Moving, with all the glory and headaches it comes with, can either be one constant nightmare or one beautiful experience from start to finish. I, personally, always tend to have those constant nightmare moving experiences and have learned the old, "prepare for the worst but expect the best" applies to my moving experiences as well.

However, Johanna and Mark were a little more fortunate. They moved into one of Houston's new homes after they purchased it sight unseen. That's right, sight unseen. I thought they had lost their minds, after all, who does that? How do you know that you're not moving into a home with a leaky roof or a missing bathtub? They said to relax. They purchased one of Houston's new luxury homes and they were assured that everything would be as specified in their closing. What? Like a luxury home can't be missing a bathtub?

They left Pennsylvania with high hopes, two moving vans, two dogs, and three children. In my opinion, this was simply begging for a disaster to happen along the way, through each state, and also when they got there. I've always planned out the move from start to finish and hired dog sitters, babysitters, and any other sitter I might need in the state I'm leaving as well as the state I'm entering.

I once hired a babysitter to accompany me across the country so I could have her services for the entire move. Johanna and Mark left for their Houston new home with just themselves and their well established pack. I gave them one of those pathetic, "I hope you'll be alright but I know you won't be" looks as they drove away.

They moved into one of Houston's new home communities, and of course the bathtub was where it belonged. In fact, both of them were. From there, their home, they had purchased with nothing more than a few reports and some photographs, was perfect. And I mean perfect. It was like they had closed their eyes, envisioned what they wanted their new home to look like, and like a magic genie in a bottle wish, it was waiting for them when they got to Texas.

Their movers, who had broken my grandfather clock when I used the same company, got every ounce of crystal and glass down there without a single scratch, and their kids were off making friends the very first day. Yes I was a little jealous, but I figured they were embellishing just a little bit. I know that Houston new homes have quite the reputation, but nothing in this world actually comes together perfectly, right?

When I went down for my first visit six months later, my mouth dropped to the floor when I walked into their new Houston home. The high ceilings, the absolutely perfect flooring, the two gas fireplaces, and of course the two bathtubs powered with Jacuzzi jets, were all crafted to absolute perfection.

I couldn't find a thing wrong with their Houston new home. They had to have added more than just their furniture. I wandered through their new home pointing to various features complimenting them on their improvement. "It came like that," was repeated into my ear over and over. Sure it did. It came with the perfectly glazed art glass windows in the doorway and it came with the phenomenal marble and glass counter tops and it came with the two perfectly over sized whirlpool bathtubs.

On top of all that, it came with Houston's top school district, where their children were becoming academically competitive. If Houston new homes are really this amazing, I think I may have purchased the wrong homes in the past. As if to prove their point to me, I took a tour of another one of Houston's new homes down the block from them. It was all but sold and there was not question in my mind why. It really was as perfect as it was described on the internet.

How often does that happen? Well, in some of the Houston neighborhoods, it happens every day. There is no need for false advertising or high pressure tactics with these communities. One in-person look and there are few who won't be sold immediately. After all, Houston new homes have not been handed their reputation because someone felt like they needed a boost in the public's eye. Of course not. Their reputation for excellence was definitely earned.