Lakewood Ranch Lending and Homes in Orlando launch referral partnership

Scott Ward’s Lakewood Ranch Lending and Brenden Rendo’s Homes in Orlando have formed an active referral and co-servicing partnership for Florida real estate investors and home buyers. The alliance combines financing and brokerage support to speed up deals in Orlando and across Central Florida. Why it matters: - Florida remains one of the country’s busiest real estate investment markets, and the new partnership aims to remove two common friction points at once: financing and local deal access. - Investors and home buyers can now work with a lender and an agent team that coordinate from pre-approval through closing. - The setup is designed to help clients move faster on offers and reduce the risk of delays between securing a property and funding it. What happened: - Scott Ward of Lakewood Ranch Lending and Brenden Rendo, REALTOR® of The Homes In Orlando Team, announced an integrated referral and co-servicing partnership that is now active. - The partnership pairs Lakewood Ranch Lending’s financing platform with Homes in Orlando’s brokerage and market coverage in the Orlando metro and greater Central Florida. - Inquiries from investors and home buyers can be directed to either professional. The details: - Lakewood Ranch Lending offers private and alternative lending products including DSCR loans, fix-and-flip financing, ground-up construction loans, cash-out refinance, VA, FHA, jumbo and conventional home loans. - Homes in Orlando works with buyers, sellers and investors across Orange, Seminole, Lake and Volusia counties. - Scott Ward is NMLS #1148813, a Certified Fund Manager and an AAPL Education Board Member. - Ward has originated and funded more than $1.5 billion in real estate loans over a 27-year career. - Ward is co-author of Private Lender Perspectives and a national educator on the Aspire4More tour. - Lakewood Ranch Lending operates as a brand of Novus Home Mortgage, a Division of Ixonia Bank (NMLS #423065). - Brenden Rendo serves clients through The Homes In Orlando Team and NextHome Neighborhood Realty. - Contact information listed in the announcement includes Scott Ward at 941.526.0778 and scott@lakewoodranchlending.com, and Brenden Rendo at 407-616-9019 and Brenden@homesinorlando.forsale. - The source also lists the firms’ websites: Lakewood Ranch Lending and Homes in Orlando . - Social links included in the announcement point to LinkedIn , Instagram , Facebook , YouTube and TikTok . Between the lines: - The partnership is a sign that real estate professionals are packaging financing and brokerage together to compete on speed, certainty and convenience. - Ward said the biggest bottleneck for investors is often not finding a deal, but closing it quickly with the right capital structure in place. - Rendo said lenders that can support multiple loan types can help buyers make stronger offers in a competitive market. - The collaboration also suggests a broader shift toward one-stop support for investors who want fewer handoffs between lending and representation. What’s next: - The partnership is already active, so clients can begin routing opportunities through either side of the alliance now. - The team will likely focus on investor purchases, primary residences and financing scenarios that require flexible lending structures. - The announcement signals more coordinated deal-making across Central Florida as buyers and investors look for faster execution. The bottom line: - Lakewood Ranch Lending and Homes in Orlando are betting that bundling capital and brokerage will help clients close faster and compete more effectively in Florida’s real estate market.