Real Estate Website Urges Conservatives To Buy Texas Homes

MCKINNEY (CBSDFW.COM) - Move to Texas for the great schools, the good jobs and the low crime. But also, a new web company pitches, move because you're a conservative.

McKinney-based website conservativemove.com is drawing interest from around the country for its focus on moving right-leaning residents from blue states, to the Lone Star state. The website tag line reads "Helping Families Move Right."

This week, company founder Paul Chabot says the first two homes owned by clients in California will go on the market. Five more clients are actively searching for homes in North Texas. There have been inquiries he said from more than 500 people, in more than 40 states.

"They're dead serious," he said of those showing an interest in moving to Texas. "They are absolutely dead serious on doing it."

Chabot made the move himself with his wife and four children in January. After unsuccessfully running for Congress in California twice, he said the state just didn't represent him anymore. At a going away party, people expressed a curiosity in making the same move, and the idea was born.

The site offers a simple arrangement, connecting sellers with conservative realtors to unload their current home, and then with conservative realtors in North Texas to find a new one.

"Finding homes based on political preference isn't really that hard," said realtor Derek Baker... and in North Texas that's just about anywhere.

"What we're trying to do is appeal to someone based on the same values and reasons that we live here," Baker said.

He had dozens of new leads Tuesday morning, from people in California cities like Chino, Upland and Modesto. One wrote they wanted to move within the next two years. Another wrote they were tired of "Commie-fornia."

Conservative Move hasn't started advertising yet, or putting billboards in Los Angeles, or San Francisco, something Chabot said he'd like to do. While they are focusing on California and North Texas to start, there are plans to widen their reach.

While political leanings aren't something you usually see on a real estate listing, Chabot contends it isn't as odd as it may sound. A low tax burden, strong economy, and neighborhoods built for families (he says) are what makes the area great.

What Conservative Move taps into is the position it was conservative values that made that happen.