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V I E W P O I N T S W W W. M A I N E B I Z . B I Z 3 D E C E M B E R 1 , 2 0 2 5 From the Editor T his year seemed to fly by — here we are in December — and I'm looking back on the les- sons of 2025. It's been a whirlwind, but here are five highly unscientific reflections on what we've learned in the past year. 1. e years before the pandemic seem like ancient history now. row out everything we knew about housing prices, the cost of health care and the cost of, well, a cup of coffee. Inflation, labor shortages and skyrocketing housing and health care costs make the years before 2020 look like the 1950s. 2. Higher housing prices are here to stay. For the month of October, Maine's median home price of $426,000 eclipsed the U.S. rate by $1,000. Before the pandemic, Maine's median home price was at $200,000 for a long time. ere might be people who are still waiting for the pandemic bubble to burst, but you could also argue Maine homes were underpriced and prices have caught up with the rest of the country. 3. e cost of having employees keeps going up. You can look at planned increases in the state minimum wage and that of the city of Portland. You can look at the rising cost of offering insurance and other benefits. And you can brace for the coming paid- leave law to go into effect in May. Buckle up. 4. An aging population has collided with the health care shakeout. Maine's two largest health care systems have taken steps for the future, but for all of us who live in Maine, the math of hav- ing an aging population with a shifting health care industry have already meant changes in our care. is is something we'll all need to pay close attention to next year. 5. Who's minding the store? Whether you're looking to make an eye appointment, get your Real ID at the BMV site or get your oven fixed, chances are you're booking several weeks (or months) in advance. People are retiring, people are turning down jobs. And we're all spending more time waiting for basic services. at doesn't look like it will change anytime soon. Peter Van Allen pvanallen@mainebiz.biz Featured @ Mainebiz.biz For a daily digest of Maine's top business news, sign up for the Mainebiz Daily Report at mainebiz.biz/enews Mainebiz offers the latest business news in the Daily Report and the Real Estate Insider newsletters. Here is the top content from Nov. 10–24. 1. Arts and crafts general store, Nash & Co., set to open in Portland 2. Portland's 'IZ fee' has put hundreds of housing units on hold 3. Maine law firm rankings reset: Who's up, who's down on annual leaderboard 4. Rare condo project in Falmouth aims to provide homes to 'workforce' earners 5. Former funeral home in Portland to be repurposed as bed-and-breakfast 6. Own a piece of '60s folk music history in Blue Hill 7. $3.3M commercial property sale in Gray seen as 'strong' investment opportunity 8. Blackstone-backed marina operator to buy Belfast's Front Street Shipyard 9. Generous perk or employer headache? Maine businesses get ready for paid leave law 10. Lawyering up: Expansions, alternative models and a closure reflect churn in Maine's legal industry P H O T O / C O U R T E S Y O F N A S H & C O 1 Whether you're looking to make an eye appointment, get your Real ID at the BMV site or get your oven fixed, chances are you're booking several weeks (or months) in advance. We're attorneys. But we're people first. Meet Tracy. Combining extensive regulatory knowledge with real operational insight, she guides highly regulated organizations in enhancing privacy programs, managing risk, and ensuring compliance. bernsteinshur.com Tracy Roberts Senior Counsel 5 things we learned in 2025

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