As others have said, there will be others. We bid on many homes with a wide net in terms of layout, number of BR/BA condition, price, and would have been mostly happy in them. Some were in rough shape. Bet the farm on another one and still lost. I took it harder than DW. But we ended up winning the home meant for us with the exact configuration and in the neighborhood we were orginally looking. Hang in there and stick to your guns and you will be very happy the others didn't work out.

16:47 here. Just to add, that relative is currently living with another relative and it is a horrible situation.

We lost a bid on our dream house about two years ago. It was bigger than the house we ended up buying, and the layout allowed for a lot of different possible uses.

But about a year ago, there was a family situation where a relative needed a place to live, and I would have been guilt-tripped into letting that relative live in the finished basement of the "dream house."

The house I did buy doesn't really allow for that, and I am sooooo relieved, because it would've been very difficult to get that particular relative to EVER move out without alienating a lot of people.

Same thing here. Had a deal on our dream house with the owner. His home purchase fell through so he didn't sell to us. We then found a house we really liked but it sold before we could bid. Went to an open house on the same street a few months later - much better house, more fairly priced. Been there for 14 years now and still love it every day!

We really, really wanted to be in a particular neighborhood. There was a certain style of house I thought was ideal for our family. And we were looking with a certain price range (not as high as many people on this thread). Then, a house in that style came on the market in our desired area...WAY out of our price range (and it was absurdly priced). It sat, and sat, and sat. Dropped in price. We looked at this house 3-4 times, once even went in with an inspector. We made an offer that was low, but what we could afford (and also, what we thought the house was worth in light of issues we found along the way).

Well, we didn't get it. Sellers were willing to drop the price, but not far enough. We were REALLY discouraged and thought we'd never be able to stay in that area. Then, a house right across the street from the first came on the market, easily within our price range. We made an offer within hours of listing and got it. It wasn't my ideal layout but has other features that have made it really the perfect house for us. We've been there for a year and I still feel so glad we got this house. Good luck , OP

OP here - thank you everyone for the encouragement. It's hard to not be discouraged with the lack of inventory and what you get for the money! Building a home is not an option right now, but hopefully something will turn up.

Just build one

We lost what we thought was a great house, and then we saw it go under contract twice to other buyers and come back on the market both times. It is an older home, divorce situation, and we think the sellers are unwilling to make any repairs or give concessions for any repairs for anything found in the home inspection. We feel like we dodged a bullet.

You'll certainly find something you love, but it might take a lot of time. Maybe until next year.

Hang in there. We looked for more than a year, and lost 2 bidding wars. Love our house!

You'll find a better house, it's almost guaranteed.

Yes, our perfect house fell through our fingers in July 2011. We'd been looking for a year and this was by far the best house we'd seen. We lost to an all cash offer that was $5k under what we bid, but the timing was such that the sellers were concerned about mortgages in general.

We stopped looking for a while, then started up again in March 2012 and found an even better house the next month in a better school district that gave my husband an even easier commute on public transportation. It seriously took a lot of worry off of us in terms of high school (for 3 kids) and a host of other issues. I drive by the first house on occasion -- it is only 2 miles away -- and I pine over some of the layout features, but our current home is WAY better. We were lucky to have lost on the first one!

I do, although not sure how much this will cheer you up. DH and I lost out on our "perfect house" about a year and a half ago. I was pretty upset, DH was very frustrated. A week later and out of the blue, DH was offered an amazing job opportunity for this company that was a once in a lifetime opportunity. We now look back and think how lucky we are that our "perfect house" fell through. We are now in the process of moving back stateside. DH was presented with another great (and permanent) job opportunity state side in an area where the housing market is better. We just got everything squared away and are looking at houses this week. Crossing our fingers and hoping this time we luck out.
Anyways OP, it sucks but I hope you guys get an opportunity where you can look back and be thankful this house fell through!

There is no perfect house. I am sitting in the "dream forever house" we bought 6 months ago and I kinda hate it.

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a good stories about losing your "perfect home" and then things worked out for the better? I'm so gutted about losing out on a house that I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and this real estate market is so awful! I know there are worse things in life but I loved it and the way it all went down makes me feel unsettled with all the could of, would of, should of...

We were pissed when some asshat paid asking for a grossly overpriced house. But I had to remind myself that there are plenty of perfect homes....

Anyone have a good stories about losing your "perfect home" and then things worked out for the better? I'm so gutted about losing out on a house that I can't see the light at the end of the tunnel and this real estate market is so awful! I know there are worse things in life but I loved it and the way it all went down makes me feel unsettled with all the could of, would of, should of...