Plain English only
Every term, every trade-off, every number explained the way you would explain it to your best friend — then a check that you actually got it. Confusing jargon is a service failure, not a sign of expertise.
Meet Ashland
Credentials
- Branch Sales Manager & Loan Officer, Fairway Home Mortgage
- NMLS #1584948 · verify
- Licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin & Iowa + 7 more states
- Originating since 2016
- Leads the Lending Lakes & Co team
- HousingWire Rising Star · 2025
- Scotsman Guide Top Originator · 2025
- Fairway Diamond Club · 2025
- Eden Prairie, MN branch
The story
Ashland Alitz became a loan officer in 2016. In under a decade she became Branch Sales Manager at one of Fairway's leading Minnesota branches — while still personally closing loans for the buyers she started with.
She built Lending Lakes & Co for the people the mortgage industry tends to wave off: first-time buyers, single buyers relying on one income, and anyone who has been told to "come back when you've saved more." Those buyers are not harder. They just need someone who will explain it like a friend would, check that they actually got it, and move fast when it counts.
The team runs on three rules. Plain English — confusing jargon is a service failure. Honesty over deals — if waiting, or keeping the loan you have, is the better move, you'll hear it. And speed as respect — quick answers, same-day pre-approvals when the documents allow, and updates before you have to ask.
It works. In 2025 Ashland personally closed 136 home loans — about $48M — was named a HousingWire Rising Star and a Scotsman Guide Top Originator, and leads a direct team of 16 loan officers from Fairway Home Mortgage's Eden Prairie branch. She is licensed in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Iowa, where this site is focused, plus seven more states.
Ashland · Branch Sales Manager & Loan Officerhonestly i'm not sure i'm 'ready' to buy yet
Most people who say that are closer than they think. Ten minutes and I'll tell you where you actually stand — no pressure either way. 🙂
How Ashland works
Honesty over closings
If waiting is the better move, Ashland says so. If your current loan beats a refinance, she tells you to keep it. Long-term trust beats a short-term commission — every time.
Speed is respect
Quick answers, same-day pre-approvals when the documents allow, and proactive updates at every milestone — because waiting on a lender is its own kind of stress.
Lending Lakes & Co
When you text Ashland, you get Ashland — and a team of 16 loan officers and support staff who keep every file moving while she is on the phone with your listing agent. The whole team works from the same three rules, so the answer you get on a Sunday night sounds exactly like the one you got on Tuesday.
Meet the team at lendinglakes.com →
Say hi
A question, a scenario, a house you drove past, a refinance you keep putting off — text it over. Nights and weekends are fine.
Text Ashland · 612-505-7663 →Apply with Ashland at Fairway
Applications happen on Fairway's secure site — never here.