Personally.....I dont even need to take a plant out of a pot....not just citrus but any plant.......I drill extra drainage holes in my pot in the first place and that has included terracotta(masonery bits/be careful....3mm then 5mm then 7mm) as well as plastic......typically 5 or 6mm holes.....with my citrus i put some onion bag mesh at the bottom to stop mix coming out.(cut to size) All you have to do is lift the pot above your head or tip it on its side carefully and look for signs of roots coming out the holes.....then its time to repot. If you are really slack and go away and they are rootbound...plants will often try to push themselves up and out of the pot as well but the lift and look/tip on its side is all i ever do. if you pick a container that is 3 to 4 inches bigger all around than the rootball....that will eliminate stagnant water sitting in the pot....i killed a lot of citrus using too big a pot! water just sat there going off.Some plastic pots have some big drainage holes on their sides.....they are good for spotting the roots.

MOST municipalities or states have laws that say essentially the same as your old lease said--if the landlord finds a new tenant, they can't keep charging you rent. So really, I bet your situation isn't ANY different than it was in the last lease. It's just that in the new lease, they didn't bother to put in the stuff that's probably covered by local or state laws. And, quip is right--while the landlord has to make reasonable attempt to rent it out, he isn't required to steer whatever tenants he finds, to YOUR apartment. He may not even be required to rent YOUR apartment to any tenant YOU bring him--he may be allowed to say, "thanks for finding me a tenant; I'm going to rent him 2B instead of your apt." That's probably no different, really, than your old lease. You want to buy in an area you don't currently live in--that means market research will be slower and harder (bcs you'll have to travel a short bit to go to open houses, etc. I'm betting March will be just fine. Also, if you're ready to put in bids in December, you'll probably find that sellers are pretty motivated then. If they're selling in Nov,/Dec./Jan, it's usually because they HAVE to. So that might stand you in good stead. I wouldn't sweat the "breaking the lease" thing right now--you need more info on your market, etc. You don't *need* to rush, really--you're living together now, so you're not in a hurry to accomlish that. And the market is probably not rising rapidly, so you don't need to rush on that account. It's possible your current rent in the more expensive area is more than your potential mortgage would be, but by the time you factor in moving costs, points, etc., I don't think you'd come out that far ahead by moving sooner and not later. Esp. if the market is dropping a bit. (also, if you're ready to buy a house together in the next few months, why not just get married in the same timeframe? I've never quite understood the "we know we want to get married in the future but not now" mindset. Either you want to get married, or you don't. If you do, why are you waiting a long time? If someone is willing to go through all the financial permanency and paperwork, etc., of buying a house, why not a marriage ceremony? I work at a weddings magazine, and I really hate that my daily work contributes to the fact that so many people are waiting until they can "afford" to get married--which translates "until we have $20k to waste on a fancy party")

Well, living in retirement home there is lots the come straight from hospital to be cared for and recover until doctor says they can go back home and work for some of them. We had a very young guy that broke his ankle and was not allowed to walk on it and moved in for months and then left. And we get many different ones come for different lengths of time. So, that is a thought too but it costs and if need caregivers that cost too but whether its at an apartment or retirment you pay for those helpers to help out. One thing is meals here but if you can't make it to dining room, you pay $8.00 a tray. Oh, yes, you also pay for meals in dining room but you have things going on if you can participate with them. I found out the young guy did jigsaw puzzles to keep himself busy and we had kids that came here and he got involved with them and the kids love having him. And another lady but she says the doctors appointment she must go too takes up a lot of her time but she does try a bit if possible and chats in the dining room, she uses a walker to get around and is eager to leave and go back home where her husband is tending pets and land they have and live too far to come for visits. So, it depends on the care and money and what is available around him and can he care for himself? Shopping, meals, driving and all that?????

Thanks for all of the comments so far - much appreciated! It's a one bedroom apartment since the wall to the 2nd bedroom was partially carved out by a former owner to expand the living area - so will be for a young professional/ couple (which is what I currently have despite the furnishings currently skewing university student). Unfortunately I'm competing with shiny new builds that have an industrial look and extras (like swimming pools and indoor parking) while my unit was constructed in 1900 and previous owners have stripped out all original character. The newer builds also offer appliances, which oddly enough is not the norm in the regular rental market in this city (tenants normally need to supply their own fridge/stove/etc.). In addition to the fridge and stove, there is also a washer and dryer in a laundry room that I did not show. Window treatments are also usually not provided unless they are cheap plastic Venetian blinds. Security deposits are not allowed - so most apartments are offered as-is and most landlords put in minimal effort. Personally I find this apartment so ugly, and I'm used to rental markets that provided bright white and clean apartments, that it pains me to offer it as-is without some refresh. My style definitely skews modern/industrial and my unit is now all white/ black/ grey/ exposed brick - so all of that wood in the kitchen seems awful to me. I refinished my cabinets with INSL-X Stix primer and Benjamin Moore Advanced paint when I bought the place and they are still look good 3+ years later...but understand perhaps that's not the best for a rental unit. Peel & stick flooring tiles are definitely not my top choice, but as I was researching laying vinyl sheeting, it seemed like it might be a difficult task to take on by myself. Seems like the consensus is that I should paint all rooms and install a dishwasher.