After 2 years of looking we found our ideal property, ended up in a bidding war, and were eventually rejected despite being the highest offer as the other party had sold there house and were ready to proceed.
We were deeply depressed, but we picked ourselves up and decided to crack on with all those little jobs that would make our place fit for sale, get it on the market , sell it and move into rented, so next time a suitable place came up we would be the cash buyer ready to proceed.
Wind forward 3 very depressing months and we were 2 weeks from completion on selling, and busy looking for a rented property, the phone rang and it was the estate agent saying our original ideal property had fallen through, the seller was now desperate for quick completion, would we still be interested. 2 weeks later we moved in.
Fate ? Luck ? I believe in fate, but you can influence luck by your actions too.