I'm no expert, but I'd think it's worth doing, especially if you have anyone in the house with allergies or health conditions that are affected to mold. We had a huge mold problem in our basement earlier this summer (due to groundwater seeping in slowly through the walls. No leaks, no floods, just high humidity over a long period of time), and are having the entire basement redone. The mold remediation contractor found a lot of mold hidden underneath the carpet, since it stays perpetually damp, and there's plenty of "food" for the mold. I read an article that said carpet should only be installed in the basement if there's adequate "subflooring" or "underflooring" installed. Carpet laid directly onto the concrete will almost inevitably result in mold and the musty basement smell. For what it's worth, we've decided to do away with carpet entirely, and are looking into a waterproof vinyl floor.

The two crucial questions you have to think about when finishing a basement are: 1.) Is it Insulated? 2.) Does it Leak? You have the first one covered, which is good. Which leaves leaking. I wouldn't think about finishing the basement until after you've had a couple really big downpours and seen how it looks after them. Inspect it after major downpours. A minor leaks becomes a huge mold problem once you throw in carpeting and drywall. Have you considered removable panels like the Owens Corning Basement Finishing System or SoftWall? Will you need sump pumps or French Drains? Is the grading around your house good, and are your gutters good? Once you put in drywall, many solutions you might put in to deal with leaks become much harder to do. If it is a new house, you don't know how it performs in really bad weather. This post was edited by edlincoln on Tue, Oct 14, 14 at 11:45

On new growth for certain types of Hoya ( & most variegates) yes but the red pink hues tend to fade away as it grows and develop into it's green and white markings. A quick story to share: A friend of mine would think something was wrong with pink red coloring. When asked the response they gave was( as the green markings/ color established on theirs on new leaf they though it had (or is having) a leaf rot problem and would cut away the new leaf as it/they grew thinking they where solving some odd leaf rot problem IMO: You are providing ideal sun light and watering for that one already and they burn so easy FWIW I'd move it out a little slower than you may have in mind. The markings are very nice, the whiter ( pure white leaves) are to envy. Good job as is, it's one very nice looking H. carnosa variegate. Most Hoya umbrel ( flowering) usually take and last a while from open to the end of flowing cycle plenty of time to enjoy the evening fragrance when in flower. ( LOL) As I think of my friend in the story, if you happen to see a worm looking thing poking out somewhere along the vine it's also very normal please don't cut it away. Hoya forum LOL that's one sad excuse seeming as I don't habit the Hoya forum either at one time I had 10 times more Hoya than zone hardy fruit trees finding room in the orchid to hang them for the summer. I agree it's always safer than not to mention that Hoya can become very very addicting.

What do you heat the house with currently and where is it located? For the best outcome you should contact a local HVAC contractor in your area. Don't start a landlord operation only to create a headache for yourself. I've been a landlord since 2016 on top of HVAC service and repair, manage my own rental. It's another job... the better it's done, the less headaches you will have. I'm not telling you what to do. I am giving you advice of what not to do. It's your choice to follow it or not. So we're clear here. I can only provide advice based upon 30 years of experience. I am in rentals of others all summer long & sometimes in the winter, what little of that we have in Katy, Tx. People who chime in here (other than OP) like to think I am advertising... when in fact I get calls from all over the country, that I can not help. HVAC is an in person job. I do not play guessing games with your comfort. I service the Katy, Texas area. (The advice I provide isn't to show you how to do it, I don't recommend that, for obvious reasons if you're able to think about it.) Just like you shouldn't try to remove your appendix on your own, you shouldn't take on HVAC without extensive experience and proper licensing. (now let's watch and see the DIY hacks, home builders that have HVAC contractors they call on speed dial flame me. LOL)