Each Friday, Russ Anderson, the president and CEO of Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty and the president and CEO of Pacific Sotheby's International Realty, writes about luxury, trends, business and more in the advertising pages of the Mansion section of The Wall Street Journal. Below is his letter of June 20, 2025.
FROM THE PRESIDENT'S P.O.V.
We don’t have many mountains in Texas — but we do have lakes. Lots and lots of lakes.
Because our glorious state is famously flat and hot, the lure to our lakes — about 7,000 of them, by most counts — is irresistible. Any chance we get, we plunge into that cool water. We skim speedboats across the ripples. We sip our icy margaritas on the shore. And we fish. Texans love fishing. The great Texas writer Skip Hollandsworth once contributed an essay to one of our publications, all about the lure of, well, the lures. About Texans, he cast a theory: “They can show the world that they have the strength and agility required to wrangle a gill-breathing beast from its underwater lair and onto a hook. Indeed, they are so devoted to this endeavor that they unabashedly spend crazy sums of money on sturdy rods and reels, handcrafted lures, shiny motorboats and, of course, fashionable fishing gear that is also perfectly suitable to wear to the office.”
That’s right: Texans know that living near the water is like a vacation every day. And our expert real estate advisors know of all the best lake houses — from weekend cabins to year-round homes, at every size and price. Come see the lakes near North Texas and how to make the most of them, at briggsfreeman.com/lake-houses.
Then pack some good-looking, waterproof gear. Around these parts, you can wear it to the office, come Monday, I promise.
Russ Anderson
President and CEO, Briggs Freeman Sotheby’s International Realty
President and CEO, Pacific Sotheby’s International Realty
MIDDLE PHOTO: SQ13 Lake Cherokee in Henderson, Texas, available for $2,900,000
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