Good for you, Paula! Will you be submitting some more articles for the Star-Telegram while you are over there?

Re: a DFW get together...We'll be there October 5-10 if anyone is interested!

Ah, Paula, you are pulling at my heartstrings. And I just edited some photos from last month, one of which is a shot of my 18 yo niece in front of the Sexodrome (carefully composed for its affect on her father's blood pressure and to see the look on her mother's face).
While I have loved living in San Antonio for years, it is filling up with all these escaping Californians in their hillbilly chateaux (just kidding, sorta ;-)) so perhaps Paris would be a good option... is Darrin doing real estate in Paris?

Paula - I lived in Paris for 5 1/2 years and reading the article in the FW Star Telegram was like making a trip back in time . It brought back lots of wonderful memories and feelings of jealousy. We try to get back to Paris at least every other year; even if it's just to eat at favorite restarants ,visit frineds an do some Auchan shopping. We're doing a Baltic cruise next year and picked the one from England so we could stop off in Paris for a few days afterwards with other ex-Parisites sailing with us. Might as we'll since we'll be in the "neighborhood".
Kudos to you both for having the courage to live your dream!

Jayne 1973 - Yes, I'll be doing periodic articles for the S-T. The stuff you read was sort of the kick-off to what we hope will be a nice series. I am hoping the S-T readers liked it and want more! My editors are great and very supportive, so I feel very lucky. As for Oct., count us in! Maybe you should post it as its own thread?

Seamus - I love seeing people take photos in front of the Sexodrome. It's a hoot, isn't it??!! You'll have to post a link here so we can check it out. Darrin is doing more freelance writing than real estate, but we are doing some property management for Americans who are still in the states and need someone to oversea their properties. I had no idea Californians are escaping to San Antonio. I can certainly see why - it's lovely! It seems like so many Californians are cashing in on those fanatstic real estate sales prices and moving somewhere cheaper. Are they building monsterous places in the hill country or what?

How wonderful :)
I will be there at the end of November, then again in the second week of December as a treat after shepherding 20 students around France. It would be fun to say hello ;)

Yes, Paula, they are indeed. There are McMansions all over the place. IH-10 is being choked with development all the way to Boerne and beyond, much of it with a strip mine mentality that rips down all the trees. Many of these transplants (sounds better than real estate refugee, doesn't it? LOL) who arrived with the proceeds from the sale of their west coast property are shocked when they find themselves stuck with these places. When they realize that though there is no state income tax there are scads of property based taxes, and utilities to heat and (especially) cool a big place can get steep, and that they look into their neighbors' windows (and vice versa), and the traffic congestion that occurs when these developments burgeon and the infrastructure doesn't, they start to think about selling. Problem is, there are a dozen developers who are selling new models and can offer better financing than is available for a a pre-owned property. So they are often not easy to sell, certainly not with the type of gains seen on the west coast. That is not unique to SA, from what is being reported in the media, but it sure is happening here. If you email me offline at jphinc at grandecom dot net I will elaborate and promise not to ask too many nosy questions about how I can also run away to Paris.

sflowler - Please do email me when you are coming to town. Would love to meet up. [email protected]

And seamus, I'll send you an email and you can ask all the nosy questions you want! The hubby and I just eat up that real estate stuff...I love reading all about it!

Done :)