On Second, Third, ...Thought...

In the past few years, several prospective hires at my university have been offered positions, signed contracts, visited and taken real estate tours, and sold their previous homes, only to decide at the last minute that they didn't want to move, often due to family reasons. In at least one case, the hire bought his previous home back, and his previous employer took him back.

I can't imagine going through this...can you? Any stories out there of searches gone sour in this way?