I know this might feel like an early year-end message — but if we want to start 2026 off right (or clean up anything still lingering from 2025), we need a bit of runway.

This time of year gets swallowed quickly by holidays, travel, slower turnaround times, and teams shifting into year-end mode.

So consider this a friendly nudge:

if something needs to be addressed before year-end or early January — a refinance, restructuring, commercial file, strategy session or tax-planning conversation — now is the time to get ahead of it.

With that said, here’s my 2025 recap and where I’m focusing in 2026.

🔹 Residential vs. Commercial — What 2025 Looked Like

10% Residential — But Highly Specialized (and a Better Outcome for Clients + Partners)

Only about 10% of my time this year was residential — but that 10% was the highly technical work:

• Private lending

• Bridge loans (buy before sell)

• High-net-worth planning & tax-driven structures

• Construction & renovation financing

• Bank declines needing quick turnarounds

• Renewals, refinances, purchases for long-term relationships

Where does this leave my existing clients and referral partners?
Honestly — in a better position.

Every residential file is now supported by a strong agent on my team, while I remain fully involved in:

• the strategy

• the structure

• the lender relationships

• the high-level plan

Think of it as getting two brokers instead of one — with a better process, more support, and more resources.

I’m still deeply connected to this side of the business and will continue supporting existing clients and referral partners — just with a more efficient team-based model.

As part of this commitment, we are relaunching Fund Magazine — a platform designed to connect like-minded partners, share industry insights, and create consumer-focused educational content while strengthening our referral ecosystem and supporting our communities.

90% Commercial — Strategy, Underwriting, Capital Stacks & Relationship-Driven Lending

The commercial market had its share of complexity, but it was also full of opportunity when deals were structured right.

We continued to close:

• Land financing (even in conservative environments)

• Multi-family & purpose-built rental transactions

• Construction financing

• Commercial bridge and recapitalization loans

• CMHC take-outs

• Business-secured financing

• Enterprise value, factoring, equipment & ABL facilities

But the real story of 2025 was strategic connection — the power of referring in the right partners, building the right teams, and matching sponsors with lenders who shared their vision.

This year, relationships mattered more than ever.
Deals weren’t won based on rates — they were won on:

• capital structure

• sponsor strength

• timely due diligence

• strong packaging

• and deep lender alignment

We leveraged our network across institutions, credit unions, private lenders, insurance lenders, U.S. lenders, and asset-backed groups — all while expanding into new strategic partnerships that helped bring creative capital solutions to the table.

🔹 Economic Update — Why 2026 Has Opportunity Built In

To understand where we’re heading, you have to look at the macro backdrop:

1. BoC Rate Cuts Created Breathing Room

With the Bank of Canada dropping rates to around 2.25% in 2025, borrowing costs eased, refinancing became more attractive, and stability returned to both residential and commercial underwriting.

2. Dr. Sherry Cooper’s Insights

Our economist, Dr. Sherry Cooper, has consistently emphasized:

• restoring affordability

• stabilizing inflation

• improving business confidence

• the return of a more predictable rate path

• the importance of acting early rather than waiting for certainty

Her central message all year:
“Opportunities reward preparedness. Don’t wait for the perfect moment — build the plan early.”

3. CRE Remains a Key Engine

Industry reports show continued resilience in:

• multi-family

• industrial

• purpose-built rental

• stabilized income-producing assets

Capital (both domestic and international) is returning to markets where fundamentals are solid and demographics support long-term demand.

This sets the stage for smart, strategic lending in 2026.

🔹 What I’m Building in 2026

1. The Commercial Deal Desk (Launch Phase)

We’re fully launching our Commercial Deal Desk — a platform that:

• supports residential agents who want to refer commercial files

• helps them tap into their networks, past clients, and databases

• teaches them how to originate properly

• allows them to earn additional compensation with minimal time investment

• ensures their clients get institutional-level support, underwriting and capital

This will be a powerful value-add for agents who want to protect relationships, add revenue streams, and lean into commercial opportunities without losing focus on their core business.

2. The Broker Playbook — My New Book

My upcoming book, The Broker Playbook, is everything I learned in 15 years of residential brokering — systems, scripts, relationships, strategy, planning and growth — distilled into actionable insights brokers can apply immediately.

As I lean deeper into commercial markets, this book becomes a gift I’m leaving behind for peers who want to build and scale their residential practices.

3. Fund Magazine (Relaunch — New Thematic Editions)

Fund Magazine is becoming a shared partner ecosystem where we collaborate on topics like:

• private lending

• investing in real estate

• construction financing

• high-net-worth lending

• commercial financing

• tax planning

• market insights

Partners can contribute content, co-author sections, share ideas, and support clients together — creating a flywheel of education, collaboration, and value creation.

4. Alphablock — My Investment in AI

I am an investor in Alphablock, an AI company that has been quietly powering institutional investment strategies for more than two decades.

Their founder, Mukul Pal, is an MIT FinTech graduate and winner of the Top 30 Ideas award at MIT.

Alphablock’s technology is used globally in a “white label” format — meaning the funds they power get the credit, not Alphablock.

A remarkable example:
Barometer’s Global Equity Fund — once its worst performer with ~$4M in assets — became an AI-powered fund in late 2023. Since then, it delivered 50%+ returns, won an award as Canada’s best-performing global equity fund, and grew to $130M+ AUM.

Alphablock builds bespoke mandates for asset managers worldwide — and the results speak for themselves.

It’s a long-term strategic investment I’m excited about as AI continues changing capital markets, lending, real estate, and risk evaluation.

🔹 What You Can Expect From Me in 2026

• More involvement, more collaboration, more strategic conversations

• More support for referral partners

• More commercial education for residential agents

• More introductions, partnerships, and shared opportunities

• More community impact and giving back

• Better capital alignment and earlier pre-underwriting

• Faster feedback and clearer guidance

2026 will be about doing more with the right people, building deeper partnerships, and structuring deals, businesses, and relationships for long-term success.

🔹 Let’s Start the Runway Now

If you want to:

• refinance

• restructure

• explore a commercial acquisition

• prepare a construction or development project

• execute a CMHC take-out

• secure business financing

• align on strategy

• or simply review your 2025 → 2026 plan

Now is the time.

Reach out anytime — I’m here to help you start strong and finish stronger.

Here’s to a meaningful, strategic, and collaborative 2026.

— Scott