What a great place--it "made" our Hilo experience!
James and Jocelyne were very communicative, flexible, and friendly. They were accommodating of our schedule and Jocelyn met us at the house at a convenient time for us. She was very welcoming and gave us great recommendations for things to do in Hilo. She had put out vases of beautiful fresh flowers, a basket of local food, and had water bottles in the fridge.
We really enjoyed the Richardson Beach House itself--we would definitely recommend it (with a few caveats for personal preference). The house is beautiful and feels historic, it had great decor, and was across from a beautiful beach. There were at least 12 sea turtles in the tide pools across from the house, a lifeguard, and spots to snorkel. The yard is beautiful and we fell asleep to the sound of rain and coquis frogs. This was the experience we were looking for in Hilo!
The "personal preference" caveat--if you can't handle cockroaches, tiny ants on any crumbs you leave out, geckos in the kitchen, and no air conditioning (although plenty of fans provided), then this isn't your place. We reasoned that these things are probably common to most Hilo accommodations and still enjoyed our stay very much. Because the windows don't close, we did feel a little close to the neighbors, but again, this type of window is common to Hilo houses I believe. If you expect an immaculately clean and up-to-date rental, you might be disappointed, but this was reasonably clean and the decor was beautiful inside. Even if the cockroaches (or other caveats) turn you off, I'd urge you to give this house a try--it felt like an amazing tropical experience in a perfect location.