Firstly, if the communication with the host is great, then it's almost guaranteed the stay will be pleasant too. This was our case with Bruce and he really accommodated all of our questions and requests on-hands, making our experience at his lovely place really pleasant.
We went for a long-term business trip, meaing we had to stay home for the majority of the time. The wifi was fast, place was spacey with nice sunlight, the AC/heater worked well, and we did not have any issue with hot water coming out for the bathroom.
The house is a little far from the nearest train station but this didn't affect our stay too much. But may be for other guests who plan to visit the city often may be a little tricky. If the weather is nice, we walked 25 min to the closest metro station and if not, took a 10 min drive and then took L Train.