Online you can find lots of lists on what you should do, these are not a bad place to start but they can’t tell you the whole story. The truth is that the loan qualification process is complex and to add to the uncertainty, constantly changing.

Yes, of course. The mortgage industry loves you too! I have done hundreds of mortgages for self-employed people. For a conventional loan, like all borrowers, they have to prove they make enough money to qualify for the mortgage they are applying for, and that their income is stable.

It depends on your definition of ‘good’. Not to be flippant but the loan is designed to help those who can’t qualify for a standard mortgage because their income is too low to qualify. People older than 62 can access equity in their home up to roughly half of its value.