I wrestled whether to give this house a 4 or a 5, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth the full 5 stars. Like the title says, if I could give it a 4.5, I would have.
Overall our experience was very good. The proximity to the beach, the size and layout of the house, and what the house had to offer were all very good and as advertised. There were no surprises when we got to the house, which is very important since we rented this house when it had no reviews yet.
The good: as I said above, everything was as advertised. The living room, kitchen, and dining area were very nice for a family setting. The kitchen had pretty much everything we needed to cook and eat. The house was clean, the bedrooms were fine, and the house was in good shape. It actually appears to have been painted recently and looks different than the VRBO listing, and the decks were in good shape and recently painted/stained too, it seemed.
The okay: the furniture and digital amenities were just okay. The living room furniture, although solid wood and sturdy, wasn't very comfortable for long periods. Every room had a TV and a cable box, but there weren't any "smart" TVs or Roku-like devices, which has become more of a standard over the past couple years. The living room remote didn't control the TV volume, the speaker system wasn't hooked to the TV (only for the DVD, I assume), and the modem would randomly turn off.
In the property owner's defense, we did not reach out about the internet issue, because a quick unplug and plug back in would usually get it working again.
The refrigerator is clearly very old, and after loading it up for 5-10 minutes, it took nearly a whole day to get cold again. The check-in paperwork warned us of this, but it could use an upgrade. Also, the ice & water dispenser look either stained or moldy, we didn't feel comfortable getting water and ice out of it.
The bad: the beds. I know everyone has their preferences, but at least 5 of the mattresses (downstairs and the two bunk beds) are just not good, in our opinion. They were very springy and not comfortable at all.
Last thoughts: overall, as I said, the house was just as advertised and very good. It wasn't a spectacular house, but we wouldn't avoid the property again if we came back to Kure beach. The ping-pong table and garage storage was great, especially for kids.
A few more physical improvements/upgrades, and it would be a 5-star house. If 4.5 were an option, I'd pick it!