> poor credit or lack of capital for a downpayment is a bad person to lend to There is a huge gulf between those who have unconventional sources of income and

> poor credit or lack of capital for a downpayment is a bad person to lend to There is a huge gulf between those who have unconventional sources of income and those who lack capital for a downpayment or who have poor credit. Poor credit is caused by things like not paying off previous loans / carrying high balances. Not having a down payment is a sign you have not yet demonstrated an ability to save enough, or don't have enough income to save enough, both of which seem reasonable criteria off of which to base a lending decision. The parent commenter described a circumstance -- self-employment -- that is wholly unrelated to both poor credit and an inability to save a down payment. You made the leap between the two. We need to end this kind of thinking. > a nice buying opportunity, etc Equal housing laws mean that -- in the absence of very particular circumstances -- any opportunity for this hypothetical student would also be available to more reliable debtors.