Is Mayor Cheney Marketing His Own Home For Sale?
For years now, whispers have echoed through the corridors of Frisco about Mayor Jeff Cheney and his deep entanglement with the Fields/PGA development. We’ve heard the questions, and we’ve asked them too. Specifically, we’ve scrutinized the relationship between Mayor Cheney and Real Estate Mogul Jeff Cheney—who, confusingly, happen to be the same person.
Let’s rewind a bit. In a previous Frisco Chronicles blog, The Preserve, we exposed a builders’ map that included the names Keating and Cheney etched right next to select prime lots in the exclusive Preserve development. These were no ordinary plots—these were dubbed “ESPN Lots,” held by the developer for unnamed VIPs. Were they purchased? Gifted? Traded for political capital? Still no straight answers. In our follow up blog The Preserve Lots – VIP Program we released a recording between an individual and developer/builders agent where they specifically talked about the Cheney lots.
We also exposed in that blog, an email from 2019 by John Baumgarten written to the Mayor after he came to speak at investment event about the new PGA Project. Mr. Baumgarten wanted to know about the “unofficial lot list” and how to get on it! It was handled by the Mayor’s sidekick at the time Lorie Medina, Chief of Staff to the Mayor. Fast forward to today, Mr. Baumgarten has a lot on the same map, about 7 houses down from the lot labeled Cheney at the time we wrote our article. If you missed it we highly suggest you click on the links of the blog titles and go back and read them!
Mayor Cheney has long denied any backroom dealings, double-dipping, or conflicts of interest with the PGA or Fields developments. Fair enough. But when a June 23rd video popped up on his Cheney Group Instagram & Facebook page, our ears perked up. Why? Because this time, the sales pitch was closer to home—literally.
The video in question spotlights Shaddock Creek Estates, a prestigious neighborhood in West Frisco. The video and post talk about 68-acre Cottonwood Creek Park with peaceful lakes, winding hiking and biking trails, and fully stocked fishing ponds that are finished off with two historic bridges. It practically sells itself. But there’s one very specific reason this caught our attention: Mayor Jeff Cheney lives there, perched on arguably one of the best lots in the entire community, as seen in the photo above at the end of the cul-de-sac. And in this video? He showcases it. Not just the neighborhood—his house, his putting green, his pool. All of it, which overlooks that 68-acre Cottonwood Creek Park!
At first glance, you might think it’s just a “love where you live” community promo piece. Until you see the drone view of his home, his backyard, his pool, and his golf putting green, nestled against the backdrop of Cottonwood Creek Park. Then at the end of the video, after putting a hole in one on his green, Mayor Cheney leans in and says something curious:
“If you want a greenbelt view like this, join our waiting list, because they don’t come available often.”
Hold up. A waiting list? For greenbelt properties? In one community?
We double-checked. With help from a realtor friend, we found 16 active listings in Shaddock Creek. Only one of them is listed by Cheney’s group. It’s a stunning home, priced at $1.3 million, but it’s on an interior lot, not a greenbelt. So, if you’re trying to spotlight a listing, why not that one?
Why instead feature your own private residence, which isn’t even on the market?
That’s when we got curious and started trying to connect the dots. Is Mayor Cheney quietly trying to market his own home—without actually listing it? In real estate terms, this is known as a “pocket listing.” It’s a way to sell a property off-market, often to a curated list of buyers before it hits the MLS. Convenient. Quiet. Unregulated… mostly.
But here’s where the political intrigue thickens. Imagine this scenario:
- Cheney creates “buzz” by featuring his home in a video.
- He talks up a fictional or curated “waiting list” for similar properties.
- Later in his term, he announces he’s moving—perhaps to The Preserve, Frisco’s most elite enclave.
- And guess what? He has an “immediate buyer” lined up from the list he curated himself.
Boom. House sold. Narrative controlled. Questions deflected.
Is this legal? We’re not real estate lawyers, but it’s worth noting that Texas has rules about marketing homes, especially off-market ones. The Texas Real Estate Commission (TREC) and the National Association of Realtors (NAR) have guidelines about Coming Soon listings, MLS requirements, and anti-discrimination compliance when homes are not listed publicly.
Even if this is technically allowed, the optics are questionable at best. A sitting mayor using his influence and real estate platform to potentially market his own home behind the scenes? That’s a tightrope walk across a political and ethical canyon.
If his home sells in the next 6 to 8 months, will we look back at this blog and his video and realize it wasn’t just a love letter to his neighborhood—but a soft launch of a personal transaction?
WATCH THE FULL VIDEO HERE https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1F465VBDq3/?mibextid=wwXIfr
We’ll be watching. And we’ll be asking.
As always, stay skeptical, Frisco.
— Frisco Chronicles
Disclaimer: This blog contains opinions and commentary based on publicly available information and listings. All real estate references are for informational purposes only. We are not licensed real estate professionals and do not offer legal or financial advice.
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