We stayed at Richard's place in the North End and had a great trip. There are pros and cons to Richard's place, some that he can control and some he can't.
The location is excellent. If you want to be in the North End, this is about ideal. a 1 minute walk to Salem Street, and 2 minute walk to Hanover. Easy access to Bova Bakery - really just right in the heart of the entire Italian experience of the North End.
The unit itself is comfortable. The bed was great. As some others have noted, the apartment is below ground level, so there is a half door to get in with 4 steps to walk down. It wasn't an issue with my any of us, but if you were older or had knee issues, it might be a challenge for you.
The bathroom could have been cleaner and could use some routine maintenance, but the water pressure in the shower was great and got hot immediately.
The biggest thing Richard can't control has been mentioned in some other reviews. The couple upstairs can be loud. In the week I was there, they had 2 loud fights, the first one on a Friday night at 3:30 in the morning. These people should never drink, and probably shouldn't even be together. I'm not sure how to go about publicly shaming these people, but that might work. Other than that, the apartment is on a dead end street and was very quiet.
Richard was very accommodating and very quick to respond. I've stayed at several Airbnb units in the North End over the years and his is my favorite location.