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- [Barry] It's a beautiful day here in Galveston.
- It's gorgeous. - It is, it's beautiful.
The water is very blue today.
- [Barry] Yeah, it is actually, it's a great blue water day.
- I'm Donna. - And I'm Barry.
- And we're looking for our dream home in Galveston, Texas.
I'm just super excited to be in a bright, beautiful space
on the beach and enjoy my family and friends there.
- When you think of Texas,
two stepping and cowboys might come to mind.
But Texas is also home to Galveston,
a charming Gulf Coast, island retreat.
This seaside destination boasts 32 miles
of breathtaking coastline.
You'd hardly know you were only an hour drive
from the busy city of Houston.
Take a stroll on Galveston's well-known East Beach,
or a dip in the warm gulf waters of Seawall Beach.
You might catch your dinner at the 61st Street fishing pier
or for something a little more adventurous,
you can soar above the Gulf of Mexico
on a thrill-seeking ride at Pleasure Pier.
Coming evening, most locals can be found
walking around the historic Strand District.
This is where Donna and Barry can usually be found
eating at their favorite restaurants.
But life wasn't always as glamorous for the parents of five.
30 years ago, their trip to Galveston looked
a whole lot different with their economical budgets,
but with hard work and dedication,
they are ready to own a big home to share with their family.
Donna and Barry are bringing
that Texan flair to the waterfront.
But with home prices up over 52% compared to last year,
and such limited beachfront properties available,
they're gonna have to pay a premium for those water views.
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- And I think, two Tulsa Oklahomans
can definitely deserve a beach house.
So, it's time- - Some land lubbers
are ready for the beach.
- 30 years ago, when we first moved to Houston
we didn't have any money.
We were newlyweds and we needed a cheap entertainment.
So, we would come to the beach in Galveston
and it's amazing how our journey has brought us
from just our humble beginnings to now,
where we can afford to buy a luxury home on the beach.
- All right, it's a gorgeous day out.
It's a good day to go looking for houses, yeah?
- Okay, so we are on our way to see a home called
the Modern House.
It's got 3,400 square feet, four bedrooms,
four and a half baths.
And it's listed at 2.5, which is in our price range.
It looks like a a really beautiful home.
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Wow, this is stunning. - Yeah.
- I mean, look at this, views for miles.
Yeah, this is the whole reason to have a beach house,
in my opinion.
- [Barry] So what do you think? You like the color?
- [Donna] I do, I do. It's nice and neutral.
It's actually really pretty.
- [Barry] Yeah, it's kind of a light lavender.
I like the basketball hoop.
- Yeah? - Yeah.
- [Donna] Yeah, I can see Brendan enjoying that.
- Yeah. - Brendan would beat you.
- Oh, no, - He's taller than you.
- [Barry] Oh, my gosh.
Let's go take a look.
- Wow! Look at this. - Fantastic.
- Shiplap on the walls.
The colors.
Oh my gosh, this is beautiful.
- [Barry] It is.
- Wow! - It's incredible.
- [Donna] This is exactly what I want for sure.
I want this kind of a view. - You want a view.
- Look at this big island.
Wow. - We've got a wine fridge.
Got a full double oven, so that's awesome.
Cooktop microwave, so we've got everything we need.
Nice new fridge. - Plenty of space
for the kids to sit, family, friends,
entertaining. - Yeah.
- The only problem is the stove top is facing the wall.
So if someone was cooking- - Yeah, if I'm
sitting here cooking, I'm not interacting
with the rest of the space, right?
- Yeah, that's- - I'd like to be able to
look out and at least see everybody else at the island,
if not see- - Yeah, you don't want
your back to everyone, but- - You have to learn
how to cook sideways,
and be a side cooker. - Yeah.
- Oh, look at the living room too.
- I love how they keep carrying the shiplap through.
That's really nice. - Yeah, it gives it
that really nice coastal feel. - Yeah.
- Oh, I love the colors.
This is beautiful, I could totally see our family
enjoying this space.
I love it. - There's plenty of room
for everybody to sit. - Yeah.
- For sure, right. - Yeah.
- I'm a chemical engineer.
That's my degree from the University of Oklahoma.
Started my career as a chemical engineer right outta school.
Got the chance to move around the United States.
Then was posed with an opportunity to move to England
and start doing international roles at that point in time.
And then we ended up in India.
I was there for three years and India was really kind of
a financial turning point for us.
Before that we really lived kind of hand-to-mouth.
Not quite paycheck to paycheck,
but not far from it. - Pretty close.
And so we took that leap to India
and then his career blossomed.
We put money in the bank.
And once we came back to the States,
we were in a position to start, you know, enjoying our life.
We didn't have to live in debt anymore.
I could still stay home with the children.
We continued to add to our family.
- Yeah. - Now we're at a point
where we can afford to have the American dream home
and live on the beach if we want to.
So, that's kind of the crown jewel
in all of this. - The goal, right?
- Yeah.
Oh, this is a beautiful home.
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Let's see, what do we have upstairs?
Oh my goodness, there's a little bedroom tucked back here.
- [Barry] We got shiplap in it again.
- [Donna] Oh, it's a bunk room.
- [Barry] Oh my gosh, it's a big one too.
It's got six bunks in it. - It just keeps going.
Oh, my goodness, I love this. This is adorable.
- Everybody has their own little light.
- Do you like it? - I do.
I do. - I think this is a good one.
- Let's see, I haven't seen the master yet though.
- Oh, here it is. - Oh, here you go.
Here it is.
It's got a great view. - Yeah.
It's beautiful.
- [Barry] Wake up in the morning look at the ocean.
- The only problem is you can't like,
go straight to the kitchen for your tea, but.
- No, I cannot.
- You and your tea.
You wanted a master bedroom
on the first floor. - Yeah, the master bedroom
on the main floor.
For me that's important because I like getting up outta bed
and not having to navigate the steps to go get myself
my first morning caffeine.
- What's up here?
Oh my gosh. - Ah, so this is the master.
That was not the master we were looking at that was just
one of the bedrooms. - Oh, wow. This is stunning.
- Look they solved my tea problem.
They've got a tea service area right here
with a refrigerator for the milk and everything.
- [Donna] Oh, my goodness.
- Oh, that's perfect.
It's perfect. - Well, there you go.
- So, it's on the wrong floor,
- But it works. - It's actually where
it needs to be.
Nice, big bath. - Wow!
- [Barry] And there you go.
- Two sinks. - Your two sinks.
- Look at the views. - Wow!
- [Donna] Oh my gosh, views for miles.
- Good grief.
That's what happens when you have
all the main living on the very top floor, I guess.
So there's a trade off.
That's like the house
- It's certainly giving me good vibes.
- Yeah, the only thing that I saw with this house
was it's only four bedrooms,
but at least one bedroom's a bunk room.
And it sleeps six. - It does.
- So, that does make a big difference.
We were both working at a local grocery store
in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
- I was 16. He was 18.
He had just started college
and I was just getting ready
to start my senior year in high school
where I decided I would get up the nerve to ask him out
and see if he wanted to go swimming.
We really got along.
And we were really young. - Yeah.
- But we were together while I was still in high school
and he was in college
and then we both went to Oklahoma University together.
Went from there and moved to Houston
and started our family and five kids later,
here we are. - Yeah. (Barry chuckles)
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- There's a bar, Margarita.
- For somebody that doesn't drink,
you talk about margaritas a lot.
- Makes me think of beach.
It just makes me think of relaxation.
- Got it. - Just like the song
"Margaritaville."
All right, so, we're on our way to see the Sunshine House.
It is on East Beach. - Okay, so it's on
the east end. - Yes, which is
close proximity to a lot of the really fun restaurants
and the pier, and all those really neat things
that Galveston has. - So what has it got?
- It has five bedrooms, four full baths and one half bath.
So that would work for us. - Well, barely.
That means we gotta put two of the kids in one bedroom.
- [Donna] It looks like it has a loft area too.
- A loft, that's exactly what Brendan needs,
he needs a loft.
(Donna laughs) - For gaming.
- And how much is it? - This house is listed
at 3.25 million. - Okay, so a little bit above
our price range. - It's, yeah,
I think it's definitely something we should keep in mind.
I'm excited to see it.
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- [Barry] Boy, it's a bright yellow.
- [Donna] I like it.
- I like how they painted the undersides too.
You wanna go take a peek?
- Sure. - Let's go.
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