My experience trying to use VRBO and HomeAway 10-12 years ago was just awful. There was basically no search or filtering functionality whatsoever, the only option was to scroll through page after page of "L@@K AT THIS OBNOXIOUS, INFO-FREE DESCRIPTION" manually until I found something that met some of my requirements.
I eventually gave up and resorted to going through an agency. For an actual vacation involving a group of people, that wasn't so bad. As a solo traveler wanting economical, shared accomodations, Airbnb was a game changer when it first came onto the scene. Nowadays, not so much, although I do still get lucky sometimes -- I'm writing this from a perfectly acceptable room in a very nice host's home that is costing me $113/night all-in.
I eventually gave up and resorted to going through an agency. For an actual vacation involving a group of people, that wasn't so bad. As a solo traveler wanting economical, shared accomodations, Airbnb was a game changer when it first came onto the scene. Nowadays, not so much, although I do still get lucky sometimes -- I'm writing this from a perfectly acceptable room in a very nice host's home that is costing me $113/night all-in.