Can I Buy A House After Chapter 13 May 2026

If you are still in your repayment plan, your bankruptcy attorney must file a motion for permission to incur new debt. The court must agree that you can afford the mortgage alongside your plan payments.

The "waiting period" is much shorter than most people realize. Depending on the loan type, you may not even need to wait for the final discharge. Waiting Period (During Plan) Waiting Period (After Discharge) 12 months of on-time plan payments + Court Approval No waiting period (0 days) VA Loan 12 months of on-time plan payments + Court Approval No waiting period (0 days) USDA Loan 12 months of on-time plan payments + Court Approval No waiting period (0 days) Conventional Not possible during the plan 2 years after discharge 🚦 Key Requirements to Qualify can i buy a house after chapter 13

Before looking at houses, confirm your trustee and the judge are likely to approve the new debt. If you are still in your repayment plan,

You generally need a minimum score of 580 for FHA/VA and 620–640 for Conventional or USDA. Depending on the loan type, you may not

Many large banks automatically reject active bankruptcies. Look for mortgage brokers or lenders specializing in manual underwriting .

Ensure all debts included in your bankruptcy are correctly marked as "included in bankruptcy" with a $0 balance.

While VA and USDA offer 0% down, an FHA loan requires 3.5% . Having extra "cash reserves" (1–3 months of mortgage payments) makes your application much stronger.