New to Dallas/Irving — first house hack, no credit score yet. Funding options?

[Shahab Ahmed Qasim Smoqi]

Hey BP,
I moved to Dallas (Irving) ~4 months ago from Germany. I work here as a technical consultant and want to buy my first house hack (ideally a duplex).

Credit situation:

• 3 credit cards, all on-time payments

• Utilization <10%

• All report to all 3 bureaus

• Still no FICO score yet (Discover says a score should generate in month 7)

Questions:

1. What loan options exist for a house hack with no score yet (manual underwriting, FHA with non-traditional credit, local CU/portfolio, non-QM/DSCR if I live in one unit, etc.)?

2. If I wait until my first score appears, what’s the fastest realistic path (FHA vs. conventional) and typical DP/DTI/reserves you’re seeing now?

3. Any DFW lenders/agents who work with newcomers building credit and doing 2–4 unit house hacks?

4. Besides waiting, what can I do right now to strengthen my file (e.g., credit-builder loan, rent/utility reporting, authorized user, cash reserves targets)?

5. Are seller financing or a co-borrower/guarantor common on small multis in DFW?

Appreciate any guidance or intros—happy to share numbers on a sample duplex if that helps. Thanks!

[Trevor Higgins]

Happy to help - we can use conventional or FHA using non-traditional credit. DFW is one of our biggest areas. The key to non-traditional credit is working on the credit references (utilities, rent, insurance, etc) as soon as we can as sometimes these companies can take time to get the documentation required to document the non-traditional credit references.