For my very first time in Austin I chose to stay at Brian & Leah's with my 5 girlfriends and it was just awesome! We had such a great time! The pool is prettier in person than the photos do it justice and in the 100 degree heat, the pool (and the AC, and the double-pane windows in the house) were essential! The guest house in the back was also very cute/romantic, if you are booking this house to travel with a big family, I'd imagine you'd want to claim that as your room before anyone else can! ;)
Not only are Brian and Leah extremely communicative and hospitable, you can tell they have great taste and a lot of thought and care went into making this home very comfortable and clean. The girls said over and over again what a perfect place it was for us :)
The outdoor lounge area with BBQ and twinkle lights was where we ate home cooked meals (when we weren't out gorging on bbq) and the neighborhood is quiet and peaceful so we could easily enjoy our own company w/o any interfering noise had we stayed somewhere downtown instead. The home is walking distance to several good restaurants and shops, and it was convenient that Lyft started service in Austin recently so it was easy to get around when we didn't want to drive.
We also greatly appreciated having access to the storage shed after check out so we could enjoy our last day without worrying about lugging our luggage everywhere. They provided an info book with lots of great recommendations. TV available, albeit we hardly needed it. Wifi also accessible.
Would love to come back - haven't been gone 24 hrs yet and I miss Austin already!!!