In the CRE Vault with Mike and Marc
Interest Rates, AI & a Bucket of Cheese Curds
Aug 18, 2026
Season 4
Episode 22
Mike Ball and Marc Hausmann, CCIM, SIOR
Send us Fan Mail
Mike and Marc are back in the CRE Vault—and fresh off a whirlwind road trip to Milwaukee for an NAI regional conference. Seventeen hours in the car, a Brewers game, questionable amounts of Wisconsin cheese curds, and somehow they still managed to squeeze in a little commercial real estate.
In this episode, the guys recap the trip and dig into what brokers across the Midwest are seeing in today’s market: stubborn interest rates, longer deal timelines, shifting multifamily conditions, prospecting, and why relationships within the NAI network matter when business gets complicated.
They also tackle one of the biggest conversations in CRE right now: artificial intelligence. From AI agents and new tools to some slightly unsettling questions about confidentiality and just how much these platforms already know, Mike and Marc discuss why AI probably isn’t something the industry can simply unplug.
It’s networking, market talk, AI, road-trip stories, cheese curds, and a few stories that may—or may not—have gotten better with each retelling.
In the CRE Vault with Mike and Marc is brought to you by NAI FMA Realty, serving Lincoln and the surrounding market with commercial real estate brokerage, property management, and advisory services.
Thanks for tuning in to In the CRE Vault with Mike and Marc—where we break down commercial real estate without putting you to sleep. Powered by NAI FMA Realty in Lincoln, Nebraska. For more, visit naifmarealty.com.