This apartment wasn't a good fit for my partner and I, but it could be a good option for people who don’t mind noise and aren’t light sleepers. It was a comfortable apartment with a spacious kitchen, and the backyard seemed nice-- there is even more outdoor furniture there now than in the photos-- but we didn't really use it. There's not a whole lot within walking distance, but it's mostly a nice quiet neighborhood. It's across the street from a nursing home, so you will see people coming and going frequently throughout the day but there wasn't much noise from the street. Our biggest problems were with noise from the other unit, as well as not realizing that the basement tenant had a dog— this wasn’t made clear in the description. It has since been corrected and the property manager informed us it was a typo.
Noise: While I expect some noise in a duplex, the level of sound we could hear during our stay felt like you were living in a two-story house rather than a duplex with separate units. The entrance to the basement is via a shared stairwell right off of the kitchen, which just has a regular door rather than a sturdier exterior door with deadbolt etc. This wasn’t even locked when we arrived. It was *very* loud every time the basement tenant came and went, not because I think they were being inconsiderate but just because it’s an old building with creaky stairs and poor insulation. The entrance through a shared stairwell surprised me when we arrived because I’m used to basement entrances being much more separate, typically entering from a different part of the building you wouldn’t be able to hear at all. But I’m not sure if this is just a standard layout for Portland. Also, if you plan to use both bedrooms and are a light sleeper, the smaller bedroom is not a good option-- I think because of the way the vents are, I could actually hear the tenant’s conversation one night, presumably with them talking at a normal volume. My partner and I ended up sleeping in separate rooms because he was sick, and I woke up two of the nights we were there around 2:30 AM when the tenant came home (I think they work odd hours). We didn’t meet the tenant but they never struck me as inconsiderate, just basically you will hear another person living their life and it will not feel very private.
If you have a dog: We have an anxious dog who likes other dogs but just not in her space, so it was particularly problematic when the basement tenant took their dog out because this would set our dog off. This was mostly due to lack of clarity in the listing, we just wouldn’t have booked it if we had known. We never heard the dog bark, though it was tied up outside a few times and growled at us every time (it’s a small dog, this was fine for us but something to note if you also have a small or sensitive dog). Also, the main reason we didn’t use the backyard was the neighbor’s dog on one side was very frequently in their yard, and would bark at us every time we were out there.
Comfort: It was pretty hot a few of the days we were there, and since there’s no AC it got pretty uncomfortable even with the windows open. There are only ceiling fans which weren’t very powerful; it would have been nice to have a floor or box fan to stay cooler. Beds were a little uncomfortable but on par with what you expect in an Airbnb. I will say the top-down bottom-up blinds in the living room were a nice touch, because you could get a bit of privacy from the street while still letting light in.