The house is exactly as pictured. The kitchen is well stocked. The yard is cute. Extras, like shampoo, snacks and water were also provided. We enjoyed the easy keyless entry and air conditioning. For kids, a Pack & Play and high chair were provided, some toys and plenty of TV viewing options. The bathroom was lovely, with lots of extra towels and a shower with nice water pressure.
Parking is a little tricky, but nothing you wouldn't expect from a major city. We managed to find a spot within a block of the house every time. ... and several times, right in front of the house. There is also a no-parking zone right in front of the house, so if you can't find a space when you're arriving, you can at least unload in the zone.
I would have given the house 5 stars, as it was great. However, I've gone with 4 stars to reflect the neighborhood and want to be sure any potential visitors understand the area before planning a visit.
If you stay there and drive or get rides the whole time you are there, you'll be fine. I recommend doing this.
I would avoid walking around too much though. The area is full of homeless people, tent cities and such. I tried to walk from the house to the Gaslamp District with my 2 yr old son in a stroller, a 15 min easy walk, during the day. We had seen a lot of homeless encampments late at night forming a block or so from the house, but during the day, the homeless folks seemed to shift around and not gather there, so we thought it would be fine for me to walk down town.
We were wrong. We were stalked by a homeless man with a 6" blade. He was crazy, flailing his knife at me and talking gibberish to me. I got lucky and found some guys close to an Amtrak stop who came to our defense, and scared the guy off, but not before attempting to stab them. I reported the incident to the police. They informed me that a guy matching the description I had given had indeed stabbed someone around the same time as trying to attack me. We were lucky I had found the guys at the train stop.
We live in an area of Los Angeles with a lot of crazy folks and homeless folks. This on it's own is not a concern. However, the problem is quite rampant in the area around the house. One day we were there, a homeless guy was going through our trash inside the gated front yard. The cops we talked to recommended not staying in Sherman Heights, and definitely not walking around that area, to avoid potential threats. They also said that stabbings were frequent there around the over-passes between downtown and the house.
That said, I would stay at the house again, knowing not to go anywhere alone, and making sure I am always with my group, to avoid getting singled out as an easy victim.
If you're with a group, or a big guy, you're probably not going to get harassed by homeless people at all. If you're like me, a 5 ft girl with a 2 yr old. Don't risk it or take precautions.