I stayed in Stephen's rental for a month during my relocation for work. I've been to SF before and always loved Sunset district... I'll trade the hustle & bustle for proximity to the ocean any day.
You're really close to grocery shopping, restaurants, public transit, and the ocean, so you really don't need a car... but if you have one, this is one of the few neighborhoods that has ample street parking.
The accommodations were clean, accurately depicted, private, and serene. Stephen's garden is right outside your front door... and if you open the window to let the cool, fresh, costal breeze blow in, you'll be greeted with the calming trickle of a water fountain. Man - I took some great naps in this spot.
All of this, and Stephen was a GREAT host. We spoke briefly at check-in, upon my departure, and once in the middle of the rental (I was dumping my trash and recycling into the wrong set of bins and had NO idea =/ Stephen's approach to addressing the issue with me was spot on... I was really embarrassed for my screw up and he totally let me off the hook. Pretty insignificant interaction to most people, but it meant a lot to me and was highly representative of his character, in my opinion). So you've got a place to yourself and when you do interact with your landlord, it's something to look forward too.
My suggestion: Rent Stephen's place and /walk to the ocean/eat at all the coffee shops and restaurants in the neighborhood/take MUNI into the city off of Tarval/walk home with your groceries/easily access main thoroughfares/listen to Stephen's garden/dispose of your waste in the bins on the right/enjoy SF!