These mortgages are common among self-employed people who say they earn a certain amount of money but whose tax returns show that their earnings are much lower.

However, there are home loans for which lenders require very little loan documentation as long as the borrower puts down a sizable down payment, generally 25 percent or more. These "no-doc" loans are common among self-employed people who say they earn a certain amount of money but whose income tax returns show that their earnings are much lower.