CLEAN, QUIET, AND CLOSE TO EVERYTHING I NEED (FOOD & FUN)
If a place isn't clean, I'm not staying there, no matter what the price. And I quite happily stayed in John's back house. Because it was CLEAN. While overall the "house" is small, both the bedroom and bathroom are a nice size. The bathroom has a full length mirror, with the toilet and tub separate. There's a T.V. in the bedroom, and the bed was very comfortable, with decent sheets and pillows.
While the location is close to the Greenville Avenue bars and restaurants, as well as the SMU campus, it's actually a very quiet and peaceful neighborhood. I was there for 3 nights, starting on a Saturday, and it felt very safe. As a woman traveling alone, that's important to me. And being able to park in the back, just steps from the private entrance, with my car visible from the bedroom window, really made me feel safe and secure.
John's place also met my third requirement: closeness to anything I could possibly want or need. Trader Joe's, Tom Thumb and Kroger are all within a couple of miles, as are some of the best places to eat in Dallas. And if by chance you need to leave the area, I 75 or Loop 12 are minutes away.
I highly recommend John's "back house"; it's clean, quiet, close to all the good (read: fun) stuff , and a really good price! (read: WAY better than I thought, for THIS price!)
I highly