Victoria Beckham went to tour a possible school in Pacific Palisades, CA. (18 Jan 2007). Photo Credit: Alex Turner / Splash News19 March 2007 (Bang) - The couple - who are moving Stateside this summer after soccer star David signed a deal reputedly worth £128 million with the Los Angeles Galaxy - were convinced they had found the perfect property, until they discovered it was on the market for a staggering £20 million.
A source told Britain's The Sun newspaper: "They are careful with investments. When you think what David's deal was to move to Los Angeles Galaxy you would think this was a drop in the ocean for them. But they don't want to spend that much on a Hollywood house at the moment."
The couple - who celebrated their 10th anniversary last week - believed the exclusive Beverly Hills property would have been a perfect family home.
The Liongate residence boasted acres of land, tennis courts, an outdoor swimming pool, movie room and a separate guesthouse.
Victoria, 32, reportedly put in an offer for actress Meg Ryan's former Bel Air house earlier this month.
The sprawling £10 million property has seven bedrooms, six bathrooms, a games room, private gym, sauna and swimming pool.
The former Spice Girl - who has three sons, Brooklyn, Romeo and Cruz, with David - was said to be "smitten" with the huge garden, which would give her family a great outdoor space.
Victoria recently admitted she was finding it hard to spend so much time away from David house hunting in Los Angeles while he sees out his contract with Spanish soccer club Real Madrid.
She said: "I would love to wake up with David every morning and have dinner with him every night. The hardest part of my life is when I'm away from David. Everything else I can cope with."