Hello, beautiful! I’m beyond thrilled to welcome you to the very first blog post of Rosie’s Corner, a space I’ve dreamt of creating for so long. Today, I’m taking you back to where it all began—the story of how we were able to purchase our enchanting Victorian cottage in the heart of Galveston, a city famed for its breathtaking Victorian architecture. This journey of ours is one filled with hard work, big dreams, and the kind of magic/luck that only comes around once in a lifetime.
A Dream Takes Root
Ever since laying roots in Galveston in 2016 when we moved for nursing school, my husband and I were captivated by the historic Victorian homes that you see on the east end of this charming island. There’s something about their intricate designs, big porches, detailed exteriors and storied pasts that whispered to my soul. Owning one of these Victorian homes seemed like a far-off dream for many years—until fate stepped in.
Serendipity on Postoffice Street
As we all know… buying a house after 2020 became even more difficult! The market went crazy, demand increase, prices went up and the amount of house available significantly decreased. In the midst of this frenzied housing market, where homes vanished before you could blink, we found our future home on a brand new post on Zillow at 5pm! Despite our realtor’s skepticism about making an appointment for that day, we couldn’t resist the pull to see it, and requested an appointment to go even if we got to see it just from the outside.
A Chance Meeting with Mr. Yates
To our surprise, our request to see the house THAT SAME DAY was approved, and we were by the door at 5:30 pm! We were greeted by the warm presence of Mr. Yates, who was sitting quietly outside. The universe works in mysterious ways. Mr. Yates was told by his realtor to leave the house during our visit, but he had nowhere to go and, in a twist of fate, became our guide through what could only be described as a treasure of memories and possibilities. Our realtor was not able to make it, but Mr. Yates still kindly offered to give us a tour of his home. He walked us through the halls of the house and shared stories of love and life within those walls, of his beloved wife, Jane, a fellow nurse practitioner, whose spirit seemed to infuse every corner of the home they cherished.
Seeing the Potential Through Rose- Colored Glasses
As we walked through each room, the house spoke to us of its past glories and the potential for new memories. It was dated, yes, but the bones of the home—the very essence of it—were strong and filled with love. It was clear this wasn’t just a house; it was a home that had been deeply cherished.
Taking the Leap
Knowing full well the financial stretch it would be, we decided to listen to our brain rather than our hearts. We made an offer—$20,000 less than the asking price (`the very top of our budget`), a risky move in such a heated market. Alongside our offer, we poured our hearts into a letter to Mr. Yates, sharing our vision and commitment to preserving the soul of their beloved home.
The Wait and The Answer
The agonizing wait over the weekend was filled with hope and anxiety. Mr. Yates received other offers, ones that matched his asking price. That Monday, we received the call that would change our lives. Moved by our letter, Mr. Yates chose us to be the next owners of this beautiful piece of history. His decision was a testament to love, legacy, and the belief that some things are just meant to be.
Embarking on Our Journey of Homeownership
With keys in hand and hearts full of gratitude, we embarked on the incredible journey of homeownership. Each room we paint and every floorboard we restore bring us closer to realizing our dream of making every corner of this Victorian cottage uniquely ours. Join us at Rosie’s Corner as we dive into each project, sharing the triumphs, the challenges, and the boundless joys of not only transforming this house into our home but also demonstrating how everyone's dreams can become a reality.
Here is the last part of the series showing you guys how our Victorian Home looked like right before we moved in!! Never before had I ever showed this space up here 🙆🏻♀️ I still don’t think it’s “good enough” to show just yet.. but I’ve learned that it’s all about the journey and not just the end goal!! I may show you guys what we have done to this space so far!! If you have any ideas on what to do with that little area when you first go up the stairs let me know!!! ☺️
Follow @therosiescorner for more inspo to help you create the home of your dreams! Click on the bell icon above to not miss any of my posts & don’t forget to share with your friends 🫶🏼
#cottagestyle #cottagegarden #cottagelife #homestyling #victorianhome #vintagehome #vintagehomedecor #romanticstyle #dreamhome #dreamlife #galveston #slowliving #intentionallife #softgirl #softgirlaesthetic #whimsical #whimsicaldecor #trendingreel #trendingaudio #explorepage #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #olivebranches #olivetree #historichome #galveston #galvestonisland #galvestontx #galvestonbeach
Here is the last part of the series showing you guys how our Victorian Home looked like right before we moved in!! Never before had I ever showed this space up here 🙆🏻♀️ I still don’t think it’s “good enough” to show just yet.. but I’ve learned that it’s all about the journey and not just the end goal!! I may show you guys what we have done to this space so far!! If you have any ideas on what to do with that little area when you first go up the stairs let me know!!! ☺️
Follow @therosiescorner for more inspo to help you create the home of your dreams! Click on the bell icon above to not miss any of my posts & don’t forget to share with your friends 🫶🏼
#cottagestyle #cottagegarden #cottagelife #homestyling #victorianhome #vintagehome #vintagehomedecor #romanticstyle #dreamhome #dreamlife #galveston #slowliving #intentionallife #softgirl #softgirlaesthetic #whimsical #whimsicaldecor #trendingreel #trendingaudio #explorepage #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #olivebranches #olivetree #historichome #galveston #galvestonisland #galvestontx #galvestonbeach
Here is part III of our Victorian home right before we moved in!! You can finally see how our master bathroom looked like before the renovation!! This bathroom had so much potential and I simply couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!! To say that I am very proud of how it turned out it’s an understatement!
Stay tuned for part IV of the tour which is the upstairs guest quarters! This has never before been shown on my instagram! So excited for you guys to see it!! ☺️
Make sure to follow @therosiescorner for more home inspiration☺️❤️
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#masterbathroom #bathroomdesign #bathroomdecor #bathroomremodel #bathroomrenovation #bathroominspiration #bathroomideas #builtincabinets #builtins #builtin #victorianhome #galveston #builtincloset #closetinspo #closetorganization #storagedesign
Here is part III of our Victorian home right before we moved in!! You can finally see how our master bathroom looked like before the renovation!! This bathroom had so much potential and I simply couldn’t wait to get my hands on it!! To say that I am very proud of how it turned out it’s an understatement!
Stay tuned for part IV of the tour which is the upstairs guest quarters! This has never before been shown on my instagram! So excited for you guys to see it!! ☺️
Make sure to follow @therosiescorner for more home inspiration☺️❤️
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#masterbathroom #bathroomdesign #bathroomdecor #bathroomremodel #bathroomrenovation #bathroominspiration #bathroomideas #builtincabinets #builtins #builtin #victorianhome #galveston #builtincloset #closetinspo #closetorganization #storagedesign
Here is part II of the tour we did of our home right before we placed an offer on it!! I immediately fell in love with that gorgeous sunroom which is now bright and airy and full of life!! Next, I was very surprised to see that this home had a second floor which I will show you guys in a different part of this series!! (You don’t want to miss this since the second floor is incredibly charming)…The space where the stairs are we turned into our small office which we love so much! When we moved that wardrobe out of the way, we discovered a window behind it that looked into the sunroom! I can’t wait to show it to you guys once I make the video of the home after moving in and doing some renovations to it!!… The guest room is now our baby boy’s nursery! Make sure to keep posted for part III of our home tour which will show our famous bathroom in its original state!! Haha ☺️
Follow @therosiescorner for more inspo to help you create the home of your dreams! Click on the bell icon above to not miss any of my posts & don’t forget to share with your friends 🫶🏼
#cottagestyle #cottagegarden #cottagelife #homestyling #victorianhome #vintagehome #vintagehomedecor #romanticstyle #dreamhome #dreamlife #galveston #slowliving #intentionallife #softgirl #softgirlaesthetic #whimsical #whimsicaldecor #trendingreel #trendingaudio #explorepage #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #olivebranches #olivetree #historichome #galveston #galvestonisland #galvestontx #galvestonbeach
Here is part II of the tour we did of our home right before we placed an offer on it!! I immediately fell in love with that gorgeous sunroom which is now bright and airy and full of life!! Next, I was very surprised to see that this home had a second floor which I will show you guys in a different part of this series!! (You don’t want to miss this since the second floor is incredibly charming)…The space where the stairs are we turned into our small office which we love so much! When we moved that wardrobe out of the way, we discovered a window behind it that looked into the sunroom! I can’t wait to show it to you guys once I make the video of the home after moving in and doing some renovations to it!!… The guest room is now our baby boy’s nursery! Make sure to keep posted for part III of our home tour which will show our famous bathroom in its original state!! Haha ☺️
Follow @therosiescorner for more inspo to help you create the home of your dreams! Click on the bell icon above to not miss any of my posts & don’t forget to share with your friends 🫶🏼
#cottagestyle #cottagegarden #cottagelife #homestyling #victorianhome #vintagehome #vintagehomedecor #romanticstyle #dreamhome #dreamlife #galveston #slowliving #intentionallife #softgirl #softgirlaesthetic #whimsical #whimsicaldecor #trendingreel #trendingaudio #explorepage #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #olivebranches #olivetree #historichome #galveston #galvestonisland #galvestontx #galvestonbeach
Here is a little tour of our home right before we placed an offer on it!!! I saw the listing of this historic Victorian cottage and I knew we had to see it!! We had seen so many beautiful, old Victorian homes just for fun & we always daydream about one day owning one .. However, never in a million years did I ever think that one day a home like this would actually be ours! A home in my favorite neighborhood which was once a famous B&B!! This Victorian cottage was built in 1878 right when the city of Galveston was considered to be the “Wall Street” of the South.. This house survived the great 1900 storm which was devastating for the city of Galveston.
As soon as we did a walk through the house I knew this home needed to be ours. If it hadn’t been for a series of events that led us to meet the owner that day I don’t think we would be here today. He accepted our offer for a little less than the asking price even though he had multiple offers well over the asking price.. He was a true angel that made our dream come true! This older gentleman had nowhere to go when we arrived for the appointment to look at the house.. he was sitting in his porch when we told him that our realtor was not going to be able to make it to the showing.. he then gave us the tour himself and the rest is history 🥹 The cottage is truly a little gem and I am so excited to finally share it with you! Make sure to watch part 2 coming up soon!!
Follow @therosiescorner for more inspo to help you create the home of your dreams! Click on the bell icon above to not miss any of my posts & don’t forget to share with your friends 🫶🏼
#cottagestyle #cottagegarden #cottagelife #homestyling #victorianhome #vintagehome #vintagehomedecor #romanticstyle #dreamhome #dreamlife #galveston #slowliving #intentionallife #softgirl #softgirlaesthetic #whimsical #whimsicaldecor #trendingreel #trendingaudio #explorepage #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #olivebranches #olivetree #historichome #galveston #galvestonisland #galvestontx #galvestonbeach
Here is a little tour of our home right before we placed an offer on it!!! I saw the listing of this historic Victorian cottage and I knew we had to see it!! We had seen so many beautiful, old Victorian homes just for fun & we always daydream about one day owning one .. However, never in a million years did I ever think that one day a home like this would actually be ours! A home in my favorite neighborhood which was once a famous B&B!! This Victorian cottage was built in 1878 right when the city of Galveston was considered to be the “Wall Street” of the South.. This house survived the great 1900 storm which was devastating for the city of Galveston.
As soon as we did a walk through the house I knew this home needed to be ours. If it hadn’t been for a series of events that led us to meet the owner that day I don’t think we would be here today. He accepted our offer for a little less than the asking price even though he had multiple offers well over the asking price.. He was a true angel that made our dream come true! This older gentleman had nowhere to go when we arrived for the appointment to look at the house.. he was sitting in his porch when we told him that our realtor was not going to be able to make it to the showing.. he then gave us the tour himself and the rest is history 🥹 The cottage is truly a little gem and I am so excited to finally share it with you! Make sure to watch part 2 coming up soon!!
Follow @therosiescorner for more inspo to help you create the home of your dreams! Click on the bell icon above to not miss any of my posts & don’t forget to share with your friends 🫶🏼
#cottagestyle #cottagegarden #cottagelife #homestyling #victorianhome #vintagehome #vintagehomedecor #romanticstyle #dreamhome #dreamlife #galveston #slowliving #intentionallife #softgirl #softgirlaesthetic #whimsical #whimsicaldecor #trendingreel #trendingaudio #explorepage #coquette #coquetteaesthetic #olivebranches #olivetree #historichome #galveston #galvestonisland #galvestontx #galvestonbeach
Beautiful story of a home that was meant to be. Mr. Yates is my uncle and as I read about Aunt Jane’s touch in the house I teared up. She definitely had a flair for decorating. Praying that you have many wonderful memories of your own in your home.
May this home bring you years of love and charm just like the past owners, Marty and Jane. They set a wonderful example for our family and now for you. Thank you for sharing your story.
I couldn’t image a better couple to preserve the heart of a home and give it a new family and new stories. I love seeing how y’all have ‘updated’ the home but it is so unique and beautiful. I love old homes like this and please keep posting!
I just viewed your home and story in Homeworthy Youtube channel. Your home is very beautiful; your remodel with design and accessories are perfect. I enjoyed your home tour and wonderful meeting with Mr. Yates. God has his hand on you both. Wishing you much love, success and happiness.