Um, you DO pay property taxes when you rent. Those taxes are part of the rent you pay. And if the taxes go up, the next lease will reflect that. And yes, you can pick up and move. And that's part of the fun of being young. Just for kicks, I went to the website of the apartment my wife and I rented when we got married. Back then (1972) the rent was an outrageous $205 a month. And you had to make a month's rent per week in salary. Don't forget, you could buy a brand new Toyota for $1,995 back then. Today that exact same apartment rents for $1,205 a month. This was a 1 bedroom 650 sq ft garden apartment in Randolph, New Jersey. You buy a home, the mortgage stays the same for the life of the loan, and currently you can deduct the taxes and interest you pay. Can't do that with rent money, but your landlord can.

Fun, did you have more than one living space growing up? We had a formal living room and a family room so the family room is where our toys were kept. However, we didn't have nearly the same amount of toys as kids do nowadays! The way our family room was laid out, there was a corner where all the toys were kept. I shared an average size room with my sister, so we didn't have much room for playing in there. I'm sure we did a bit but for the most part, we were in the family room when we were young or outside. I also can't imagine having kids' toys in every room. That would drive me nuts! Most of the houses around here have basements or more than one living area so the basements store the bulk of the toys and then the family room, which is typically open to or next to the kitchen is where the main floor toys are stashed. Having four kids has relaxed my anal tendencies but I still go a little nuts with crap laying around. The peninsula in my kitchen becomes the drop zone but I can't stand having that clutter. And dh is the worst b/c he will leave his stuff there and never come back for it but then get annoyed if I move it or ask him to. He's used to clutter from his childhood. I used to have complete order in the house b/f I went to bed, but now I'm so exhausted by then that I have slacked off a bit and then get all stressed when I come downstairs the next morning to clutter and have to clean up b/f I can function. I'm like that with cooking too - I can't start cooking unless the counters are clear, no dirty dishes out, etc. DH looks at me like I have two heads. Am I the only weird one like that? Oops, sorry, I have a habit off going off on a tangent!

Bry911... I believe the post is referring to the fact that if sellers do collect more rent from the tenant that is above the market rate, some contracts are written that the monies that are above and beyond the market rent will be put into escrow, and if this is the case, (the seller offering money back so the buyer can use towards a down payment), then these monies will have to be verified by the lender. For sellers... remember to legally and ethically treat the person as a tenant for the term of the tenancy. They need to be reminded that they are tenants until the deal closes as a sale. Too many of these renters go into a rent to own situation and then customize the home to their tastes w/o the owner knowing it. There should also be two separate contracts... one being a lease agreement for the tenancy, and an Offer To Purchase Real Property for the sale part of it. Just think of the sales agreement as one with a very delayed closing date. Inspections and all due diligence is best performed up front, even before the lease agreement is signed. And, the sales price needs to be agreed upon up front too. And any wording as to what the consequences are for a tanking economy during the lease agreement term. Really, I don't understand, from a renters view point, why they would want to trap themselves into a purchase of one particular home, when during the lease term they are renters if they sign a Purchase Agreement or not. Why not just wait until your lease is close to being over, and THEN making the decision that this is the right property for you.

i would propagate them .. make new plants that are the exact plant ... and once i had them properly rooted and potted. i would just get rid of the old ones ... here is the one link.. you can change ti to the other name: https://duckduckgo.com/?q=Aphelandra+squarrosa+propagation&t=ffcm&iax=videos&ia=videos i would look for how to use the smallest pieces... its much easier to root small pieces rather than the whole giant top of one of your plants ... [third vid is interesting] these are not all that rare .. which means there is profit in easily propagating them.. and that is why they are not rare ... soooo.. if they can do it.. so can you ... and give extras away as gifts ... at some point.. they just get too old to not be PIAs .... so.. i wouldnt bother repotting .. until i needed the pot for the rootings ... and.. you might be surprised to see what they do.. once you lop off their heads ... they may regenerate nicely .. if you give them the time ... and if they do.. then you would repot to give them some new media and a fresh start ... and yes.. always cut off dead parts ... they are dead ... simple general pruning rules ... and if you make a mistake and cut off something that isnt dead... well root it... or just throw it away before someone starts making fun of you ... lol ken