Are Perrys in market for Governor's Condo?

12:10 AM CDT on Friday, September 14, 2007

By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News

AUSTIN – Housing values might be dropping elsewhere, but for one Austin couple, the task of finding an affordable, suitable home has proved daunting.

Rick and Anita Perry need to move out of the Governor's Mansion next month for a planned 18-month, $10 million renovation of the historic 1856 building that has been their home for almost seven years. And by no less authority than the Texas Constitution, they must live in Austin, which also happens to be the most expensive housing market in the state.

When you're used to a house with nine fireplaces across the street from your Capitol office, the commute alone will be a step down.

"It's like anybody else who has to go out and look to find a house," press secretary Robert Black said.

Well, not exactly. The mansion has an electronically sophisticated guesthouse, occupied by the Department of Public Safety security detail, that will be hard to replicate.

"The first lady and DPS have been looking at a number of places," Mr. Black said.

"There are security concerns and there is the ability to still have official functions, and the logistics that come along with both of those – cars and traffic. And, of course, cost," Mr. Black said.

The search started downtown, where there are numerous upscale condominiums. For example, former Gov. Ann Richards lived at the nearby Nokonah, where her 2,500-square-foot condominium recently went on the market for $1.25 million.

But the governor's new digs will be paid for by taxpayers, and there is some political sensitivity about the cost.

"Downtown gets a little pricey," Mr. Black said.

When Gov. George W. Bush had to move out of the mansion in 1999 for a few weeks because of construction, he and his wife, Laura, stayed at the Four Seasons. That's not really practical for 1 ½ years.

In 1979, when Gov. Bill Clements vacated the mansion for a year's renovation, he and his wife, Rita, stayed in a downtown high-rise condominium. But Austin was going through a real estate bust then.

There are currently 22 listings in the central Austin area for rental homes of at least 1,800 square feet. Most of them are in the $3,000-a-month range, with the high at $6,500, said longtime Austin real estate agent Steve Crossland.

Compared with the mansion, in the hub of downtown, "He's going to have a hard time finding something that close in" that would be big enough and affordable, Mr. Crossland said.

Mr. Black said the governor has recognized that fact.

"Prices are pretty darn high in the Austin market," he said.

Former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee faced a similar quandary in 2000 when his governor's mansion underwent a renovation. He and his family moved into a triple-wide mobile home parked on the mansion's grounds.

"I don't think that's going to happen," Mr. Black said wryly. "We'll find something."