Oz Buzz 114: Year-End Reflections (With Gratitude, Perspective, and a Raised Glass)

December 28, 2025

Here is where Ozzie rips out his few (but good looking) hairs. We have now tested and tested and have close to 30,000 real subscribers. But on my Youtube.com/jurockvideo channel I cannot go beyond 3,000. If you click ‘like’ helps with the Algorithm gods and clicking on ‘subscribe’ and the “bell” lets you enable to get new videos sent to you.

The call? Make it a ‘New Year’s Resolution’ . Do it.

AGENDA

• YEAR END MESSAGE – WITH SURPRISE
• TIMELESS TRUTHS
• BUY COPILOT IN YOUR NEW COMPUTER?
• AI PLUSES AND MINUSES
• CRASH – ES
• THE NUMBERS STUDY: 5-YEAR NOVEMBER TO NOVEMBER COMPARISON
• OPPORTUNITIES
• BOOKS OF THE MONTH
• QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS

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2025 YEAR-END

Year-End Reflections (With Gratitude, Perspective, and a Raised Glass)

Well folks… here we are again. The final few days of the year. The wrapping paper is crumpled, the batteries are already missing from the toys, and 2025 is politely (or not so politely) being shown the door. What a year!

If you were hoping for calm, predictable markets and boring headlines – clearly you weren’t paying attention. Real estate delivered a new theatre: massive high inventory, stalled sales, anxious buyers and sellers, and more than a few people quietly breathing into paper bags. Prices danced, logic wobbled, and yet – somehow – we’re all still standing. Again.

Zoom out a little and the backdrop didn’t get quieter. Bitcoin up… down… sideways … down again. Oil falling out of bed. Governments doing their best impression of Jenga towers. Inflation lingering like that guest who won’t take the hint – even while some commodities soar and others throw their own crash party. It’s a strange time to be alive.

But also – if we’re honest – a fascinating one.

Because history has always been clear on one thing: turbulence is where innovation and opportunity are born.

A Personal Thank You (Yes, This Is the Mushy Part)

This year, I received so much feedback from you. The kindness, the gratitude, the encouragement… it genuinely floored me. (even the finger waving).

It made my day.

And then it made my week.

And honestly – it’s still making me smile. Thank you. Truly. It’s impossible not to carry a little extra glow into 2026 knowing this Ozbuzz community exists and is (mostly) happy.

Perspective Helps (Especially with a Drink in Hand)

As tradition demands, the workshop is closed, the elves are sent home, and a proper year-end toast has been poured: “The Beautiful” – half Cognac, half Grand Marnier.

If you don’t know why it’s called Beautiful … try three and look in the mirror.

Now, reflection.

If 2025 gave you a rough ride – shake it off. The calendar flips whether we’re ready or not, so we might as well step forward with intention. If 2025 treated you well – don’t get too comfortable. Success is a wonderful sedative … just don’t sleep through what comes next.

So… What About the Year Ahead?

Here’s the truth: the world’s challenges aren’t just “out there” anymore. They’re in our inboxes, on our screens, and occasionally whispering through our smart speakers. The old rules?

They’ve been quietly escorted out. So instead of panicking (at least until the third Beautiful), the better question is:

What’s your plan? For decades, I’ve leaned on Mike Vance’s simple wisdom:

“Innovation is the creation of the new – or the rearranging of the old in a new way.”

It’s rarely about reinventing the universe. Sometimes it’s just bending the shower curtain rod (and make a fortune) or add one word (repeat) into the shampoo commercial).

So, as you look ahead, ask yourself:

• What’s one thing I could learn that slightly scares me?
• What old habit could I rearrange into something better?
• How do I position myself not just to survive – but to thrive – in a world that reinvents itself every Tuesday?

Timeless Truths (Still Free, Still Powerful)

Do the things you already know you should do.

Say “I love you” more often – to your spouse, your kids, your friends.

Be grateful for what is and what can be, instead of dwelling on what wasn’t.

Learn 3 words – ingrain them in your head – believe them:

SO WHAT?, NEXT!

Remember: you are the center of your universe. The center of your life’s hurricane. Centers must be strong … all around life is swirling.

Share your faith – not your doubts.

And if your mental desktop feels cluttered, give it a cleanup. A little Eckhart Tolle or a dose of Hans Wilhelm does wonders for refreshing the old noodle.

One Last Thought (Before the Toast) Your past does not determine your future.

You do.

We live in an extraordinary place. To live here is a blessing. To work here is a privilege. To love, build, learn, and grow here – well, many around the world would call it paradise.

And no one else can make you happy for you. So, step into the coming year with curiosity, courage, compassion – and maybe just a touch of mischief (the good kind).

From all of us at Ozbuzz and Jurock Publishing, thank you for being part of this journey.

May the year ahead be full of surprises.

AI – THE FUTURE PLUSES AND MINUSES

I see a dark day to day future emerging, where AI is adopted and we the poor slobs adopt or perish. Next month a deep dive on what AI in many companies simply does not work, loses customers, employees and businesses will die.

Actually, it is not AI, stupid. It is power! In a 2023 Ozbuzz, I wrote/quoted that in order to achieve government EV/Energy goals we would need to build four Site C dams just to satisfy demand then taken up by regular power consumption (gas, cars etc.). 4! It takes 15 years to build one. It is the energy or the lack thereof that will limit all environmental goals and certainly AI goals. 2. Think Energy!

We also wrote this at length several times (resulting in much finger waving by some of you) that EVs need power and will not have enough power for dozens of years. Add to this that they don’t work as well as promised and now manufacturers lots are packed with now unsaleable cars. I predicted it! Even the incredible quantum computers need one thing more than anything else: Power! I mean reliable power. Not sun, rain, water etc. – generated power, but constant accessible and working power. Read that three times!

Ozbuzzers: Sit up! The joke isn’t how good AI is, or how fast or quantum computer wins over regular power, or this AI or that energy farm.

It is getting power that stays on, no matter what! So, haha, you need gas or coal or nuclear and you need it now and for tens of years.

So, ok nuclear is good, yeah, but nuclear takes time. Whether it’s restarting retired plants like Three Mile Island or the deployment of Small Modular Reactors (SMRs), the lead times are measured in decades, not months. (Amazon, Microsoft and other ‘big boys’ build their own).

What to do? Over the next decade, we need to cut back environmental hogwash, stop grandiose goals and realize that natural gas is no longer just a commodity – it’s becoming the backbone of the digital economy.

The TREND LETTER points out that a gas turbine can be deployed in 2-3 years, whereas new nuclear capacity often requires 10-15 years for permitting and construction. Nuclear is the long-term destination, but Natural Gas is the mandatory vehicle that gets us through the next 10 years of explosive AI growth. Think and study: AI data centres: Massive facilities are competing for Power … and how to relay on whatever power they get. Right now, it is natural gas. New thoughts for your investment?

What about EVs Ozzie? Haha. I told you I wasn’t going to be a pioneer. Just bought a new SQ Audi Sport with a 3.0L V6 (six-cylinder) turbocharged engine. Varroom! However, I salute all you pioneers. Search Ozbuzz.ca for the word: pioneer!

MORE ON WIND AND SOLAR POWER – HUH!

We wrote last year several time about offshore power generation, wind turbos and river projects. I also talked about Trump’s disdain for wind and solar projects and that it could undermine growth in this sector. In the Ozbuzz issue after last election. This week: All windfarms closed by Trump – google it.

THE CRASH -ES

I keep getting emails from some of you pointing out that my comparison to the .com bubble didn’t happen. Re-read Ozbuzz 101-104 again. I didn’t predict it as a certainty. I shared the view that it is possible… Hey – it still is!

PLEEEASE! REVISIT MBS and CLO! What are they? Well, they are both types of asset-backed securities (ABS), collateralized by different types of debt. One of them MBS crashed the stocks in 2008 and precipitated the Economic collapse. The other? We are in the middle of an asset bubble – unprecedented. We wrote last month about a company issuing a 100 million plus SAFE security and losing it ALL in one month!

COMMENTS

Saw your 2023/24 issues on: If over 65, with $2 million in home equity but no other assets, SELL NOW. But watch Ozzie’s “Live Your Money” video for insights on optimizing your wealth (go to youtube.com/jurockvideo).

QUESTION ON AI USE

Several questions on AI actual daily use. In several speeches this year I advised to take a day off and test 6 major programs like ChatGPT, Crok, Claude, Perplexity, etcetera then pick one and stick with it. I like ChatGPT because it is oldest ad has been asked several billion more questions than others – resulting in better answers. I also likes me. But the questions I get from you are more about built-in ones like Co-Pilot, Gemini etc. Just my 5 cents: I would never buy a computer; laptop with co-pilot and others built in. They take over your machine – like it or not – all with a new goal: Get you to change from having bought a “product” to selling you an ongoing service subscription forever…more and more. Push you into cloud etc. Microsoft no longer hides this new focus by installing the “Recall” Feature (Copilot+ PCs) . All designed to check all and everything you personally do every 4 seconds and based on what it learns get you to into things you have to pay for that you neither need nor asked for. Hit you constantly with ads.

Major Point: If I were less lazy, I would switch to Linux (secure, no ads, ), but the time to adjust I dread. But I clean up my computer regularly. Soo much or pre-installed junk! Oh, and Windows re-installs everything. Why not Apple? I left it years ago – wont play my heavy-duty games,

COMMENT / QUESTION

You wrote in 2023 about:

We in our Canadian house face:

War on the middle class

War on hardworking people

War in Universities on all Western ideas

War on the backbone of Western civilization

(We said: Buy Douglas Murray newest book: “The Age of Unreason – War on the West”.)

We add: Also buy his book “The death of Europe” – 2022.

War on productive people like honour students

War on achievements

War on Christians, Jews

War thru identity politics

War on dissing woke ideas

Etcetera, etcetera But Ozzie, you must agree it’s a lot better now?

A: True. I did and we are doing a slow turn on woke … but A LONG WAY TO GO.

TO DO AT YEAR END:

We recommend that every year:

Get some cash: Re-read our market-related cash and our age-related cashadvice. Remember: Buffet sits on 379 billion in cash. Why?

• Watch whether buyers are coming back with a psychological FOMO! (40% chance).
• Dispute your tax assessment. Go to BC assessment site (good site) and check out your recent sales/prices comparison that is used to get your money. Can do only till Jan 31.
• Read everything! Watch everything! If Banks were scared it means that people may rush back into hard assets FOMO. Say close to your area, your realtor, buy only your deal of a lifetime.
• Reread our last 3 issues on MBS and CLO. FOR GOODNESS SAKE: DO IT! The Black Swan that is known!
• Watch for 2026: Most mortgage renewals ever. If you renew haggle hard!
• Watch for: Interest rates (our call) will stay the same in Canada. US will see two declines.
• Watch for and worry about hard asset inflation. Worldwide, but more so in Canada. It is back already in all hard assets of note (real estate notwithstanding). Silver up 65% in 45 days (big crash ahead?). Gold and platinum, palladium soaring. Huge liquidity squeeze could be our 2026 Black Swan (although not so black anymore as to be unknown).

OPPORTUNITIES?

Still good calls:

Not as good it once was … but still to analyze. Buy real estate for movie production.

Buy storage for Amazon (storage, returns etc.) Get your place a contract with Amazon.

Buy work/live places – convert to storage – as more and more online shopping needs to be somewhere.

Rent luxury (Ozbuzz search – rentvest!) But Buy cash flow (check out Alberta).

Rent where you want to live, buy commercial real estate for investment.

• Check out assignments (CL and KJJI) – buy someone else’s fear – cheap. But check out builder first and only deal of a lifetime. Several people walk away from 20% cash DP and all you need is no cash just get a mortgage of 80%.
• Check unreserved auctions, Alberta, or USA.
• Buy COMMERCIAL! Industrial – less hustle! Foreign buyers allowed! Easier to make rules … no bad legislation pending! UHT is now cancelled.
• Buy small town cash flow (no foreign tax).
• Price and rent ratios turning optimal in Alberta and small-town BC. Calgary and Edmonton are cheap.
• Make one awful smelling stink bid a week. Deal of a lifetime – time!

BOOKS

1. In the last few years, I started out our forecasts with a quick scan for Black Swans. Black Swans? Well, the older book ‘The Black Swan’ by Nassim Taleb. ‘Black Swan’ is a highly improbable unpredictable event with massive impact.Wondering about the flying “Black Swans” of 2026, I found myself reviewing Taleb’s book eye-opening book again.
2. ‘The ONE Thing’ by Gary Keller. Another golden oldie. I read this No. 1 Wall Street Journal bestseller relatively often. His view on multitasking (does not work) and time plotting I have adopted. So, read it.

Remember: You are reading Ozzie’s opinion, not advice! And, yes, I have lots of opinions! But use only your personal professional lawyer/realtor/accountant/ to make any personal investment.

THE NUMBERS, THE NUMBERS

Brief romp across the county.

TORONTO

House sales  -15%, Condo sales -21%, Average price down 6.4%.

CALGARY

Sales SF -5%, Condo -28%, Inventory up 32%.

EDMONTON

SF average prices increased 2.6%, SF sales fell 15%, Condo sales down 9%.

Condo prices at $205,314 up 2.5%.

VANCOUVER

Sales Detached -13%, Price -13% ($2,012,600).

Sales condos -11%, Price +02% ($793,000).

BRITISH COLUMBIA

BCREA says: Year-to-date, BC residential sales dollar volume is down 7.5 per cent to $58 billion, compared with the same period in 2024. Residential unit sales are down 4.8 per cent year-over-year at 60,954 units, while the average MLS® residential price is also down 2.8 per cent to $952,273. It is getting better. The chart shows the wide dispersion in the province, Check your area carefully.

Source: BCREA

VANCOUVER AND FRASER VALLEY  

Here is a 5-year NOVEMBER 2025 over NOVEMBER 2024/2023/2022/2021 comparison.

VANCOUVER SNAPS:

SALES: NEW: -56%! Stop worrying about new. Resale -1.7%

November SF sales are down 2% OVER LAST NOVEMBER, they are still higher than NOVEMBER 2023 and 2022. Vancouver SF active listings are up 7%, condominium new listings are DOWN by 5%.

Here is a 5-year NOVEMBER 2025 over NOVEMBER 2024/2023/2022/2021 comparison.

VANCOUVER – Single Family

Major Point: Vancouver SF price in NOVEMBER is stable around $2.0 million and still up over 2023/2022 prices. (But well below the $2,302,000 high achieved in March 2022 and summer 2024.)

The Vancouver and Fraser Valley Real Estate Boards have the BEST current statistics. Get your professional realtor give you the numbers for the sub-area in which YOU are interested.

Major Point:

Fraser Valley. SF and condo sales are well down over 2024. But NEW condo listings are also down a whopping 23% and active listings as well. Sellers take properties off the market.

As always, we say that there is no best deal market, there are only the best deals that you negotiate! Think of making a DEAL OF A LIFETIME! THINK STINKBID!

And in December 2025 and first half of 2026 you CAN still negotiate.

Hire experienced realtors (MUST), quality experienced mortgage brokers (not all brokers have access to all lenders) and real estate-oriented lawyers.

For recommendation ask Ozzie info@ozbuzz.ca

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?

Go to realestatetalks.com – Some 2,500 members (47,009 posts) talk real estate. Ozzie created this bulletin board in 1998!
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OZZIE’S YOUTUBE CHANNEL

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Moneytalks Podcast

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HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT?

You can reach me at info@ozbuzz.ca with all of your questions, comments and concerns regarding the Oz Buzz publication.