Five days before Christmas and I’m still writing?

Wait……but you’re still reading!

I’d like to thank all the daily TRB readers for their continued support, readership, and contributions in the comments section over the last year, including, but most certainly not limited to:

Appraiser, Derek, Ace Goodheart, Graham (of multiple monikers), Vancouver Keith, Nobody, Anwar, Libertarian, Quiet Bard, Marina, Francesca, JF007, Sigruper, Milk Man, Sanh, Serge, Marty, Alex, Average Joe, J, TO Planner, Patty M, Condodweller, Jenn, Ed, Your Favourite Tenant, Jennifer, Different David, Peter Dewar, RPG, hoob, Jeremy, Bryan, JL, Rick Michalski, R, London Agent, Geoff, Adrian, Oscar Lutgardis, Steve, Izzy Bedibida, Sue, Alex, Marc, Nick, Pete, Cyber, Daniel, Island Home Owner, TT, Moonbeam!, Toad, Andrew, johnnychase, Jimbo, DAF, BAL, Not The David Who Runs This Website, Kevin, House Keys, Lizard, Caris, Gallop, Crofty, Frances, Addison, Cool Koshur, Pragma, Grasshopper, Keith, Jonathan C, Robert Ede, Bankersorta, Misha, MG, AT555, brodg, Mxyzptlk, and last but not least, Kyle, who posted one single comment this year but who used to be the #1 commenter dating back a decade, maybe more.  It’s amazing to think about all the names I have seen over the years, who’ve come and gone, and every once in a while, a memorable reader from yesteryear pops up.

2024 was an interesting year here on Toronto Realty Blog.

I only wrote 98 posts this year.

That’s compared to 142 last year and 143 the year before.

I cut back from three times per week to only twice out of necessity, but also to start my podcast, which is something that I probably enjoy less than slamming my fingers into these keys, but which serves as another way to connect with people who are interested in learning about real estate.

I was reminded by the readers that blog staples such as “The Friday Rant” and “More MLS Musings” have disappeared, but the latter was what Matthew referred to as, “Mail-it-in-Friday” posts, and the former has really just been repurposed as “Monday Morning Quarterback.”

We covered just about everything that needed to be covered in 2024, and then some!

Not only that, we learned that one of our dear TRB readers is clairvoyant and has the ability to look into the future.

Think back to the onset of 2024 when the idea that the Bank of Canada would cut interest rates was something that fascinated us all!

And now think back to January 11th when I proposed a classic TRG game for us all to play.

The idea was simple: accurately predict the following:

1) The date of the first interest rate cut.
2) The amount of that first interest rate cuts (by basis points).
3) The total amount of basis points cut in 2024.

Two of our readers predicted that the Bank of Canada wouldn’t cut rates at all.

One reader predicted March, six readers predicted April, only five readers accurately predicted June, and then two readers stretched their predictions into September and October.

A whopping twelve readers accurately predicted that the first interest rate cut would be twenty-five basis points, but that one was a bit of a lay up.

In the end, the question that would determine the winner of the contest was the last one:

3) The total amount of basis points cut in 2024.

And while Vancouver Keith did accurately predict 175 basis points, he got the first question wrong, so he was never in the running.

No, in fact, it would be long-time blog reader, and one of my mother’s favorite blog readers, Marina, who went three-for-three on her predictions and emerged from the TRB Interest Rate Prediction game, victorious!

Congratulations to Marina!

Please email me and let me know if you prefer Tim Horton’s or Starbucks and where I can send your $200 gift card.

Thanks to everybody for playing.  That was fun, and although it looked, for a while, like I might win my own game, I’m glad I didn’t.  Not only because I’m happier that the Bank of Canada cut 175 basis points instead of the 125 that I predicted, but also because winning my own contest would have been super lame.

I think we’ll make this an annual event.

I don’t know what the ‘game’ should be for 2025, but I’ll come up with something for early in the year.

Actually, if any of you have ideas, I’m all ears.

Perhaps it’s the average home price in 2025?  Or total sales?  Maybe the highest average price in one month, and naming that month?

There are lots of ideas out there, and I’m open to discussion.

I’m also open, rather oddly, to the concept of rest over the next couple of weeks.

This year marked my 20th in the business, which is shocking because I started when I was only 23-years-old, so realizing that I’ve been in real estate for almost half of my life is wild.

I enjoy the business of real estate just as much now as I did five, ten, or fifteen years ago, as well as the hobby of writing blogs.

But I think the idea of spending two weeks with my family and getting to spend twenty-four hours per day with my two children means more now than it did this year, the year before, or the year before that.

I think back to that blog commenter who noted that I used to write about the escapades of a young twenty-something living in downtown Toronto, and my stories today revolve around parenting.

Well, if the shoe fits, wear it.

And that shoe is likely a winter boot, and I’ll likely be wearing it on the tobogganing hill several times over the next two weeks.

Looking ahead to 2025, I think all eyes will be on the Bank of Canada’s interest rate decisions, the sales volume in the early-going, and where average home prices are headed.

2024 was what I might call “uneventful” in real estate, and likely the most uneventful calendar year in the industry that I’ve experienced since 2018 or 2019.

But 2025 will be different.  It will be more energetic.  It will be more exciting.  And it will provide us with more notable topics here on Toronto Realty Blog as we push forward into the blog’s nineteenth year.

If I can get my body back on track, I’m aiming to take another crack at the half-marathon in May.  If not, then the goal is September.  But wow, can the body ever start to break down in one’s mid-40’s.  I’m drinking AG-1 greens in the morning, putting collagen in my coffee, I’m into my fifth year of yoga, and I’ve essentially stopped drinking alcohol.  I’ve dropped fifteen pound since the summer, thinking maybe less body weight slamming through the legs and feet, into the pavement, would reduce the risk of injuries to the ankle, knee, or lower back.

When I see y’all in your running clubs, I’ll be honest: I get a little jealous.  I mean, I’m not social enough to run with other humans in a group – that’s a crazy notion.  But just the idea that you guys are out there really makes me want to get out there too.

Good luck to everybody with your goals to eat fewer shortbread cookies, drink less red wine, and argue less with your in-laws over the holidays.

And Merry Christmas, Happy Hannukah, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year’s, and no matter what you celebrate, happy That.

See you all back here on Monday, January 6th to kick off the 2025 real estate conversation.

David.