![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.livabl.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/JPbombales-2458-compressed-3.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nPhoto: James Bombales<\/em><\/p>\n With the new mortgage stress test coming effect in January, this year has had more than its share of headlines about the difficulty of qualifying for a mortgage. But that could be about to change, at least for one group of buyers.<\/p>\n Self-employed workers make up roughly 15 per cent of Canada\u2019s population. Traditionally, they have struggled to obtain mortgages, as lenders are wary of their potentially unpredictable income.<\/p>\n\n But this week, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. (CMHC) introduced key changes to lending standards, aimed at making it easier for self-employed buyers to make their homeownership dreams a reality.<\/p>\n “These policy changes\u2026[make] it easier for self-employed borrowers to obtain CMHC mortgage loan insurance and benefit from competitive interest rates,” writes CMHC chief commercial officer Romy Bowers, in a statement.<\/p>\n Starting in October, CMHC is encouraging lenders to consider additional factors when processing the application of a self-employed buyer, including the acquisition of an established business, sufficient cash reserves, predictable earnings and previous training and education.<\/p>\n