<prompt> Human: Dear rrealestatepersonalfinance, My wife and I are moving to another state due to my being relocated by my employer. We intend to buy a home that we can move into a week minimum before my official transfer date. In pre-approval discussions it was recommended that we buy this as a second home. Since we dont currently have a mortgage and are living rent free, there are no monthly payment demerits toward obtaining a mortgage. The benefit of this option is that my wifes current income isnt going to qualify for an out of state mortgage on a primary residence, but as a secondary residence it would. The other option would be buying as a primary residence, which would mean she would have to be working in a new job for 30 days or so? for her income to qualify. Three questions tl;dr: If my wife has an offer letter in hand, would that income then qualify toward a mortage on a primary residence?Question 1.5: Would it have to be a position similar to the one she already holds? What are the tax implications of buying a second home without even having a first? Would this short term solution screw us in the long run? What else am I missing that Im not smart enough to ask? Thanks in advance!  <response>: Woah. Wouldnt you want to rent first to make sure:1. The job sticks2. You actually like the neighborhood you want to buy in. 