Houston-area residents know the value of having a beach getaway that’s a quick drive from the city. In an hour or so, you can go from the hustle and bustle of freeways and clogged city streets to the big exhale when you cross the causeway to Galveston Island.

Interested buyers for homes on the island are typically Houstonians looking for a vacation hom. But James Rosenfeld, an agent with Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty, says these days, people have been coming in from all over the country, including the East Coast and Midwest, to get a piece of Galveston.

Fortunate for them, Rosenfeld is currently showing off a 2,691-square-foot home on Glossy Ibis Way in the Estate Section of Pointe West, a large Galveston waterfront neighborhood with unobstructed views of both the Gulf and bay. “This home could be a primary or secondary home,” Rosenfeld says. “It has all the amenities of a master-planned community minus the golf course. There’s an enormous pool, fitness center, and a restaurant.”

Finished in 2022, the home is new enough that nothing in it needs renovation. In addition to the four bedrooms with en-suite bathrooms, the house has a spacious main living area and another 1,400 square feet of covered decks made with Trex materials. Large windows let homeowners and guests take in the views throughout the house.

Indoors, the chef’s kitchen, dining area, and family room are all one big main living area. The kitchen has a walk-in pantry, Benedettini Cabinetry, pro-series appliances, and Calacatta-inspired quartz counters, and all the transitional and contemporary furnishings that fill the home are for sale, too.

Given the ongoing threat of weather events such as hurricanes, this home was also built to perform. It has a marine-grade metal roof and a 26kW whole-home generator that can keep the house running for two weeks in case of a major power loss. It sits 21.5 feet above sea level and was engineered to withstand a Category 4 hurricane, Rosenfeld says. Beachfront purchases also require a check on erosion, and Rosenfeld noted that in Galveston’s Far East and West Ends, “the land is accreting, meaning it’s not eroding, it’s growing.”

Rosenfeld particularly raves about the third-floor cupola with a nice-size deck—a relaxing spot to sit with a telescope and look out to the Gulf or the night sky. “It’s an absolutely perfect place to be,” Rosenfeld says. “The devil’s in the details.”

The Facts

• Address: 25919 Glossy Ibis Way, Galveston, 77554
• Listing price: $1.595 million
• Square footage: 2,691 home; 9,900 lot
• Beds/baths: 4/4.5
• Extras: Impact-resistant windows, marine-grade metal roof, and 26kW backup generator
• Listing agents: James Rosenfeld and Jay Monroe, Martha Turner Sotheby’s International Realty