"It's her turn," said a member of the Texas congressional delegation told McClatchy Newspapers. "He wanted the ranch. She wants a home in Dallas."

The representative, who asked to remain nameless, said that Laura Bush is also the one who wants to build rather than buy.

Highland Park, a township surrounded by the city of Dallas, is one of the state's most expensive neighborhoods, with residents who include former Dallas Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman. The campus of Southern Methodist University, where President Bush plans to build his presidential library, adjoins Highland Park.

The couple are expected to keep the ranch in Crawford. Bush, then governor of Texas, bought the ranch in 1999 after making $14.3 million when the Texas Rangers were sold.

The Bushes lived in Dallas before moving to Austin when he was elected governor.