[Luz gasps]
-[Tony] Oh! There you go. -[Luz] This is beautiful, baby, Look at that!
[narrator] Being able to buy waterfront in Galveston, Texas,
is a dream come true for Tony and Luz.
-[Luz] This is perfect. -[Tony] Yes.
It reminds me a lot of my childhood in Puerto Rico.
[narrator] They've saved long and hard,
and want to host their adult children here.
So they need to find the right place.
[Sunnie Byerly] So, here's your boat dock.
-[Tony] Oh, wow! -[Luz] Wow, it's beautiful.
This is amazing!
[narrator] But the home also has to be accessible for Tony
who lost one of his legs five years ago to blood clots.
-[Sunnie] So, let me show you the elevator. -Wow. Where do we go next?
-I might need to try that. -[Luz] Ooh!
-Is it working? -[Sunnie] It is.
-This is pretty tight. I don't know if I can... -It's getting smaller.
I can't get my elbows out.
[Luz] But look, baby, this, this deck,
it has tons of stairs!
That is not good.
[doorbell rings]
[theme music playing]
-[Tony] Got it. -[Luz] Okay, here we go.
-Corners. -[Tony] It has to be nice and flat.
I am a school teacher.
I teach high school here in Texas.
I was in the military,
uh, deployed to Iraq three times,
and five times to Afghanista
I'm retired,
and this is my service dog, Oscar.
[Luz] My goodness, what are we doing?
-[Aisha] Um... -[Tony] Oh, my God.
-...we need to make salsa and the eggs. -[Tony] How can we help?
We sold our house in San Antonio,
and we're living with our friends
until we can find our new home.
[Luz] Thank you so much for letting us stay here.
[Aisha] It's fine. You're welcome.
You're like family.
-How many... -How many men do we need to open a champagne bottle?
-Hmm-mmm. -I don't know.
-You ready? -I'm ready.
-[cork pops] -Ooh!
Now that I'm retired,
it's time to get what I actually want
and enjoy together with my wife.
[narrator] So they're targeting the gulf city of Galveston
four hours east of San Antonio.
We first started going to the Galveston area for vacationing.
It reminds me a lot of my childhood in Puerto Rico.
Surrounded by water, a lot of fishing,
a lot of seafood.
We're looking for find something near to the water.
So long as I get a boat,
-a boathouse with a lift. -[Luz laughing]
We can put up a tent.
No, sir, we need a house big enough.
They want to go and visit us. Come on.
But for me, you know that I wanna stay at a price point of 550.
[Luz] He wants a lot of stuff.
We want a lot of stuff, and it's not gonna happen in that price range.
So, I'm comfortable going all the way to 800,
and maybe going a little mor
Growing up in Colombia, you hustle.
And then you have to... You want to get what you want,
you need to work really, really hard.
So, I don't mind working hard if we can find a house that I want with a view,
Thank you very much.
I would like a single home.
-[Harry] Single story? Yeah. -Yeah, single story,
so that way I don't have to be going upstairs
-and then downstairs. -[Harry] Yeah.
It's hard for me in the wheelchair.
[narrator] Five years ago, Tony lost one of his legs due to blood clots
and came close to dying.
[Tony] I went for back pain to the hospital,
and those blood clots stopped the blood flow to my legs,
to my right lung, My kidneys stopped working.
I remember saying, "God, can you give me a little bit more time
with my wife and kids?"
And as soon as I said that, I woke up.
-And we went through. -We survived that.
-[Luz] We went through and we tough it out. -[Tony] Yep.
[Luz laughs] That's what we do.
-She's a keeper. -[laughs]
If we have a view, we need...
In order to have a view, we need two floors.
If you have a two-floor, you need an elevator because he's, you know,
it needs to be good for him.
-to be going up and down. -[Luz] Yes, that's what I'm thinking.
-An elevator is important... -Mmm.
...because, you know, a wheelchair,
when sometimes he is not using his legs,
he is in the wheelchair, and it's hard to go up and down.
I think the floor, something, if we find something like this,
-this is amazing. This is a great floor. -Yeah, this is amazing
-that there's no carpet on this area. -Mmm-hmm.
so, it'll be easy to move around and it's open.
One of the things that is important to me
is, uh, how accessible the home is.
Taking a shower, cooking,
all those things have to be a little bit more accessible
And if not, just at least, having the possibility of making it accessible.
[Tony] Good boy!
Serious question, though,
-to pool or not to pool? -[Luz] Of course to pool.
-What are you talking about? That's not even a question. -[Harry chuckles]
[Tony] It's a lot to maintai
We can go to the beach, five minutes away if it's that long or...
It's not the same.
Going through so much and having this house I think we'll be
having that dream that we thought it was gonna be far along.
This is the day. This is the time.
[narrator] They've driven the four hours to Galveston
and will be staying here for a few days
while they look at homes.
-Look, there's some pelicans. -[Luz] Oh, yeah.
-Oh, wow! -Love those.
[narrator] First up, a home that's more her styl
and her price range.
Oh, it looks like a little bit of a banana house.
[laughs] But it has a palm tree, look.
-Yes, nice palm trees. -Oh, I love it. It's beautiful.
It has a balcony.
One of the things that I like the most about this house
is the coastal feel,
the features, the colors.
So I think this is what we're looking for.
[Luz] Sunnie?
-[Sunnie] Hey! Come on in. -Oh, thank you.
Oh, my goodness. This wind is crazy.
-Yes. -Hello, Sunnie.
[Sunnie] Hey! Get out of the wind.
-Oh, thank you. -It's very windy outside.
-Oh, this is beautiful! -Yeah.
-I saw those stairs out there. They're pretty steep. -[Luz] Yeah.
That means I'm probably gonna have to get a ramp built there.
But look at this. This is huge.
[Tony] Yes.
It is a very meaningful experience to be able to work with them on this.
They are moving here from another city entirely.
They've never lived here before,
and he needs to be able to maneuver around in his wheelchair.
There's an elevator,
there's a large kitchen area.
Uh, the upstairs is open.
I think this is gonna be an excellent house for them.
-Down here is like a second living area. -Oh, that's nice.
-And you've got a view of the water out here. -[Luz] Mmm-hmm.
-[Sunnie] The canal. -[Tony] Oh!
Look at that! Do you see? Do you see? Do you see?
[Tony] I like the canal.
-Carpet. -[Luz] Oh, that has to go.
[Sunnie] So, you've got a closet here.
[Luz] Closet, nice, a lot of storage.
-[Sunnie] And you've got two bedrooms down here. -[Luz] Okay.
-[Sunnie] Let me show you the elevator. -Wow, where do we go next?
-I might need to try that. -[Luz] Ooh!
-[Tony] Is it working? -[Sunnie] It is.
Tony, why don't you take the, uh, elevator,
and Luz and I will take the stairs.
-Okay, off we go. -[Tony] Good boy!
[Luz] How was the ride?
-It was amazing? -[Luz and Sunnie laughing]
[Luz] Baby, look at the view
-[Tony] Oh. -Look at your view.
-Oh, this is... -Very different from downstairs.
-Oh, this is amazing! -[Tony] Yes, oh, look at those pelicans.
Emotionally, this house is a lot.
Almost losing him, and not knowing that he was gonna be able to walk,
and now, being here with the possibility
of buying this house is just incredible.
-Wow. -Wow, the kitchen.
Yes, look at the kitchen.
-This kitchen looks pretty open. -Oh, wow!
-It's beautiful! -[Tony] Yes.
-[Luz] I love the color. -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
[Tony] I just wonder how my wheelchair will work over here.
Okay, so, the carpet is a big no-no as you can tell.
-[groans] -[Tony] Yes, it's hard to move in the...
[Luz] It's too hard. Come on, baby.
-Let me see. -Come on. Come on.
Amazing that the wheelchair fits through here.
-[Sunnie] Oh, that's nice. -[Luz] Oh, yeah, that's perfect.
[Tony] Looks like it, yeah.
This will work, at least this part.
The main thing for me would be just the carpet.
-It's hard to move around in the carpet. -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
-This side, we would probably have to address. -Yeah, definitely needs to be
-the first thing that we change. -And...
I'm usually in my wheelchair
after 6:00 or 7:00 p.m.,
-and would like the hardwood or hard surfaces I would say -[Luz] A tile.
-[Sunnie] This is the primary bedroom. -[Tony] Oh, primary bedroom
-[Luz] Oh, the primary. -[Sunnie] You've got your view.
-[Tony] Oh! -[Luz] Oh, that's beautiful
-I like that it's open right here. -[Luz] Oh, wow.
-Yeah, you could be... -I can fit...
-I can fit my wheelchair through here. -Yeah, the wheelchair
-will go no problem here. -Yeah.
[Tony] Uh, I think, I already can tell,
the wheelchair, for sure, it won't fit through there.
-so, we might need to get... -We might have to do something with this.
Like get this out here.
-Make it wider. -[Tony] Make it wider.
[Sunnie] All right, let's go outside.
-We're gonna go outside from up here. -[Tony] All right.
[Luz] That is pretty.
-[Tony] Oh. -[Sunnie] So, here's your boat dock.
-[Tony] Oh, wow. -[Luz] Wow, it's beautiful.
-[Luz] Oh, wow. -Oh, look, it has a lift.
[Luz] Ooh, that deck.
-It, look, has a lift for the party deck. -[Sunnie] Yes.
[Luz] But look, baby, this deck,
it has tons of stairs,
that is not good.
This would be a good spot for your pool.
[Luz] You are right.
-[Tony] Ooh. -[Luz] You are right.
But how much do you think it would cost to build a pool right there?
Probably about $50,000 to $60,000.
-[Luz] Oh. -[Tony] Oh, wow.
That's a high price.
[Luz chuckles] That elevator rocks.
I can get used to this.
-[Tony] I like the kitchen itself. -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
It has your boathouse and views.
Those views are excellent.
I mean, the space for us and our family,
-I think that would be a plu -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
-[Tony] I'm just concerned about, it's really... -I know.
...it's really high in my price point.
That carpet.
The outside, the outside is a problem, yes.
Too many stairs up and down.
[narrator] So now they're headed to a home
with fewer stairs and a lower price,
but that too comes with some sacrifices.
[Luz] Sunnie, where is the view?
[Sunnie] Well...
It's been good being here in the Galveston area.
Yes, a lot of things to do,
and Oscar loves the seashore.
[narrator] Today, they're meeting their agent at a home
she thinks may work better for Tony.
[Luz] This is a nice house.
[Tony] So, I like that it's one floor.
I don't like the outside color too much, but...
[Luz] Mmm, the color, it's not very coastal.
[knocking on door]
-Hey, guys. -[Tony] Oh, how are you, Sunnie?
This house is set up well to accommodate Tony and his wheelchair.
It has handlebars in the bathrooms, wider doors,
and it's also in his desired price range.
This house does not have the water view and the dock,
but it has the space to accommodate friends and family.
It's gonna need some imagination.
-Okay. -So, this is a great opportunity for you guys
-to really personalize a home the way you like. -Okay.
-You have a lot of imagination, so... -I do.
-[Sunnie laughing] -I can figure something out, baby. [chuckles]
[Sunnie] So, you got some high ceilings.
-I like that it's wood floors, or is this vinyl? -Yeah, that is vinyl.
-I'm not sure, but it's... -It's a wood-look vinyl.
-This is throughout the hous -[Luz] Awesome.
[Tony] Oh, that's a plus.
-That's good for my mobility -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
Let me show you the backyard
-[Luz] Okay. -Let's check this out. Oh.
-Oh, this is nice. Both doors open. -Oh, I like this.
-[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm. -[Tony] Nice and wide.
-[Luz] This is beautiful. -[Sunnie] You've got this lovely patio.
-It's very flat for your... to accommodate the wheelchai -[Tony] Yes.
[Luz] Sunnie, where is the view?
[Sunnie] Well, there's an apartment right there,
and then there's the ferry service right there.
-So, the water's on the other side of it. -[Tony] Oh.
It's not really a nice view.
[Sunnie] But you've got enough room for a pool.
[Luz] And the boat access.
[Sunnie] There is a yacht club close by.
I would have to see what are the prices
-and stuff at the marina. -[Sunnie] Yep, mmm-hmm.
This house not being at the water creates a little bit of a problem
or, I would say, conflict with me.
But this is a pretty good contender,
uh, due to the fact that it's a one-floor home.
I really wanted that.
Here's your open-concept kitchen.
-[Tony] I don't know how open this is. -[Luz] It's tiny, tiny.
[Sunnie] This could be a dining room.
-Oh, that would be perfect if we knock all this wall... -Mmm-hmm.
-...and we make it a huge on -[Tony] Yes, see...
-Yes, that would be great. -That would be great.
[Sunnie] This is, uh, one of the bedrooms.
[Luz] Ooh, they're tiny. Ooh
And it has a bathroom, full bathroom.
-[Tony] Oh. -[Luz] Okay. Let's look.
Do you know if this would be considered the owner's suite or...
Well, it can be.
Um, this room right next door is exactly alike.
-So you could tear down this wall... -[Luz] Oh.
-To make it... Okay. -...and make a really nice primary bedroom
with a really extra long primary bathroom.
That sounds like a good option.
-The plumbing's already there. -[Luz] Oh.
-[Tony] Oh, wow. What is... -[Luz] Oh, that's tiny!
[Tony] But if the other side has also a shower
-like this, I can... -So we can make...
-even make this one bigger. -...turn it into a tub.
[Luz] Yeah, that's a great idea.
-That has great potential, though. -[Tony] Mmm.
So, the other side of the house will give you a lot of options
for your family and your friends
-and your grandchildren to stay over. -[Luz] Mmm-hmm.
That would be great.
More rooms, more space, more family.
This is pretty tight.
-I don't know if... -It's getting smaller.
-I can't get my elbows out 'cause I'll be hitting these. -Mmm-hmm, yeah.
Oscar, keep going, go.
[Sunnie] One bedroom.
[Luz] It's just small even for a guest.
[Tony] And this one, let's check this one out.
[Luz] Okay, come on, Oscar.
Okay, so, how many bedrooms are in this side?
-Seven bedrooms. -Yeah, and in this side? Five?
This side five.
[Luz] Maybe we can just knock some walls down
-and make them bigger, maybe -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
-Oh. -We just need to be creative.
[Tony] It's a good price.
-You've got some, some room, wiggle room there. -[Luz] Yeah, yeah.
-That makes me happy. -[Luz] And it's one floor. Everything is accessible.
[Tony] Not having a boathous
that could be a little bit tough for me.
[Luz] It doesn't have my view.
If we are gonna be close to the coast,
we need to see the water.
[narrator] Since Luz is set on a show-stopping house
with great water views,
that's where they head next
But, of course, it'll cost them.
$1,175,000.
I can't believe I even said that number.
-I like the colors of these homes. -Yes, oh, wow.
They're really nice.
[narrator] Tony and Luz are 30 minutes north of Galveston today
to see a coastal house that should knock Luz's socks off,
but they'll have to stretch to afford this one.
$1,175,000.
I can't believe I even said that number.
The price of this house is very high,
but if a house has everything that we need,
I can work with Tony to make it up.
-I love it. We can see the ocean. -Yes.
It's just beautiful.
Look at the space.
Wow, the potential in this house.
-[Tony] Yes. -I know the prices are steep, but, oh,
I hope. It looks good.
-Baby, look at that color. That's... -[Tony] Yes, love the green.
-You know that's my favorite color. -[Luz] Yes.
[Tony] But you haven't done your happy dance,
this is the first one with a pool.
-Oh, that's your pool. -[Luz] Wow, this is perfect
[Tony] Yeah. I like the hot tub.
-Wow. -[Luz] Look at the view.
[Sunnie] Hey, guys.
-[Luz] This is beautiful. -[Tony] Yes.
I'm super excited about this house.
You have a lot of space down here to entertain.
This house does have an elevator.
-Baby, that's good. -[Tony] Oh, that is great.
-[Luz gasps] This is beautiful, baby. -[Tony] Oh, there you go.
[Luz] Look at that!
[Tony] Still a steep price I think probably.
I think if we put the numbers together.
Look at the view, baby.
-Look at the color. It's your favorite color -[exhales]
[Luz] It has an elevator.
We just need to wait and see.
I know, I'm gonna try to keep an open mind,
but I'm, I see dollar signs all over.
Because this house is ready to move in,
they're not gonna need to ha to pay to get the home
to meet Tony's needs
as well as the pool, and the bonus hot tub,
and the elevator.
-[Luz] Wow. -Here's your wide open space.
[Luz] Oh, that view, Sunnie.
-Oh, it's this way. -This is perfect.
[Tony] Oh, is all the main living up here in this area
[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm, this is all one story, one floor.
Oh, that's great, baby, it's like you wanted.
In ranch, honestly, this is one living space, all of it.
[Tony] I see something that I like.
-[Luz] Wow. -[Tony] Oh, yes.
-This... -[Luz] This is perfect for you, baby.
-Look at... -[Tony] This is speaking to me.
I like how wide this is.
There's nothing obstructing.
I can move around in my wheelchair easily when I'm on it.
[Luz] What do you think about the color?
[Tony] You know, my preferre colors are white on cabinets
-[Luz] White, yeah, me too. The counter. -[Tony] Dark with dark, yes
[Luz] Dark cabinets, and the floor is too dark,
so we might need to change those.
-Yes, but with this house being at the price that it is. -I know.
I don't know how much wiggle room we'll have.
[Sunnie] Here's one of the secondary bedrooms.
[Luz] That's a nice view.
-Perfect -[Tony] Oh, another view from here.
[Sunnie] And then, here's a shared bathroom
with the other secondary bedroom.
-[Tony] Oh, okay. -[Luz] Okay, that's, oh, it's very big, too.
[Luz] I love the tile. This is perfect. Beautiful.
-This is nice. Go ahead, baby. -[Tony] Oh.
[Sunnie] This would be a great sharing space for the grandkids.
Yeah, grandkids. Perfect.
-I love it. -Let me show you the primary bedroom.
[Luz] Ooh.
This is nice!
[Tony] I like the size of it
Then check out the bathroom.
[Luz] Oh, baby, this is perfect.
Look, wide enough.
[Tony] Grab bars are there.
Yeah, it's in really good shape.
[Sunnie] Let me show you the other side of the house.
-[Tony] Oh. -[Luz] Oh, wow.
-That's an office. -[Sunnie] So, this is a separate living space.
-[Tony] Okay. -[Luz] Oh.
-If we're gonna keep it as a library... -[Tony] Dark.
...it needs to be white.
[Tony] And what is this one
[Sunnie] This is the second primary bedroom.
-[Tony] Ooh. -[Luz] Oh, okay.
-Wow. -[Luz] This is beautiful.
So, we will have this room and more
for visitors and friends.
That's... That's great.
[Tony] This porch looks pretty big.
-[Luz] Oh, baby, this is perfect. -[Tony] Yes.
-Family having breakfast here in the morning. -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
-[Luz] I think it's beautifu -[Tony] And it's in good shape.
-This is what you get for $1.175 million. -Yeah, yeah, and you know...
-Yes. I don't like when you say that 1.175. -[Sunnie and Luz laughing]
[Luz] Let's think about this house.
So, it has great accessibility.
It has the perfect number of rooms,
so all our friends and family can come.
-[Sunnie] All the downstair space for entertaining. -[Luz] That's great, yes.
-And look at the view, baby -[Tony] I know.
See, now have two trying to convince me.
-[laughing] -There's two against one.
[chuckles] Oscar, go and defend your daddy.
Sunnie, we have to go back to San Antonio,
but we need a house.
-We cannot live in our friends' house forever. -Yes.
Do we want to talk about the houses that we have?
[Sunnie] Let's talk about it.
[narrator] But for Tony and Luz,
deciding just how much to spend
to get the water access they want won't be easy.
[Sunnie] What did you think about the, the contemporary one?
-[Luz] The coastal beautifu home with the view. -[Tony] Yes.
[Luz] Wow, that view was just perfect.
-[Tony] I can make, already think of so many things... -[Luz chuckles]
-[Tony] ...that I can do in that kitchen. -[Luz] Yeah.
-[Tony] I like that it had the boathouse. -[Luz] Yeah.
-[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm. -[Tony] That is great.
[Luz] Also, the elevator was great.
There were some things that need to be fixed for you accessibility-wise.
[Tony] All those stairs that it has coming into the house,
I would have to get a ramp.
-The back deck is not really useful for us. -[Sunnie] Mmm-hmm.
[Luz] We also need to widen the toilet door,
uh, but in general, it's a really great house.
[Sunnie] It didn't have a pool.
-I can compromise with that one. -[Sunnie and Luz laughing]
Of course, because he doesn't care about the pool.
But I think we can just, you know, make it happen if that will be the choice.
So, we took a look at that ranch house.
[Tony] It's right at my pric that I would like to be at.
[Luz] It's accessible. Everything was one floor.
It doesn't have my boathouse,
but there's a marina close b
[Luz] The view. It didn't have a view.
I'm not sure about the number of projects
because we need to get a lot of walls down,
so we have to put a pool there.
This place, it's a coastal, traditional style house.
[Luz] Oh, look at the view, it's just perfect.
-[Tony] It's move-in ready. -[Luz] Yeah.
[Tony] There's hardly anythi we have to do to it.
It has my big kitchen.
-It has a pool for you, so that's a great thing. -[Luz] Yeah.
And also, I like that it's one floor.
Even though it's on stilts, everything is one.
This house is totally ADA accessible.
Yeah, the elevator's great,
but at the price point that it is,
-I don't know if we'll be able to afford that. -[Luz] Yeah.
It has all I want.
I think it's gonna have all that you need.
So, that could be something that we can do.
Oh, I think we have more things to think about.
[doorbell rings]
-Look at this. -This is already done, this part?
We decided on the contemporary boathouse.
[Luz] The view is just...
We never thought we were gonna be able to find something like this
[Tony] Being that close to the water,
having a boathouse,
it's gonna be priceless.
Wow, yes, no carpets.
-So you're gonna be able to come in without problems. -Yes.
[Luz] Being here gave us that piece of mind, happiness,
and he just says it every time he comes through the home,
you know, it's like, "Oh, this is peaceful. Look at that view."
We can ask them to widen them a little bit, so that is still...
...work in progress.
As soon as we got the keys for this home,
we decided to change these floors immediately
in order to have the accessibility that I need.
The deck was not very useful for Tony due to the stairs,
so we decided to look at different options for pools.
-I think that for a house in Miami maybe. -[chuckles]
Since everything that happened to me,
at one point not thinking
that I was gonna be able to be here with my wife and kids,
and now having the opportuni of owning a home like this,
is something...
Oh, Tony start... [indistinct], baby.
[Tony] I can se my kids, grandkid
coming in for vacations here,
and it's gonna be a fabulous time.