Rename them the real estate Boomer generation: A comprehensive new demographic study reveals that the 78 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964 have a passion for owning real estate unlike any in the nation’s history.Consider these findings:

– Ninety-six percent of all Baby Boomers believe that owning a home is a very smart financial investment, and nearly 4 out of 5 of them now own homes. One in 4 Boomers owns other forms of real estate besides a primary home — including one or more vacation or seasonal retreats, acreage or income-earning property.

Q: Recently, all the tenants in our building received a notice from the management office indicating that we are now going to be billed monthly for water as part of the landlord’s efforts to assist in “global conservation of water.”The notice said each rental unit’s “pro rata share of the bill will be calculated from a predetermined formula based on the number of occupants in your apartment, using a weighted occupant count.”

Los Angeles Hotel Market Remains Strong
Downtown Los Angeles hotels are seeing significant increases in occupancy because of renovated rooms and a renewed interest in staying downtown, according to report by PKF Consulting. The L.A. firm, which tracks the hospitality market, expects downtown’s average hotel occupancy rate to hit about 73%, compared to 51% in 2003. Hotel occupancy for the 10-county region is hovering just under 80%.

My husband and I have taken in three housemates to go along with our three extra bedrooms. This has allowed us to comfortable afford a house payment on one income while being students. My suggestions are that everyone has at least one chore that is part of the household cleaning in main living areas and that a schedule is created for kitchen and laundry privileges. We have been doing this for almost a year and it has been great. They pay $750 of our $950 mortgage!
Amy

 Q: I have a question regarding rejecting an otherwise qualified rental applicant based on their personality.

Recently, when showing the apartment, it quickly became apparent that this person was a difficult person and it would require extra time and money to satisfy her requests. I didn’t think it was good business to rent to this person but went ahead because I didn’t know if I was on solid legal grounds. This person was not a minority or in any other protected category.

Starting before move in and subsequently, my judgment has proven correct. Is it legal to reject someone based on personality and the expectation of trouble?