During the 2 years previous to march 2020 (pandemic layoff) I was bartending and saving lots of money/investing in cryptocurrency.

It was in Ohio.I now live in Colorado, own a new build SFH but due to a recent layoff, have no W2 income.

But now I hit a snag because I'm self-employed and they require two years of tax returns for self-employed.The issue is my 2019 tax return features a stint on unemployment after a corporate layoff, and then in 2020 I changed industries earning at first 50k as an independent contractor, but now in 2021, this industry change led to considerably more income for 2021 (100k+). 

So many people have taken advantage of layoffs to pursue careers they couldn't before, so good job not focusing on the negative.

It is cheaper for a bank to pay a broker for a loan than the bank to hire personnel, have brick & mortar, HR and myriad of other costs associated with a large scale included bad public relations when the layoffs come with the next recession.The price you get directly from a bank is called “retail price” since a bank is like a retail store.The price a broker gets from a bank is “wholesale pricing" since the broker is bringing lender and borrower together. 

The one thing that concerns me is the massive job layoffs down here.

Since Washington D.C. has stalled a further stimulus bill, layoffs and unemployment filings are continuing apace.The housing market has been strong in many areas, due to earlier stimulus efforts, low interest rates, and flight from densely-populated areas of cities.

But I did want to at least offer you encouragement and I'm happy to hear that you didn't let the lay off beat you down.

Was laid off for just over a year -due to COVID layoffs- but prior to that he has been employed consistently as an accountant since finishing his masters degree over 10 years ago.

If you read at all about Robinhood a while ago the company that they sent all their orders to, Citadel, is one of the most well known market markers.