Another year is coming to a close in the B&T newsroom, and what a year it’s been. 

The biggest change for the staff of Banker & Tradesman came in July, when our parent company, The Warren Group, left the Seaport after nearly two decades and moved its offices to Peabody. 

The move was preceded by the sale of the company’s custom publications and events portfolio, a strategic decision undertaken so TWG could return its focus to the newspapers and data products that have been the lifeblood of the company for more than 145 years. 

To that end, stay tuned in the first quarter of next year for a new website for The Registry Review, B&T’s sister publication in New Hampshire. (Need real estate and banking news from the Granite State? Email subscriptions@thewarrengroup.com!) 

Though 2018 was a bit chaotic for the staff of B&T, thankfully our wonderful readers stuck with us. 

The biggest hit this year on bankerandtradesman.com was B&T’s Best, the annual readers’ choice awards featuring your votes for the best vendors in a variety of categories. Thanks to the thousands of readers who voted, and congratulations again to the winners! 

The most viewed story of the year (so far) was “Former Sears Plaza in Ashland Sold” from February. Illustrating the power of social media, more than 90 percent of the page views on that story came from Facebook, so thanks for sharing! 

The most popular staff story came from Steve Adams with an article on a proposed development in South Boston. “Clearing the Way for a New Village in Andrew Square” detailed the final demolition of two industrial buildings after the relocation of the tenants’ operations. Though the original story was published in January and coverage continued throughout the year, that project has yet to break ground. 

Other major developments also failed to take place this year, notably Amazon’s decision to locate its new HQ2 in places other than Boston. GE’s corporate difficulties have cast doubt on its new headquarters planned on the shore of the Fort Point Channel, and still no one knows what to do with Widett Circle.  

On the other hand, though its founder was ensnared in the #MeToo net earlier this year and is currently suing the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, the massive casino in Everett formerly known as Wynn Boston Harbor now looms over its industrial neighbors and is slated for a June 2019 opening. 

And in the category of “could be good news but probably isn’t,” the median sale price for a single-family home reached an all-time high in June at $420,000. The market scorched previous benchmarks nearly every month this year, leaving a lot of would-be buyers burned and dusty. Next spring’s market will determine whether this recovery still has records to break or if it’s ready for its cool-down lap. 

But that’s still to come as we celebrate 2018’s successes and learn from its failures. Happy holidays, readers. Here’s to 2019 and all the adventures it will bring.