The place in question is the basement of a very nice house in a working-class, very safe, neighborhood of the Bronx, a short walk from the 2/5 trains. The fact that it is the entire basement means that the area available is huge (though tall people need to mind their head: low ceilings)! The price it's listed at is an absolute steal for what you get -- you will find it difficult to find hotel/motel rooms and Airbnb listings offering this kind of value.
Beyond just the apartment itself, Douglas has obviously put a lot of work into making other aspects of the stay great as well. For those here mainly to see the sights, Douglas has prepared materials instructing guests on getting to and around the city, as well as tips for places to visit. And for those looking to feel more at home, there is a full kitchen with an oven and stove and waffle maker; some breakfast materials are included like oatmeal and waffle mix (we did have some difficulty locating utensils--they were in a somewhat-hard-to-find drawer in the dining table). Yes, we made waffles. International guests will be happy to find a few converter plugs lying around near power sockets.
Also included is a very large array of DVDs for guests' viewing pleasure. A nice personal touch: I told Douglas we were going to watch a few Broadway musicals, and were happily amused to find a copy of the movie version of Chicago already in the DVD player waiting for us.