Here are the pros of Safe Haven: newer home, easy access to the beach and Salvo Day-use area on Pamlico Sound, 4 comfortable bedrooms, large 3rd floor deck, outside shower, covered parking, large kitchen/dining area, well-appointed living room and pet-friendly.
The cons of Safe Haven: while you think you are dealing with VRBO, you interact only with the property manager who, in actuality, is a realtor, Surf or Sound Realty. That includes signing a Surf or Sound lease (which I recommend that you read closely.) At the time of the writing of this review, there are clauses in the lease that are contradictory and relate to your VRBO booking. Here's one to watch for: "Tenant hereby acknowledges that they have not booked or inquired about any of Agent’s properties with the VRBO/HomeAway network of sites within the last 30 days. Should Agent become aware by VRBO/HomeAway or any other source that Tenant made a booking or an inquiry of any of Agent’s properties on the VRBO/HomeAway network of sites within 30 days of the Lease date, Tenant will be responsible for the 10% penalty…” I burned an extraordinary amount of time on emails and telephone calls to Surf or Sound to rectify the situation and have that stipulation removed from the lease. I would have walked away from this had I not made an initial deposit. My point here is to be careful and diligent.
The only other negatives that I'd share, is that the house was not as clean as a would have expected (dust bunnies, clogged shower and sand) and there were no non-perishables (like spices including salt and pepper.) Neither of those I'd view as deal-breakers.
