Choose the lender who can document your income correctly, then underwrite you before you shop. In Chandler that first half is the whole game, because a large share of first-time buyers here are paid by a semiconductor, aerospace or tech employer, and restricted stock, bonuses and relocation packages are exactly the income types that get counted wrong or thrown out entirely.
Tempe buyers get tripped up by the property. Chandler buyers get tripped up by the paycheck. Two people with identical W-2 totals can get very different approvals depending on how the income is structured and who is reading the file.
The five questions that separate lenders
- "Will you underwrite me before I shop, or just pre-qualify me?" A pre-qualification is a calculator. A fully underwritten pre-approval means an underwriter reviewed the actual documents first.
- "How do you count RSUs, bonus and commission?" The single highest-value question in this city. More below.
- "Are you a broker or a single lender?" A bank sells its own products. A broker places your file with multiple investors, and investors differ meaningfully on variable-income rules.
- "Who answers the phone when my offer is due on a Saturday?"
- "Will you put cost to close in writing today?" Down payment plus closing costs, prepaids and reserves.
The Chandler problem: your income is not just your salary
If part of your compensation is stock or bonus, the question is never "how much do I make." It is "how much of what I make will an underwriter actually use."
General principles worth understanding before you talk to anyone:
- History matters more than size. Variable income usually needs a track record before it counts. A large first-year bonus with nothing behind it often counts for nothing.
- Continuance matters as much as history. Underwriters want evidence the income will keep coming. Vesting schedules, award letters and employment terms all get read.
- Averaging is normal. Variable income is typically averaged over a period rather than annualized from the best month.
- Base salary is the floor. If the deal only works when the bonus counts, you need to know that on day one, not in underwriting.
The documents to have ready before you shop:
| Income type | What underwriting will want |
|---|---|
| Base salary | Recent pay stubs, W-2s |
| Bonus | Two years of history plus employer confirmation of continuance |
| RSUs | Grant and vesting schedules, vesting history, brokerage statements |
| Commission | Two years, plus tax returns if unreimbursed expenses apply |
| New job or relocation | Signed offer letter with start date and full compensation terms |
Relocation buyers, read this twice. If you are moving to Chandler for a role that has not started, offer-letter underwriting is possible but the rules are specific: start date proximity, whether the pay is salaried or variable, and what happens if the start slips. Get that answered before you write an offer against a corporate timeline, not after.
Ask a prospective lender to walk through your actual comp structure out loud. If the answer is a general one about "we can use bonus income," you are talking to someone who has not read your grant schedule. See conventional loans in Chandler and, if you or a spouse served, VA loans in Chandler, which treats qualifying differently again.
Self-employment and side income
Chandler also has a heavy contractor and consultant population. If you file a Schedule C or own part of an entity, underwriting reads your tax returns, not your revenue. Write-offs that lower your tax bill also lower your qualifying income, and that trade-off is worth understanding a year before you buy rather than a week before. If you have two years of returns and the second is much stronger, say so early. It changes the approach.
Do not let anyone rule you out of assistance
Arizona's Home Plus program gets dismissed for reasons that are not true.
- "It is only for first-time buyers." It is not. Repeat buyers qualify too.
- "My income is too high." The borrower income limit was $155,386 as of April 6, 2026, which catches more Chandler households than people expect, especially single-income ones.
Home Plus pairs a 30-year fixed mortgage with up to 4% in down payment and closing-cost assistance, structured as a forgivable second. It is fully forgiven after 60 months, and a sale or refinance inside that window means the DPA second has to be repaid. Statewide, and one borrower must complete a homebuyer education course before closing. Terms verified against the program's official site on September 5, 2026. Confirm current caps and terms rather than planning around a number you read once.
Protect your file until you close
You are underwritten continuously. Between approval and closing, do not open new credit, finance a car, take a "same as cash" furniture offer, move large sums without a documented trail, or co-sign for anyone.
One more that hits Chandler specifically: do not exercise or sell equity mid-transaction without telling your lender first. A large unexplained deposit from a brokerage account turns into a documentation problem at the worst possible moment. It is solvable. It is much easier solved in advance.
So who should you choose in Chandler?
Judge any lender on whether they can read your compensation before they quote you anything.
- We underwrite before you shop, including the variable-income analysis, so your number is real.
- Broker model. Investors differ on how they treat RSUs, bonus history and offer-letter starts. One door versus many doors is a structural difference, not a marketing one.
- We will tell you what does not count. If the deal only works when the bonus counts and the history is not there yet, you will hear that on the first call.
- You talk to the principal. Ricky Khamis is President of EPiQ Lending, NMLS #173141, lending in Arizona since 1999. Direct line: (480) 999-9842.
- Written cost to close before you shop.
EPiQ Lending is NMLS #1936984. Verify all of it before you trust any of it: Ricky's EPiQ Lending profile, the Scottsdale branch at 7975 N. Hayden Road, Suite A-101, and the license itself at NMLS Consumer Access. That is the standard to hold any lender to, including us.
Send me your comp structure and I will tell you what an underwriter will actually use.
Equal Housing Opportunity. This is general information, not a commitment to lend or an offer to extend credit. Rates, terms, and program guidelines change and depend on credit approval, property appraisal, and other qualifying factors. Not all applicants will qualify.
Written by Ricky Khamis, President of EPiQ Lending, NMLS #173141, Scottsdale, Arizona. Cite as: Khamis, R. (2026). "How to Choose a First-Time Buyer Lender in Chandler (RSUs, Bonuses, Relocation)." rickykhamis.com.
