The short version
You can usually get a mortgage with a brand-new job. Sometimes you can close before you've even started it. The myth that you need two years at the same employer is just that. What lenders want is roughly two years of work history, not two years at one company.
The trouble starts when the way you get paid changes. Salary to salary, same field, same or better pay? Usually easy. Salary to commission, W-2 to self-employed, or full-time to seasonal? That's where underwriters start asking for a track record you don't have yet.
And whatever you do, don't change jobs in the middle of escrow without calling your loan officer first. I've seen that one blow up a closing four days out.
Can you get a mortgage right after starting a new job?
Yes, in a lot of cases. If you moved from one salaried job to another in the same line of work, most programs will count your new base pay once you can document it. That typically means a signed offer letter showing salary and start date, a recent paystub, and a verification from the new employer. Underwriters also call your employer shortly before closing to confirm you still work there.
Better pay helps you, obviously. A pay cut doesn't disqualify you either. The lender just qualifies you on the new, lower number.
Probationary periods scare people more than they should. A standard 90-day probation clause doesn't usually stop a loan on its own. The lender cares that the job is real, the pay is documented, and nothing suggests it's temporary.
Can you close on a house before your new job starts?
Sometimes. Conventional guidelines allow a loan to close on a signed, non-contingent offer letter when the job starts within a set window after closing (Fannie Mae's is currently about 90 days). The catch is reserves. You'll usually need extra cash in the bank to cover payments until the paychecks begin, and not every lender offers this option. Rules change, so verify the current version for your scenario.
This comes up a lot here. A physician relocating to join a Santa Rosa hospital group, a teacher hired by a North Bay district in June for an August start, an engineer transferring in from the Bay Area. If you're in that spot, tell your lender about it on day one. It changes which loan program and which lender make sense.
What job changes make lenders nervous?
It's almost always about pay structure, not the change itself. Here's roughly how underwriters sort it. Treat the timeframes as approximate, since they vary by program and by the rest of your file.
- Salaried to salaried, same field: usually fine right away with an offer letter and paystub.
- New field entirely: often fine if you have education or training that connects to it. Switching from line cook to software developer with no bridge is a harder conversation.
- Base pay to commission or bonus-heavy pay: the variable part usually needs 12 to 24 months of history before it counts. Your base salary can still count right away.
- Hourly with changing hours: lenders typically average your hours over time, so a recent jump in overtime may not count fully yet.
- W-2 to self-employed: the big one. Most programs want about two years of self-employment on your tax returns. Some allow as little as 12 months if you stayed in the same line of work.
- Contract or 1099 work: often treated like self-employment, even if it's one client.
What about employment gaps?
Gaps are normal. Layoffs, caring for a parent, a new baby, going back to school. None of it disqualifies you by itself. Expect to write a short letter explaining what happened and when you went back to work.
Longer gaps get more scrutiny. On FHA loans, for example, if you were out of work six months or more, the lender generally wants to see you back on the job for at least six months, plus a documented two-year history before the gap. Conventional underwriting looks at the whole picture in a similar way.
Recent grads get a break here. Time in college or a trade program usually counts toward your history if you can show a transcript or diploma. A new nursing grad starting at a local hospital can often qualify in the first few months.
Does seasonal wine-country work count as income?
It can, and it's timely. We're in the middle of crush right now, and a lot of people in Sonoma County earn a real chunk of their year between August and November.
Seasonal income generally counts if you've done similar work for about two years and there's a reasonable expectation you'll be back next season. A cellar worker who's done harvest at Healdsburg and Dry Creek wineries three years running, and collects unemployment in the off months, can often use that income. Someone doing their first harvest usually can't count it yet.
Same idea for tasting room staff with tips and hospitality workers with swing seasons. Documentation is everything. Keep your W-2s, your paystubs, and anything showing you've been rehired.
What should you do if you're changing jobs during escrow?
Call your loan officer before you give notice. Not after. Your loan was approved on specific income, and the lender re-verifies employment within days of closing. If the new job pays the same way and the paperwork is ready, it can often be handled with a short delay. If it doesn't, your approval may be gone.
The worst version I've watched: a borrower quit a salaried job to go full-time with a startup on equity plus a smaller base, two weeks before closing. Nothing illegal, nothing wrong with the job. But the income that qualified him no longer existed, and the house went back on the market. If he'd waited three weeks, he'd have closed and started the new job as a homeowner.
- Don't quit, switch to part-time, or go commission-only until after you close.
- If a job change is unavoidable, get the signed offer letter to your lender the same day.
- Hold off on other big changes too: new car loans, new credit cards, large cash moves.