Communication with the owner was great - she was very accommodating with regard to early arrival and late departure, which we really appreciated! The home was nicely laid out - perfect for our family and particularly our kids when they wanted their own space. The game room in the basement was the best! And having a fenced backyard for our pup was perfect, with easy access down a set of stairs from the primary bedroom. I don't think the house can reasonably be considered "walking" distance to the beach if you have kids, as the street to cross to get to the beach is SUPER busy (and we were there at an off-time, so it would be even busier at peak times)!! That being said, if you don't have kids, it may be manageable - there is a crosswalk to cross the main street to Target and then you can follow the road to a beach access point. Regardless, it was a quick drive to get to the beach and an easy, close access point with maybe 4-5 parking spots that worked for us (there were access points a bit north with more parking, e.g., for busier times). Otherwise, the location of the house is fine - felt safe and was pretty quiet - it was a nice walk the other direction to the sound, too! If we were staying at OBX solely for the beach, I might prefer a spot closer with more easy access for the beach, but this home was perfect for driving/exploring OBX and coming back to sleep/relax!