Now underway is what America’s real estate analysts call the “great normalization” of home-selling markets. Ever so gradually, the profound imbalance between home buyers and home sellers is diminishing. With slightly more properties available, buyers are gaining a tad more bargaining power.

“The super frantic ‘I’ll pay whatever you ask plus a fat premium’ concept is slowly going away. Buyers are more prudent, and multiple bidding is a little less harried,” says Sid Davis, a longtime real estate broker.

A more normal market is what exhausted would-be homeowners have long been seeking. These motivated buyers include families with young children who’ve spent many pandemic-restricted months in cramped rental units.

“Among many buyers, the idea of a three-bedroom house with a yard for the kids and dogs seems like heaven on Earth. But if they possibly can, they really want to avoid ridiculous offers they might regret later,” says Davis, author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.”

Richard Rosa, who heads an 18-broker realty company, says that during the worst of the pandemic in past months, cases of “buyer's remorse” became commonplace.

In the recent past, “some people who are normally very conservative in making financial decisions felt beaten down after being outbid multiple times.” But as the markets begin to normalize, more buyers are now cautious about overbidding.

How can you avoid the sort of buyer's remorse that has afflicted many purchasers in the recent past? Rosa urges buyers to do their neighborhood research before considering any given property.

“Narrow down your search to identify where you truly want to live. Also, itemize all your specific wants and needs. For instance, if you’re teleworking, you might need one home office or maybe even two,” says Rosa, president-elect of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Here are a few other pointers for buyers:

-- Attempt to keep your emotions in check when crafting a bid.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of “Home Buying for Dummies,” suggests buyers set a ceiling on how much they’re willing to pay for a property before making an opening bid. This is especially important if one partner in a couple is likely to get carried away by a “must have” house they come across.

“The same people who bid too much in Las Vegas could be inclined to bid too much for a house because of their competitive nature. Remember that sometimes the winner of an auction winds up the loser,” Tyson says.

-- Seek information from neighbors in an area you’ve targeted.

Your agent should be helpful in sorting through property listings, making sure you identify the most promising homes available.

But once you have your eye on a particular place, it could be the time to talk to those who know the community best: neighbors.

“Believe me, most neighbors will bend your ear about their neighborhood. For example, they’ll tell you if they like or hate the local schools and the ages of kids who live in nearby homes,” Tyson says.

-- Visit enough properties to make an informed comparison.

Even if the first place you see looks perfect, you’ll want to ponder alternatives to make sure you have a basis of comparison, says Tyson, who recommends home shoppers look at a minimum of six properties before they buy.

“Buyer’s remorse is much less likely if you’ve examined several options -- even if you must do so in a single day,” he says.

-- Educate yourself on local property values.

If you’re uneasy about the price tag attached to a property you like, have your real estate agent show you several comparable homes that are also on the market, including those under contract, Tyson says.

Resourceful buyers might even go a step further by asking people who’ve recently bought into the neighborhood whether they would mind giving them a peek inside.

“Drop a little note in their mailbox telling them you’re interested in the neighborhood and leave your names and phone number in case they’ll let you come by,” Tyson says.

What’s the advantage of evaluating the price and quality of freshly sold homes? In areas where home prices are rising, the latest sales are the most telling, more so than transactions that occurred months ago.

-- Avoid waiving your home inspection if at all possible.

Almost without exception, buyers are legally entitled to an inspection of a property once their offer is accepted by its sellers. But in popular neighborhoods, some buyers continue to waive this right, believing their bid will be more appealing to the sellers if they do so.

Tyson says he understands why some buyers voluntarily give up the right to an inspection, particularly if they’re trying to purchase a home in a strong sellers’ market. Still, he argues that an inspection could expose unseen defects -- such as an air conditioning problem that may not be apparent until after the move.

“No matter how hot the market, I would never advise buyers to forgo an inspection. If, for competitive reasons, you don’t want to have this right in your contract offer, at least you should ask the owners for the chance to do an inspection before you make a bid,” Tyson says.

(To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)

As they approach marriage, many young couples face the daunting challenge of how to acquire their first home. But couples marrying over the age of 50 sometimes confront the opposite issue: how to deal with ownership of two primary properties.

In the past, most late-marrying couples with dual homes considered only a couple of conventional options. They could sell one property and move together into the other, or they could sell both and buy a third, where they’d both live.

But a new trend is emerging among an increasing number of older couples who already own homes: They’re designing lifestyles that allow them to keep both places they’ve owned for years.

“For more settled couples, one option is to continue living separately rather than unite their households in the conventional way,” says Francine Russo, the author of “Love After 50: How to Find It, Enjoy it, and Keep it.”

Russo, who’s spent her career investigating and tracking social trends, refers to committed couples who choose to live separately as “LATs,” because they’re “living apart together.”

There are multiple factors increasing the popularity of LAT relationships among older couples.

“People are living longer and still want to have intimate and emotionally committed relationships in later life. Yet both men and women appreciate the autonomy and independence of retaining their own homes. In addition, their housekeeping and lifestyle standards may differ greatly,” Russo says.

Understandably, the trend toward two-house coupling involves mostly affluent adults who can afford to maintain two households. But as home values continue to ascend, increasing home equity, more seniors can make the numbers work.

Even when LAT living proves financially viable, some couples who could keep their two primary properties prefer an arrangement that allows them to reside together.

“If you own two houses, be sure to discuss your alternatives and preferences before making a firm decision,” Russo says.

Kevin O’Reilly, a certified financial planner, says it can be especially hard for couples to resolve the two-house puzzle if one of the partners was married previously and still lives in a home once shared with an ex-spouse.

“Moving into a place where the ex lived isn’t the fairy-tale ending most people imagine. It can cast a massive shadow around a new marriage,” he says.

“There’s no single right answer. For all my clients, I believe in happiness. Decisions like these are not all financial,” O’Reilly says.

Here are a few pointers for marrying couples with two properties:

-- Commit your housing preferences to paper.

These days, an increasing number of people who marry have had years of independent living behind them. Because of that, it’s all the more important that they listen to each other when making joint decisions.

“There are issues of turf and control that come up early in marriage and need to be discussed,” O’Reilly says.

Before making any major housing decisions, he recommends that a marrying couple with two homes write out a list of their personal priorities.

“It’s always better to write down your thoughts rather than just tossing ideas in the air. Writing things out forces you to think things through,” O’Reilly says.

If a deadlock develops, the couple might consider consulting a financial planner or an accountant, if only for an hour or two. An outside adviser may be able to help spur the conversation to a breakthrough choice that works for both husband and wife.

-- Realize that unconventional solutions could work well for you.

Those remarrying after their children are grown typically have more latitude to consider housing alternatives than do those still raising young children.

“Once your children are grown, your needs change. One person might want to move to the country and raise horses. The other might want to live in a condo in the city,” says Dorcas Helfant, a former president of the National Association of Realtors (nar.realtor).

One way to address the subject of where to live, Helfant says, is to visualize what you’d be doing during ideal days. For example, on a free Saturday would you rather tend roses or attend a jazz festival?

By listing your preferred activities, you’ll bring into focus the kind of location and property that would best suit you and your spouse in coming years.

“Whatever your age, there’s no single right location. It’s all a matter of individual preference,” Helfant says.

-- Ponder the prospect of selling both your homes and buying a third one.

Are you and your partner entering into a second marriage? If so, one or both of you might be uneasy with the thought of living in a place where a previous partner once lived. Would he feel at ease hanging his suits in a closet used by her first husband? Would she feel uncomfortable making brunch in the same kitchen where his former wife cooked?

For many people launching into a new relationship, the idea of selling both their homes and starting fresh with a different place has tremendous appeal, according to O’Reilly.

“Financial factors aren’t everything for couples. There’s also a strong emotional dimension to any housing decision. So buying a place where neither of you have lived before might be your best possible choice,” he says.

(To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)

Home-sellers have reigned supreme for months, as escalator-price contracts and multiple offers mounted and rival buyers competed ferociously for the same property. This frenzied market has caused many sellers to become arrogant.

But housing analysts now question whether the same level of arrogance will be justifiable going forward. That’s because there are signs the red-hot real estate market may be gradually beginning to cool.

Granted, home values keep escalating, raising serious affordability challenges for purchasers, especially those struggling to acquire their first home. Still, the drum-tight shortage of available properties is starting to loosen.

Danielle Hale, chief economist for the home-listing firm Realtor.com, says post-Independence Day data foretell improving trends for buyers.

“While listing prices ticked up, other metrics like inventory and time on market shifted in a buyer-friendly direction,” Hale says.

Whether seller hubris was ever warranted is a matter of debate. But real estate specialists say a cavalier approach is certainly unwise for owners as market conditions begin their slow shift.

Rich Harty, a real estate broker who works solely with buyers, catalogs a number of turnoffs that could seriously impair your sale, especially now that competition among buyers is gradually lessening.

“Allowing a musty odor to persist in your home is a tipoff to serious water problems. You need to address your drainage issues or face the real prospect that buyers will pass on your place,” says Harty, president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Another buyer turnoff is the odor of cigarette smoke.

“It’s extremely hard to remove cigarette smells from any place because the smoke gets absorbed in the carpets, furniture and cabinets. But as sellers, you should do this to achieve your maximum level of success,” Harty says.

Here are a few added pointers for sellers on errors to avoid:

-- Don’t show your place with a grimy interior.

Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home,” says that trying to sell a home that’s unclean is a huge mistake.

“Going on sale in junk condition could be deadly for your prospects,” Davis says.

Cleanliness is paramount because all buyers want a fresh start when they move.

Unless their houses are immaculate, Davis recommends that sellers pay for an in-depth cleaning. He advises those planning to hire a cleaning service to ask neighbors or work associates for recommendations.

-- Avoid rebuffing your listing agent’s advice on fix-ups.

As real estate experts point out, sellers benefit when they receive a critique of their property well before it goes up for sale. That way, they have time to make sure all important repairs and upgrades are done before buyers troop through.

But Davis contends that too many agents “fear giving sellers the straight truth.” He says some worry their candid remarks about a property could cost them the chance to obtain or retain the sellers’ business.

Savvy home-sellers welcome constructive criticism.

“Why not hand the agent a room-by-room checklist on which they can itemize the improvements needed to maximize the sale? And leave space on the checklist for changes to your yard,” Davis says.

Obviously, it’s not enough to merely solicit feedback. You’ll also need to go down the checklist and make the suggested changes.

-- Avoid listening to pricing advice from know-it-all neighbors.

As soon as word spreads that you’re planning to sell, odds are neighbors will begin offering advice on pricing.

“Neighbors believe they’ll benefit if you price high, because they think that will push up local home values,” Davis says.

But neighbors’ views on pricing are often based solely on wishful thinking or the rumored prices for other homes that have sold. That’s why Davis recommends you ignore their suggestions and set your asking price only after sitting down with your agent to do a systematic review of recent sales in your area.

“If you want another opinion, call in an appraiser. That’s much better than relying on gossip,” Davis says.

With rare exceptions, he urges sellers to avoid the common error of trying to “test the market” with a list price higher than what other similar properties in the area have fetched. That’s because an over-market asking price usually hurts the reputation of a home and yields less in the long run.

-- Avoid hanging around during showings.

Real estate agents almost always advise their clients to disappear when their property is shown to prospects. But some sellers believe they know better and insist on staying around.

“These sellers don’t like strangers walking through their home -- which they find unsettling. They worry something bad will happen to the property if they’re not there to protect it,” says Fred Meyer, an appraiser-broker who sells homes near Harvard University.

Why is it critically important for the sellers to disappear before showings? Because it’s tough for buyers to bond with a property if they must muffle their comments to avoid offending the owners.

“Buyers need to be able to say out loud the negatives about a house so they can figure out how they’d address them. It takes a lot of energy not to say what you really think,” Meyer says.

(To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)