We've previously owned two (arguably three, if you take my DH's point of view) dream houses.
The first - I'd had my sights set on this particular road where the (mostly Victorian) houses were large, detached and of several different styles. It was a short walk from DS's school where we anticipated he'd be till he left at 18 as well as close to shops/beach. We viewed it immediately it came onto the market (first to view) and fell in love with the amazing period features including marble fireplaces, sweeping staircase in a massive hall and huge built-in dresser in the kitchen. It was very dated but you could tell it had been loved by the elderly couple who'd owned it for many years.
Ours wasn't yet for sale but we quickly got it on with the same EA. Unfortunately despite getting loads of viewings on ours, someone (a friend!) pipped us to it and offered full asking on our dream home with the intention of turning it into a nursery school. We were gutted as it was one of only three - all very slightly different externally but same layout inside - of that style/size.
A few months later, after the sale had completed and we were sstc ourselves, I was telling an acquaintance about the lost dream house and she informed me her FIL who lived in the US owned one of the other two near identical houses which he let out as four flats. When she said he was considering selling I almost cried with excitement...it was obviously meant to be! Long story short, after a drawn out process we eventually bought our dream home which was in a much worse state but still had many of the same original features and we stayed there ten happy years till circumstances forced us to sell.
The second - we were living in a lovely thatched house that DH felt was the dream, but which I hated due to fear of chimney fires and the awful main road outside, when I spotted another potential dream house on Rightmove. I had to persuade DH to view - again ours wasn't yet for sale but we had talked about moving soon - especially as it was in the Midlands whilst we were then living in Wiltshire.
As soon as we stepped over the threshold we both knew it was the one - although built in the 1850s, it had later been extended in Arts and Crafts style which we were both passionate about, having collected stuff from that era for years. Inside it was very tired and from the roadside it was fairly plain, but once you went around to the 'garden front' it was all Arts and Crafts features with a 70' wisteria snaking along the front elevation which faced onto a beautiful garden with mature planting and pretty pond area. It was stunning!
Our own house sold very quickly but before it did, our dream house went under offer and we thought we'd lost it. Fortunately for us that sale fell through and our own offer was accepted. We planned to turn it into a mini Arts and Crafts haven, showcasing all our treasures, but sadly the reality was very different and whilst we both adored the house, we sold after just three years - our only consolation being the lovely lady novelist who purchased it with her DH and family love the place as much as us.
Sadly, I don't think we'll get lucky a third time on the dream house front. Our current house was bought with our heads and having renovated it neither of us feel the love. We're selling soon and hoping to buy something we both love in our expensive home area but as our budget won't stretch to dream houses there, we're setting our sights a little lower and agree it just has to feel right which this place never did.