Bankruptcy · Foreclosure · Short sale
When can I buy a house again?
There is a date. Most people are told “seven years” by someone guessing, and it’s usually wrong — often by years, and usually in your favour. Tell me what happened and when, and I’ll show you the earliest each program could work.
No credit pull. No account. Nothing to sign.
1 What happened?
What people ask next
Does the waiting period start when I filed or when it was discharged?
It depends on the program, and Chapter 13 is where this bites: FHA, VA and USDA generally count from the filing date, while conventional financing generally counts from discharge or dismissal. That's why the tool asks for both dates on a Chapter 13 — using one for everything can be years wrong in either direction.
Does hitting the date mean I'm approved?
No. The waiting period is a gate, not a decision. Once it's behind you the file is judged like any other — credit, income, documentation, reserves and the property all still matter. Plenty of people clear the date and aren't ready; plenty clear it and close without trouble.
Can the waiting period ever be shorter?
Sometimes. Several programs allow a shorter wait where the event came from documented extenuating circumstances — a job loss, a serious illness, a death — rather than from how someone managed credit. It takes documentation and it isn't automatic, but it's worth asking about rather than assuming the full period.
What should I be doing while I wait?
The things that take time: paying everything on time without exception, letting new positive credit age, keeping balances low, and building a documented savings pattern. The date arrives whether or not you used it — the difference between closing that month and starting the conversation that month is what you did in between.
Buying after a bankruptcy · After a foreclosure · After a short sale · All the questions people ask