First of all, this property overall was clean, the bedrooms were comfortable with nice linens, the keyless entry was easy, and it was mostly as it was represented. Wendy communicated by email very well.
My complaint was the state of the kitchen drawers, cabinets, and pantry area as well as the storage areas around the house. In the kitchen particularly, the drawers were jumbled and unorganized, without any clear thought to what a traveler would need to be comfortable and filled with unnecessary junk and half empty packages of food. When I opened and inspected the cabinets/drawers upon arrival, they gave me pause about whether this was a welcoming (and truly clean) home. The pots and pans were dirty and many cases clearly decades old. The ovenware was permanently stained. The refrigerator had opened containers of food, including open cheese and butter. The garbage can had an automatically opening lid, with no batteries, so it could not be used in that way. Also a large boat was parked in the driveway, taking up a lot of room. We wondered if someone who occupied the home quickly left prior to our arrival.
After we settled in, washing everything in the kitchen before we used it, we found the house to be mostly comfortable. It suited our needs for a place to gather our small family.
The homeowner could make small changes, most that would not cost much money, to make the home more welcoming and reassuring of care and cleanliness. This home had a damage protection fee (new to me as a HomeAway patron) and also a damage deposit. This also led me to have high expectations about the amenities and the organization of the property.
We were grateful to be able to stay in a home close to where my brother lived. If the homeowner would change the state of their kitchen and storage areas, we would consider staying at this property again.
