People, Not Titles

In this episode of the People Not Titles podcast, host Steve Kaempf and Matt Lombardi sit down with Cook County Assessor Fritz Kaegi. Fritz shares his journey from managing money as a global investor on the buy-side to stepping into local public service to tackle corruption, favoritism, and systemic inequities in Cook County's property tax assessment system. Tune in as they discuss how financi...

Housing Slowdown, Spiking Inflation, & Real Estate Lawsuits | Market Trends Welcome back to Market Trends! In this episode, we celebrate crossing 1,000 subscribers, recap our recent Landtrust-a-Palooza event, and dive into the biggest shift in the real estate market: a massive seller surplus alongside a steep decline in active buyers. We cover critical housing data, rising inflation driven by...

In this episode of the People Not Titles podcast, host Steve Kaempf sits down with Jason Stratton—a former high-volume trader turned top-producing Chicago real estate broker with Jameson Sotheby's and host of The Jason Theory podcast. Jason brings his sharp financial background and risk-reward mindset into a deep-dive conversation on what it takes to succeed in real estate, business, and life....

In this episode of Market Trends, hosts Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf dive into the latest shifts in real estate. From high-stakes industry legal battles and interest rate dynamics to regional market shifts and customer service failures, we break down what you need to know today. In this episode, we cover: Mortgage Rate Breakdown: Why 30-year conforming rates remain elevated around 7.6%, how they...

In this episode of Market Trends, hosts Steve Kaempf and Matt Lombardi break down the latest economic news, real estate data, and industry headlines shaping the housing market locally and nationally. From sticky inflation figures and shifting employment trends to the impending "Silver Tsunami" of home inventory, we dive deep into what these changes mean for buyers, sellers, and real esta...

What if the fastest way to grow your business is not doing more, but using AI to get your life back? Tim Hooper makes the case that the real opportunity right now is not another tool, platform, or hustle tactic—it is learning how to become a more human, more focused connector in a noisy world. On this episode of People Not Titles, host Stephen Kaempf sits down with Tim Hooper, senior vice presiden...

Chicago is outperforming the country on home prices, mortgage rates may be heading lower over the next five years, and title fraud is getting more sophisticated. If you buy, sell, invest, or advise clients in real estate, this episode explores the numbers, risks, and talking points to keep in mind. Steve and Matt break down the latest market trends, including Chicago’s home-price performance and w...

The Fed has raised rates for the first time in three years, and 30-year mortgages are now hovering around 7%. In this week's Market Trends episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down what the hike means for buyers, why refinancing has dropped 65%, and how to protect yourself with smart rate shopping. Plus: multifamily construction falls 22.5% in August, pending home sales edge up 0.3%, citi...

Zillow just lost a key court battle against eXp and Compass, with a federal judge denying its injunction request. In this week's market trends episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break it down, plus August CPI ticks up on gas prices, existing home sales hit a 14-month low, 81% of US markets are overvalued per Fitch, malls are outperforming every other commercial sector, and NAR wins anothe...

In this episode of the People Not Titles podcast, host Steve Kaempf sits down with Jonathan Klemm, owner of Quality Builders. Jonathan shares his inspiring journey from getting laid off from a tech startup in 2020 to founding a successful general contracting and construction company. Whether you're a first-time investor, home hacker, or seasoned real estate professional, Jonathan breaks down t...

Is the housing shortage actually a myth? A new report from Zelman and Associates argues the real crisis isn't a quantity shortage — it's an affordability shortage concentrated in starter homes, while deficit estimates from the White House, Realtor.com, and Harvard vary wildly. In this week's Market Trends podcast episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down the data, plus a stron...

Only 8% of home sellers think a combined 6% buyer agent commission is fair, and 59% didn't even know they could opt out of paying it. In this week's market trends episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down a new survey on how confused sellers still are about commissions, and why 93% who actually negotiated got a lower rate. Plus: Fed Chair Kevin Warsh signals inflation isn't fu...

Join host Steve Kaempf on the People Not Titles podcast for a deep dive into the 30+ year real estate career of Greg Phillips. In this episode, Greg shares his fascinating professional journey—from his early days opening legendary 1990s nightclubs in downtown Chicago to building a thriving real estate business entirely from scratch. Discover what it takes to transition from an individual producer...

Vacation rental listings have hit a record high of 1.77 million, but national occupancy has crashed to around 50%. In this week's market trends episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down why so many short-term rental investors are now underwater and quietly selling off. Plus: a new bill (the MOVE Act) proposes letting homeowners transfer their low mortgage rate to their next home, Zill...

HOA fees have surged 26% since 2019, with older condos now costing double in monthly dues — while pending home sales dropped 2.3% month-over-month, the second straight monthly decline. In this week's market trends episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down why buyers are getting squeezed on both fronts, plus July CPI showing inflation still cooling, single-family housing starts sinking...

How can a commercial real estate strategy bridge the gap between local communities, government agencies, and major capital? In this episode of the People Not Titles podcast, host Steve Kaempf sits down with Moses Hall, founder of Mohall Commercial and Urban Development. Originally from New York, Moses moved to Chicago to study the music business at Columbia College Chicago before transitioning int...

Existing home sales stayed flat for a fourth straight year in July, holding at 4.06 million — even as the labor market took an unexpected hit. Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down a July jobs report that showed a surprise loss of 23,000 jobs against expectations of an 83,000 gain, with May and June revised down another 103,000 jobs. Nearly a million people left the labor force over the past t...

Are you looking to sell your business or wondering what it’s actually worth? Or maybe you're an entrepreneur dreaming of purchasing a cash-flowing company? In this episode of the People Not Titles podcast, host Steve Kaempf sits down with Jamie Lendway, commercial lending veteran and founder of RetireBizOwner.com. With over a decade of experience financing hundreds of business acquisitions and...

HOA foreclosures are surging nationwide, and most homeowners don't realize their HOA can place a lien — and in about 20 states, legally foreclose — even if their mortgage is completely paid off. In this week's market trends podcast episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down the "super-priority" laws behind this, why HOA-related foreclosures jumped 40% over two years, and...

Welcome back to another episode of the People, Not Titles podcast! In this episode, host Steve Kaempf sits down with Andy Burton, the franchise owner, publisher, and Area Director behind the incredibly successful Chicago Real Producers operation. Andy shares his fascinating career trajectory, beginning with his early days in the late 90s doing in-home sales presentations for Cutco cutlery. Discove...

Compass is officially under federal investigation, with Congress stepping in to examine the company's partnership with eXp and its private listings strategy. In this week's market trends episode, Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down what's actually being scrutinized and why it matters for buyers and sellers. At the center of it: Compass's claim that sellers who list homes as p...

In this episode of the *People Not Titles* podcast, host Steve Kaempf sits down with real estate investor, property manager, and host of the *Straight Up Chicago Investor* podcast, Mark Ainley. Mark shares his raw, honest journey of starting out at age 21, navigating early mistakes, and shifting through market crashes to build a real estate empire. Whether you are a young entrepreneur wondering ho...

Foreclosures just jumped 21% year-over-year, with over 227,000 US properties filed in the first half of 2026 — but Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down why this isn't a crash, it's a return to a more normal market. They dig into which states are getting hit hardest (Florida, South Carolina, Indiana) and where foreclosures are accelerating fastest (Idaho, Colorado, Georgia), plus what...

Home prices hit a new all-time high of $440,600 this week — the 36th straight month of year-over-year gains — while the June CPI report showed inflation cooling faster than expected, dropping 0.4% month-over-month, the largest one-month decline since April 2020. Matt Lombardi and Steve Kaempf break down what's driving the numbers, why gas and energy prices are doing the heavy lifting on inflat...

The June jobs report just landed, and it's ugly. Employers added only 57,000 jobs, well below expectations, and more than 700,000 people dropped out of the workforce entirely in a single month. We break down what's really going on beneath the headline number. We also dig into a striking Federal Reserve stat: 49% of adults under 30 now live with a parent, up 12 percentage points since 2019....