I have a story like that. I made an offer for about 90-95% of asking price in the summer of 2005. I was expecting the seller to counter with a half-way offer. In ther counter letter, they not only kept their asking price, but they also wrote that they would take their window treatments and other fixtures with them.
After other offers I made were turned down by other sellers, and after noticing that prices were still climbing to ridiculous levels (summer of 05), I decided to keep my money and rent a big comfy house.
Fast forward 9 months or so. The lady who wanted to keep her window treatments eventually sold in the fall of 2005 for less than what I offered her four months earlier! Not only she got less money, she also had to pay another four months of mortgage, porperty taxes, etc.
