review approach designed for exactly these projects.
The honest trade-off: non-QM pricing runs somewhat higher than agency loans — that’s the cost of flexibility. But a deal that closes at a slightly higher rate beats a dead deal at a perfect one, every single time. And if the building clears its issues down the road? We refinance. The door swings both ways.
If you’re a realtor with a condo listing that’s been labeled non-warrantable — or a buyer who just got dropped by their lender mid-contract — don’t let the deal die on the table. Send it to me before anyone signs a cancellation. I’ll tell you fast whether one of my non-QM lenders can pick it up, and your closing stays a closing.
This is what working with a broker means: when one door closes, I’m already knocking on the next one. There are solutions. Let’s get it closed. 🤝
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A condo becomes non-warrantable when the building doesn’t meet Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines — common triggers include deferred maintenance or failed structural reviews, low reserves, too many investor-owned units, ongoing litigation, or high commercial space. Under the current review rules, entire buildings are landing on this list — often to the surprise of their own residents.
No — that’s exactly when a mortgage broker earns their keep. Banks and retail lenders are limited to their own menu. As a broker, I work with non-QM lenders who specialize in non-warrantable condos and can often keep the same deal moving with a different lender behind it.
Typically around 25–30% down. With that skin in the game, non-QM lenders can run their own streamlined version of a building review and approve projects the agencies won’t.
This is the flexible part: full documentation, bank statements for self-employed borrowers, asset depletion, DSCR rental income for investors, and programs for foreign nationals. Credit requirements are also more flexible than agency loans.
Generally somewhat higher than agency loans — that’s the trade for flexibility. But a slightly higher rate on a closed deal beats a perfect rate on a dead one, and refinancing later is always on the table if the building becomes warrantable again.