Could it be?

My Brother and Sis-in-law sold their house recently. Not a bad thing. But, it is kind of noteworthy, in that they haven’t yet bought a new place to live. So, they are looking. But, before I continue with this story…a little background information.

We live in the same general neighbourhood as they do. We bought in 2003. Were you around in 2003? Do you remember the housing market in Vancouver in 2003? It was insane! Houses were being snapped up at an alarming rate. Interest rates were low (Could they get any lower?! Turns out they could…but we didn’t know that then!). And most often houses were sold for well over asking price. It was common to bid on a house at full asking price, and with no conditions. Except maybe a home inspection. Anyways, we found 3 houses that we really liked, and bid on. Obviously, we lost the bid on the first two, and finally won the bid on the house that we are in now.

The first house we bid on, we went in with a low offer. Well below asking. We liked the house, but it was one of the first we had seen, so we didn’t really know what we wanted. I’m glad we didn’t get that one.
The second house we bid on was perfect. My kind of home. Small enough for two people, yet large enough to spread out. Small yard, great for entertaining, and on a quiet street. We bid on that house. Our offer was just below asking price, subject to home inspection. The same offer as another couple looking at the house. But, for some unknown reason, we lost out to that other couple. I was so disappointed! I loved that house, and had already “moved in” in my mind. So, I was really upset.
The third house, I liked, but not as much as house #2. My husband loved it however. So, we decided to make an offer. This time, we didn’t take any chances. We bid on that house at $2,000 above asking price, subject to inspection, and waited. Turns out, another couple had also bid on the house at the same price (actually, the exact same offer as us). With 2 offers identical, the owners had to make a decision. We ended up winning! But, it is interesting to note that the ONLY reason they decided to sell the house to us, was because the best man at their wedding had the same name as my husband. That’s how our bid beat the other couple’s bid. Strange, but true!

Anyways, back to this weekend. My brother called. They were looking at a listing, and noted that the last time it had sold was in 2003. It was in the same area as House #2. Could it be the one we bid on? He emailed me pics and the address. It was house #2. My house! The house I fell in love with, and lost! What are the odds?

Meanwhile, I realized that my dream home was back on the market. Could I convince hubby to sell our house now, and bid on my dream home? Did I even want to sell our house and move? Do I still think that that house is my dream home?
I’m not so sure anymore. In the 7 years that we’ve been here, I’ve grown to love my house, my yard, my street, and my neighbours. I would really like to go to an open house at house #2 to see if it still holds the same appeal as it did in 2003. And, wouldn’t it be odd if my brother bought House #2? I told them to go look at the house. And, now I have the strangest feeling that they will buy it.