Jenna and Barbara Bush Charm Dallas Hometown at Nexus Luncheon

Barbara Bush and Jenna Bush & Henry Hager

I got a chance to chat with Jenna and Barbara Bush at Thursday’s Nexus luncheon, where I asked Jenna how the sale of the town home is going. Seems the national housing market’s double dip dip dip is affecting the former First Daughter as well.

“We just reduced it,” she told me. The Baltimore townhome had been listed at $474,900 and is now reduced to $449,000.

During the Q&A with Candice Crawford, the twins said they are both living in New York City now where their cats are “cousins”, and Jenna and hubby Henry came home one weekend to “Goldilocks” — Barbara and her cats asleep in their bed. Henry offered to let Barbara live with them, but only if she paid rent.

“He’s cheap,” teased the outgoing Jenna, a teacher and correspondent for NBC-TV.

(Chase is not moving in with us, quipped Candice.)

When asked how they handled negative comments of their father and family, Jenna said they had both been raised by their parents with no pressure to follow any traditions and to think for themselves — in other words, to be the independent young women they have become who cherish the amazing experiences they have been given. (Barbara came home to meet the Dalie Lama at her parents’ house.) Besides, said Jenna, we were 18 when we got to the White House–

“We just ignored all that BS.”