Lakewood Ranch Lending explains private mortgages as Gulf Coast demand rises

Lakewood Ranch Lending is trying to make private mortgage lending easier to understand as more Florida investors and property owners turn to private capital. The firm says the structure can speed financing for borrowers while giving investors a real-estate-backed return with defined terms.

Why it matters: - Tighter conventional credit is pushing more real estate investors and property owners toward private capital. - Private mortgages can give borrowers faster, more flexible access to funds than traditional bank loans. - Investors can earn a fixed return backed by real property, which makes the product more attractive when structured correctly.

What happened: - Lakewood Ranch Lending said it is educating investors and borrowers on private mortgages, which are recorded as mortgages in Florida and known as trust deeds in many other states. - Scott Ward and Brenden Rendo are leading the effort. - Ward described private lending as a promise to repay secured by real property. - Rendo said the goal is to help clients get the right capital structured the right way.

The details: - A private mortgage pairs three core elements: a borrower, an investor, and real property collateral. - The loan is documented with a promissory note and a recorded mortgage. - The mortgage gives the lender a claim against the property if the borrower does not perform. - Loan terms, interest rates, repayment schedules, and loan-to-value ratios are set before closing. - Borrowers using fix-and-flip, ground-up construction, bridge, or DSCR rental strategies can use private mortgages to move faster than conventional financing typically allows. - Investors receive a real-estate-secured return without owning or managing the property day to day. - Ward has 27 years in the industry and more than $1.5 billion funded and originated. - Ward is a national speaker, author, educator, top producer in hard money lending, private money lending, and trust deed investing. - Ward is a national educator on the Aspire4More tour and serves on the AAPL Education Board. - Rendo has 30 years of experience across mortgage lending, hard money lending, fix-and-flip investing, and buyer and seller representation. - Rendo evaluates properties, structures deals, and guides files from application through funding. - Lakewood Ranch Lending offers DSCR, fix-and-flip, ground-up construction, bridge, and refinance solutions for investors. - The brand also offers conventional, FHA, VA, jumbo, and Non-QM options for home buyers and SBA financing for business owners. - Lakewood Ranch Lending operates under Novus Home Mortgage, a division of Ixonia Bank, NMLS #423065. - The company serves real estate investors, home buyers, and business owners across Florida and nationally.

Between the lines: - The push to explain private mortgages suggests the market is still held back by confusion, not just demand. - Ward and Rendo are positioning experience and deal-level oversight as the main safeguard against bad loans. - The message also frames private lending as a mainstream financing tool rather than a niche or last-resort option.

What's next: - Lakewood Ranch Lending is likely to keep promoting private mortgage education as Gulf Coast demand for alternative capital grows. - Borrowers and investors looking for faster closings may continue shifting toward private lending when bank financing is too slow or restrictive.

The bottom line: - Lakewood Ranch Lending wants to turn private mortgages from a misunderstood product into a practical financing option for Florida real estate deals.