1 leaves; as Denise noted depends of growing conditions, all mine are grown outside, so a lot of damage caused by bugs, rain, wind a bit too much of sun or a squirrels using my pots as a pantry! None-less, although not perfect my plants are healthy and look like hoyas in the wild! ;) 2 pots; I guess it's personal preference and conditions. I have only couple in clay, rest in plastic pots. With 90 degree temperatures clay just goes dry way to fast, and watering 30 pots 4 times a week is just to much! 3 soil; loose soil is good, check archives, hoyas need fast drying airy soil. It is loose most likely due to shipping. Repoting is up to you, that soil worked for grower who sent you plants, it may work (or not) in your conditions. If you have personal favorite mix you use for other plants, go for it, for sure I would not repot into some standard peat based mix from the store, and keep them in the same size pots unless root bound. AS always it is my opinion, it works for me in my conditions! Good luck with your plants! Aggie

In some parts of the country, houses settle more at certain times of year---in New England where I grew up, for instance, it was the spring/summer when it got hot and humid after cold, dry winters. In California where I live now, it's the winter when the air gets moist. So it might just be normal creaks. However---you can have a foundation/drainage firm (or two, just to cross-check!) come by to take a look. We did this before starting a kitchen remodel to ensure we wouldn't put in pretty new fixtures and walls only to shake them up with any foundation work. If it's not for a buyer/seller inspection, none of the firms where we are charge for the look and estimate. If it's a drainage issue from your neighbor's yard, let them know that they need to fix it. If it isn't a foundation issue and is just normal creaks, you can also fix many of these from below by bracing the problem spot. We have a book on rehabbing old houses with pretty detailed instructions for fixing any dips in flooring or creaky spots...haven't tried it yet, though. Good luck!

Thanks all for your responses. Well, I made my decision, and it is to choose the quieter, more shy kitten. One thing I realized I did not mention in my OP, was that my cat did have a companion he loved dearly, but she passed. She was playful, but let him be the boss. Actually, she did what she pleased, but she was clever at letting him think he was the king of the castle. As I mentioned, I was going to visit the two sister kittens again to decide. So, I did so, and I sat on the living room floor with them. The more outgoing one was VERY busy. My goodness, she was investigating everything, and exploring everywhere, and didn't have a hint of fear or timidity or hesitation. The only thing was, she was so busy, she didn't have any interest in me. Meanwhile, the more timid kitten was very scared the first few minutes and just didn't move. Then I took out a Cat Dancer, and got her attention. She played with it, and came out of her shell and showed how cute she could be. The more outgoing kitten was too occupied exploring everything to play with me or interact with me. Also, to echo what Bizabet said, my senior cat at home is very much like the outgoing kitten. My cat has never shown any fear his whole life, even at the vet. And he can even be a little aggressive toward delivery people or workmen he feels are invading his "kingdom". Although now that he is senior he has mellowed, but I think it might be a conflict with the kitten who is just as outgoing and unafraid as he is. I think he would like a kitten companion he could be big brother to, and be in charge of. I'll likely be posting back to let you know how they get along. I know that it could take anywhere from a few days to a few weeks for them to settle down, but I am certain I am choosing the right one.

From what I am reading, you were lucky enough to secure a contract on an unusually large home in a hot market. In circumstances like that, being in the right place at the right time gave you the opportunity to buy a desirable home. If you choose to back out, you will spend more money trying to secure alternative housing, fees and charges duplicated on the next house you find and likely pay a higher price for the replacement. If you back out now, you are guaranteed to lose money, but if you close, you have a fairly good chance that you haven't bought a problem house. Most issues found in a home inspection are not deal breakers, especially if the property was built in the past few decades. Old houses are more likely to have expensive problems but if this is a newer home, serious issues aren't as likely. In my area, most sales are as-is with an inspection clause which allows the buyer walk away if there are substantial defects found. In common practice, buyers request certain items to be fixed and sellers often fix issues to avoid losing the sale. However in a hot market, sellers are likely to refuse to fix issues unless lenders refuse to finance the purchase.