Thinking about refinancing...am I even qualified?

"Worth checking out smaller lenders first, IMO."

Good point about smaller lenders. When I refinanced last year, I'd just transitioned from a corporate job to freelancing full-time—talk about a lender's nightmare scenario, lol. But surprisingly, the credit union I went with was pretty reasonable. They asked for extra documentation (tax returns, client contracts, etc.), but nothing too crazy. If your home's value has gone up even slightly, that could definitely help smooth things over. I'd say don't assume you're automatically disqualified just because your situation isn't picture-perfect. Just be prepared to jump through a couple of extra hoops...and maybe stock up on coffee for all the paperwork ahead.