I'm losing my touch

I'm afraid to look to see how long it's been since my last post! I had my brother come visit from Colorado and we went to see THE Mouse.

I have always had fabulous luck when renting from VRBO. The owners are always responsive and very helpful. Reviews are usually spot on. This time, I don't know what happened. This was to be a very budget trip for all of us. I found a listing for a great rate and the reviews were pretty good. The photos showed that the house was very modestly decorated but the reviews stated that it was clean & close to the parks. The owner also claims to loan the house to Make a Wish & St Judes, which I am a huge a huge supporter of both.

Let me start with the good.
~ The house is a hop, skip & a jump from the parks. Ten minutes tops!
~ The rates are very reasonable. I say this with a caveat though.

The bad.
~ Vey outdated decor, appliances & furnishings.
~ Not clean. Very dusty. Not very well stocked.
~ Not very good communication from the owner.

The ugly.
~ Roaches!!!

We walk in and are shocked at the condition of the house. The floor was full of dead bugs. Dust on every surface. The kitchen was scary and I knew that I would not use it at all. I tried calling the owner right away but did not get an answer. Panic started setting in. I grabbed the vacuum but it smelled like something died in there. We came to visit Mickey Mouse, I didn't want any mice visiting me!

We decided to go to the park and hope that we would get a call back. About 5 hours later, I finally did receive a call back and the owner offered her other property. After we checked it out, we decided to stay with the 2nd house. Not that it was a 100% but it was in way better shape. None of the TVs in the house had reception though.

Getting my security deposit back was also a mission. Not because of the time, but because of the lack of communication. It's a shame though, because both homes have huge potential if properly maintained.

Which brings me to my major concern. If in reality she does donate the home to the above mentioned causes, I worry about the children occupying the homes in their current condition. Dust & roaches and children with immuno-deficiencies do not mix.

In the owner's defense, she does claim to be be fixing up the home. So just take this as my personal & most recent experience. Like I said before, if in better condition, the location can't be beat.