In many popular communities, available listings are in short supply, causing some discouraged real estate agents to drop out of the business. But home-selling veterans know there are always some owners with urgent reasons to sell.

“Life events are the reason there are always people who wish to sell promptly,” says Kate Foster-Bankey, who’s sold residential real estate since 2011.

She cites five motivational factors for moves.

“There’s death, divorce, diamonds, diapers and ‘dream location,’” she jokes, adapting a mnemonic device used by real estate pros.

After more than three years of fruitless searching, a couple in their 30s were exceptionally pleased to discover a pair of owners in their 60s selling a brick rancher on a heavily wooded four-acre parcel. They soon bid on the place and captured it without facing any rival buyers.

The older couple was determined to immediately pursue their dream of buying a much larger property -- a farm where they could raise both crops and livestock. After locating a 44-acre place to their liking, they were eager to sell and readily accepted an offer slightly under their list price, with no attempt to negotiate.

The surprisingly smooth purchase brought welcome relief to the buyers, who had long struggled to compete with other would-be purchasers. On multiple occasions, they had lost out in bidding wars.

Inventory levels continue to fall in desirable communities, according to Jiayi Xu, an economist for Realtor.com, the home listing service.

“For 18 straight weeks, the number of homes available for sale has registered below that of the previous year,” says Xu, noting that housing remains chronically “undersupplied.”

Foster-Bankey of Compass Real Estate says potential home sellers fall into two camps. One group is impatient to move forward and refuses to wait for a drop in mortgage rates. But the other group wants to ride out the economy, hoping for still more appreciation on the homes they own.

Are you homeowners who wish to sell but are torn about when to proceed?

If so, Foster-Bankey encourages you to put your place on the market when the date is right for your lifestyle. That’s better than adhering to some arbitrary guidelines suggested by national housing economists.

She recalls how many economists had mistakenly predicted that, by the end of this year, mortgage rates would fall steeply. They now project rates won’t drop until 2024 at the earliest.

At this point in the economic cycle, housing conditions vary widely by neighborhood. That’s why sellers seeking to schedule their sale are advised to seek out the opinion of agents who closely track their neighborhood market.

Here are a few pointers for near-term sellers who are feeling stressed:

-- Don’t hang around when your property is shown to prospects.

Nervous sellers often assume their presence at showings could prove helpful. After all, they reason, who could better direct prospects around the home and answer visitors’ questions than the owners themselves?

But appearing at your own showings has more than one disadvantage. It’s likely to cause your visitors to feel crowded, making it hard for them to imagine making the place their own. Also, they’re prone to make critical comments about your place.

“In strong markets and weak, lots of folks feel entitled to critique any property they visit, and harshly so,” says Mark Nash, author of “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home.”

When a showing is held, he recommends you leave the property until the coast is clear.

-- Don’t transmit your stress to your children.

During his many years as a real estate broker, Nash often noticed how adults inadvertently transmit stress they’re experiencing to their children. Parents are particularly likely to unload when the kids create a mess around the home.

“Yes, you need to keep your house orderly and straighten it up before showings happen. But yelling at the kids every time they bring out the blocks or the dolls is only going to raise your family’s anxiety level,” Nash says.

He recommends homeowners strive for a “sense of normalcy,” allowing their children to have ample play time, so long as they understand that all their belongings must be put back before visitors come over.

“Just remember you have a lot more at stake than simply keeping the house clean. You need to maintain household harmony, or the home-selling process could become a nightmare for your family,” Nash says.

-- Consider travel to distract yourself.

Those who need to sell a home can easily become obsessed with the challenge.

One antidote for this problem is to take a temporary break by getting out of town for at least one day. This won’t require you to take your property off the market, assuming you have a capable listing agent who stays in close communication with you.

“The best remedy for a fixation on your house is a change of scenery,” Nash says.

Maybe you can’t afford a genuine vacation. But you don’t have to fly to a remote island to find relief. Just going to the next town for an overnight visit should give you a welcome break from the tension.

“Almost any getaway you can do should get your mind off your fixation with selling the house. And, ironically, that could help get your house sold faster,” Nash says.

Those attempting to sell their property often wrongly assume a deal can’t be struck while they’re away. But that’s hardly the case, Nash says.

“Given that most people carry cellphones and have ready access to email and texts, there’s no reason your listing agent can’t handle offers that surface while you’re away,” he says.

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

Like many determined homebuyers, an Illinois couple in their 30s -- a teacher married to a sales manager -- were shocked to see the latest rise in mortgage rates. In many areas, prevailing rates have now reached 8% or higher.

“Affordability has become a really, really huge issue,” says Rich Harty, who leads the independent realty firm that represented the Illinois couple.

In pursuit of a “forever home” where they could raise a family, the couple spent nearly a year searching in Morton Grove, a suburban village with easy access to Chicago, where the wife is pursuing a master’s degree in education. There they recently found the perfect property: an updated Georgian style brick house built in 1948.

“They loved the house, but so did four other couples. To compete in the inventory-tight market, they needed a strategy to set themselves apart in the sellers’ eyes,” Harty says. Not only did they offer the owners $15,000 over the list price, but they promised to make an all-cash offer -- which proved to yield them the winning bid.

How did they pull off a contract offer that beat out four other couples? Rather than go to a traditional lender who would have charged them around 8%, they convinced their retired parents to finance the property at a deeply discounted mortgage rate.

“We’re seeing more and more parents stepping in to help, handing over cash from their own accounts so their kids can make the kind of all-cash offers that sellers favor. In effect, the parents are acting like an actual bank,” Harty says.

Of course, relatively few parents of young wannabe homeowners have the wherewithal to serve as a mortgage lender for their grown children. But for those who can afford to do so, making such a home loan can be a win-win transaction.

“This sort of arrangement can be a good investment for the parents, even as their children enjoy significant savings on interest payments,” Harty says. Still, he encourages all the parties involved in the home loan to make it official with documents -- including a promissory note.

“Be sure to ask a real estate attorney to draft all your key documents,” he says.

Here are a few other pointers for buyers:

-- Let jealousy serve as a prod.

Sid Davis, author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home,” says that when it comes to financial decisions, people in their 20s and 30s are heavily influenced by their social circles. So once one friend buys a house, others in the same friend group are often motivated to do the same.

“Some folks don’t get off the fence until their friends start to buy,” Davis says.

Besides the problem of affordability, many would-be buyers in their 20s and 30s are held back by a fear of commitment signified by the traditional 30-year mortgage, according to Davis.

“They’re petrified about taking the plunge, fearing they’ll get in over their heads,” he says.

But as Davis tells many young clients, the beauty of a fixed-rate mortgage is that their payments will stay constant, even as their incomes likely rise.

“With the passage of years, those house payments seem to shrink, especially if your place appreciates,” he says.

-- Prioritize down payment savings over shorter-term objectives.

Suppose that while you’re still a renter, you’re invited to a housewarming party at the home of friends who’ve obtained the status that comes with homeownership. Part of you likes seeing your friends successful, but another part feels diminished by comparison.

In this situation, Davis says some renters resort to the short-term gratification of making other, less massive prestige purchases. They may buy a luxury car or an apartment full of new furniture, financing their purchases with credit.

Such purchases weaken your chances of achieving your housing dream because you may not be able to obtain as large a mortgage as you’ll want or need.

“Some people try to lift their spirits about still renting with an extravagant vacation, for example. But, in the end, this is self-defeating behavior if your real dream is a home,” Davis says.

The problem is that lenders look at your overall debt load when judging your worthiness for a mortgage.

“Big balances that appear on your credit reports can hobble your chances for a home. Yet in most cases, a house is a much better investment than a car or furniture,” says Davis, a real estate broker since 1984.

-- Ask for help from your mortgage lender to rectify your credit.

Are you a potential buyer whose credit reports were tarnished by a poor history of paying credit card bills while still in college? At the time, your grades and social life may have seemed more important than your credit score.

Regrettably, financial indiscretions have a way of lingering on your record long after people stop asking about your GPA.

While there’s no quick fix for a poor credit score, Davis says your standing can be restored over a period of weeks or months through methodical effort.

“Most people just have to keep plugging away until they reach their objective of a higher credit score,” he says.

Davis says your best ally in reestablishing good credit is a mortgage lender or broker willing to provide sound advice.

“Even now, with more federal regulations to protect borrowers, it’s helpful to get guidance from a professional who can tell you the letters to write, the phone calls to make and the emails to send to strengthen your credit standing,” he says.

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

Glenn Kelman, the CEO of Redfin, the national real estate brokerage, calls what his industry is facing “a slow-moving disaster.”

“Prices keep going up, but housing inventory remains very low,” Kelman says.

The obvious problem for young adults seeking to purchase a home is that mortgage rates are exceptionally high relative to rates during the pandemic.

“Nobody wants to give up a 3% mortgage,” Kelman says.

Actually, there is one group willing to surrender a low-rate home loan in order to make a move: retirees. These are equity-rich homeowners who can sell and afford to buy their next property with an all-cash offer that precludes the need for a new mortgage.

“Some willing sellers are sitting pretty right now. That’s because there’s currently a tremendous shortage of available listings in many metro areas and property values continue to climb,” says Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home.”

Although the numbers often work well for older people attempting to sell and buy anew, many struggle with the decision-making process as they attempt to find the best possible retirement community they can afford.

Ronald Phipps, a past president of the National Association of Realtors (nar.realtor), suggests retirees view any destination they’re considering through a wide-angle lens.

“The right location is still the first and most important rule of real estate,” Phipps says.

Now more than ever, he urges retirees planning a home purchase to factor airport access into their selection of a community. Living within a 50-to-60-mile radius of a major airport typically means lower-cost flights and greater ease of travel -- important factors for many retired people.

“If you live near an air hub and miss the 9 a.m. flight, you won’t have to wait to the next day to get a plane out. Also, your friends and family will probably visit more often if you have good air service,” Phipps says.

Moreover, he contends that buying a home in a metro area with frequent air flights gives you the best odds for future appreciation. And he believes that cities with international air service, a lure for foreign property purchasers, could be your strong resale bet in the years ahead.

Here are a few more pointers to consider prior to picking your retirement destination:

-- Factor personal interests into any retirement purchase.

Obviously, those heading into retirement should focus on the market strength of any area they’re considering. But Phipps says they should also think seriously about whether a setting will serve their lifestyle preferences.

“If you’re into acting, moving to a town with no theater opportunities would be incredibly frustrating. It wouldn’t matter much that the town had infinite opportunities for golf and tennis,” Phipps says.

Have you been so busy during your working years that you’ve barely focused on designing your retirement? If that’s the case, you might consider engaging the services of a life coach.

“A life coach can be a good sounding board, helping ideas bubble up in the course of the conversation. This can help you crystallize your thinking,” Davis says.

One way to locate a certified life coach is through the International Coaching Federation (coachingfederation.org). Once at that website, look for coaches in your area who specialize in retirement planning.

-- Make sure your financial situation is as solid as possible.

Jeffrey Wuorio, a personal finance specialist, says many older people underestimate their expected life spans as well as the financial wherewithal they’ll need to cover their expenses for all the years they’re likely to live.

“Research shows that if you and your spouse have already lived to age 60, at least one of you can expect to live to at least 90. That means you will need substantial savings for a comfortable lifestyle going forward,” says Wuorio, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Retirement Planning.”

-- Consider a lengthy preview of any distant location of interest.

As Wuorio notes, people considering a move to a distant area are wise to spend some time there before buying property in the community. That could help you avoid a costly mistake.

“It’s a great idea to take a vacation to any town where you might buy a home. Or consider taking a temporarily rental there before buying,” he says.

One helpful way to learn about a new area is to strike up conversations with local residents, asking about opportunities to pursue your personal interests in the community. You may also want to ask about local educational options, including the chance to take classes or attend lectures at a local college or university.

“Planning your personal activities for retirement is just as important as saving enough money to make your lifestyle viable,” Wuorio says.

-- Don’t rule out buying a smaller place in the same area where you now live.

One potential option for retirement-age homebuyers is to downsize within the same metro area where they have established friendships. For example, you might choose to sell your 3,000-square-foot family home and buy a much smaller condo in a neighboring suburb. That could help you hang on to long-held ties.

With more time on their hands, many retirees find that friendships have a deeper meaning than before, Wuorio says. And many older people who move to a distant locale for retirement find it hard to make new friends.

“Unless you’re a person who has a knack for making new friends quickly, you could be better off moving within the same area where you now live rather than moving far away -- no matter how good the climate is in some dream destination,” he says.

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