The following drive housing prices:Disposable income - very high right nowPopulation increase - many areas are experiencing large population growthInterest rates - still lowInnovative mortgage products - not the same as 2008 but still lots of flexibilityAccess to credit - credit markets are wide openMortgage backed securities - we are in the golden age of capital with huge demandHousing service providers - there are huge personal incentives to push transactionsFinancial literacy - this will always cause irrational decisionsOn a different note, I recommend talking about things that matter with people who care. 

The earth shifts and the age of the home have a lot to do with that.

Make sure everyone knows anyone in the place over the age of 18 needs to apply.Along with filling out the application have the applicants provide proof of income (copies of paystubs, etc) and a copy/picture of their state ID or drivers license.Once you have all of their applications and supporting docs then run their applications through a background check system that will give you their complete credit, criminal, and eviction history for each applicant.

I am considered unrealistic by my peers because they think being a millionaire by age 25 is crazy and retiring by 35 is even crazier.

How do people get away with such  blatant practices in this day and age?

Anyone over the age of 18 who plans to reside on the property should be on the lease, no questions asked.

Age of the units and maintenance.

Just because you see everyone speeding on the highway, would your advice to a new teen-age driver be to speed to?

Don't worry too much about age as an inspection will tell you what you want to know.Walk through: If you don't know what to look for, pay someone who does.

Don't use the seller's comps.Make sure you consider age of the home and anything else that provides a comparable.