Even in a declining market, we salute the sweet freedom of homeownership. A local, very large residential property management group has announced a non-smoking policy across all of its new developments. Currently, the Prometheus Real Estate Group's 430 units in Santa Clara and 81 units in Emeryville are subject to the ban, which includes no puffing on balconies, common areas, or even within 25 feet of the building. New leases on existing properties will eventually subject to this as well. The company looks for buy-in by citing all the typical health risks, but, in pointing out the reduced fire risk, cleaning costs, and maintenance costs, Prometheus actually shows some honesty: it's all about the bottom line. [Yahoo Finance]
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