Great value, in a prime location, with an awesome host... but take the photos with a grain of salt. I've struggled with this review. Austin was so nice, cool, and helpful that I don't want to write anything less than a glowing acclaim. But what can I do but share our observations as impartially as possible. Pros: - Host: Austin gave us a lot of time and seemed genuinely interested. A local fixture, when he sent us down the block to the must-visit Figtree's Cafe, our eyes went right to the "Austin Omelette"! Even when I broke an expensive glass, he first refused any money, and later gave me some back when he found some cheaper online. - Location: 1.5 blocks from the heart of the Venice Beach boardwalk; walking distance to countless fantastic shops, restaurants, and attractions - Amenities: The kitchen is well-stocked - we brought groceries and found everything else we needed. Washer/dryer, fire pit (so much fun!), free bicycles - what more could you want! - Price: one of the cheapest places we found for such a perfect location with great amenities. Cons: - Cleanliness/Upkeep: View the photos while meditating on "shabby-chic" from the listing. We were confused when we arrived, thinking "is this the same place we booked?". Understand - there was nothing "wrong". In fact, if we never saw /any/ photos, we probably wouldn't have had a particularly strong reaction either way. After going back to the listing to check the photos, it just seems to us that they display such a degree of photographic art - perfect lighting, immaculate upkeep - that they are hard to reconcile with the adequate, but clearly lived-in, reality* (e.g. leaves all over the yard, bicycles with flat tires, pet hair covering the kitchen chairs). The funny thing is that, when I perused all the places we contacted, I realized it's actually a really good value, being one of the cheapest places we found for the location, so it was only a question of our expectation being off, not of any inherent defect with the place. - Pets: the dog was friendly and fun, with one exception. We returned from an outing when Austin was out. The dog met us at the front door, barking continuously. I tried to pull a "Dog Whisperer" and hold my space while slowly entering, but he began snarling when I crossed the threshold. Now, he did let me pet his head (but continued to bark and growl), and was wagging his tail, but neither I or my girlfriend have a dog, so we just weren't sure what to make of his behavior and didn't feel safe. So we waited outside and called Austin, who returned in minutes, and the dog returned to his friendly self. So I hope that I've explained our experience as fairly as possible. * In fairness, Austin did say that the place is usually much cleaner, but that Nika, who took the lead in that arena, happened to be...