A married couple in their 30s -- both analysts for a trade association -- were under contract to buy a sprawling ranch-style house in a tony Maryland suburb. But before they could take possession of the place, they were unnerved to discover that a minor fire had occurred there more than 10 years prior.

“They freaked out about the fire -- which happened during some limited renovation work on the kitchen flooring,” says Stacy Berman, the real estate agent representing the owners.

Information about the fire popped up when the couple sought to apply for homeowner’s insurance. That’s because years before the then-owners had filed a claim for compensation under their policy, and the new insurance company happened upon a record of the minor claim.

“The claim had no negative implications for the would-be buyers. They could still get insurance without either rejection or a surcharge. Still, they were so nervous about the fire that they backed out of the purchase altogether,” Berman says.

Many buyers -- and especially first-timers -- feel anxious as they approach a purchase. It’s not unusual for them to suffer a bad case of angst before a deal closes. Like the Maryland buyers, some focus their worries on a minor discovery -- such as the fire.

“Given their dread of making a mistake, it’s not unusual for many a buyer to become a ‘Nervous Nellie’ or a ‘Nervous Norman’ during home shopping. For instance, one of my clients who was seeking a condo couldn’t sleep through the whole night while the deal was pending,” Berman says.

She says the root cause of much homebuyer anxiety relates to fear of the unknown. This is particularly true for those never before involved in a home purchase.

One way to reduce homebuying angst is to ask your buyer’s agent for a tutorial on the homebuying process at the front end.

“I usually spend at least one or two hours explaining what’s ahead before heading out to show property. Understanding steps along the timeline is especially important for first-timers,” Berman says.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Consider mortgage preapproval a time saver.

Many economists are currently projecting that mortgage rates will dip slightly in 2024. That should mean good news for would-be purchasers who take the time to discuss their home loan eligibility with an established mortgage lender.

“It’s always wise to get mortgage preapproval with a strong lender before embarking on a home search. The lender will check your credit standing and go over your income and assets. The bottom line is to set a ceiling on how much you can borrow,” says Merrill Ottwein, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Obtaining mortgage preapproval helps ensure you won’t waste precious time visiting properties over your price range.

“People who know very specifically how much they can afford can focus their home shopping and avoid shooting too high. That way they don’t get their heart set on a house that’s beyond their means,” says Ottwein, who heads a family-owned realty firm in Illinois.

-- Search for the strongest neighborhood you can afford.

Nearly all first-time buyers -- except those with wealthy parents willing to pitch in with cash -- face some limitations. But Ottwein urges buyers to try for the most desirable neighborhood in their price range.

“It remains true that location continues to rule in terms of long-term property valuations. That’s why it’s smart to go on a quest for the best area you can afford,” he says.

Even if you can capture a bargain price, buying a big house in a weak neighborhood is the equivalent of buying false gold.

“Always look for a location where properties move quickly after first hitting the market. Neighborhoods that are highly valued should keep their popularity in the future, says Ottwein.

-- Pay attention to “red flags” about an area’s future.

There are several obvious indicators of a neighborhood with a bright future. These include strong public schools and attractive recreational amenities. Other less apparent signs of strength include easy access to high-quality public transit and quiet streets without a lot of cut-through traffic.

“You never want to be too close to an interstate highway. And you never want to pick a house near a junkyard or a landfill,” says Ronald Woodall, a real estate broker in San Antonio.

Real estate agents usually caution against a neighborhood framed by blighted buildings. For example, you wouldn’t want to invest in a home close to a shopping center that’s gone bankrupt and has many closed stores.

“You should also be careful to avoid any neighborhood near lots of vacant land with an uncertain future -- unless you’ve investigated and determined that the land is slated for positive development,” Ottwein says.

-- Focus on picking the best available home for your money.

Once you’ve chosen the most desirable neighborhood you can afford, it’s time to search for the ideal home within that community.

“If you’re completely clear about what you’re seeking, finding the right house shouldn’t be like locating a needle in a haystack. It should be more like hitting a bull's-eye,” Ottwein says.

Your best bet for appreciation isn’t necessarily the largest home within your reach. In fact, you’re probably better off buying a small-to-average-sized house in a sought-after community.

“Surprisingly, as time passes, the small houses on a block tend to increase in value faster than the biggest ones. This is a rule of thumb that nearly always applies,” Ottwein says.

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

Many young home shoppers searching in popular neighborhoods can’t wait for more available listings to surface. But the options have been in frustratingly short supply.

Housing economists say the mismatch between supply and demand is due primarily to high mortgage rates. Many potential sellers are holding back because they currently have a low-rate home loan and don’t want to swap that for the higher-rate loan they’d have to accept to finance their next property.

Still, economists also say there’s clear evidence that slightly more people, including baby boomers with grown children, are beginning to let go of the large family properties they’ve owned for years.

“Home shoppers have dealt with a low flow of new listings for nearly two years, but some sellers are finally returning to the market. New listings bottomed out at almost 35% below pre-pandemic norms in April, but positive momentum over the past few months has cut the shortfall to just 14%,” says a recent press release from Zillow, the national real estate company.

Economist Hannah Jones of the property listing service Realtor.com, notes that active inventory has been slightly increasing in recent days. What’s more, she anticipates a slight increase in supply in early 2024.

“We expect mortgage rates to soften in the new year, which may help bring sellers back into the market and bolster home supply,” Jones says.

That positive view of next year’s market is shared by Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors.

“The demand for housing will recover from falling mortgage rates and rising income. In addition, housing inventory is expected to rise by around 30% as more sellers begin to list after delaying selling over the past two years,” Yun says.

However, professional organizers say that mortgage rate fluctuations aren’t the only factor that has kept potential sellers on the sidelines. Longtime owners also find it challenging to downsize their possessions to make their properties appealing to potential purchasers.

“Houses sell better if they’re not full of clutter,” says Scott Roewer, a 20-year organizer who heads a firm affiliated with the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (napo.net).

Roewer urges the many would-be sellers in his client base to allow ample time to sort through their possessions before they put their property up for sale.

The problem with delaying a decluttering project is that you’re likely to need a storage unit to contain boxes filled with unsorted possessions. And the cost of maintaining a storage unit can be high.

Here are a few other pointers for those embarking on a decluttering program in advance of a home sale:

-- Force yourself to let go of home office clutter.

Many who work from home are troubled with containers brimming with unsorted papers.

As it happens, few papers people keep prove valuable to them, says Pierrette Ashcroft, who leads a consulting firm focused on time management for entrepreneurs.

“More than 80% of the papers people save are never referred to again,” she says.

What’s more, a room chosen to serve as a home office is often not the only area where papers mount up.

“Home offices creep outward. Any horizontal spaces are at risk for clutter. For example, I often see papers stacked up on kitchen counters, a dining room table or a couch in the living room,” Ashcroft says.

The problem for home sellers is that any kind of clutter, including papers, makes a home look untidy. That can cause visitors to conclude that a property has more issues than meets the eye, says Mark Nash, the author of “1001 Tips for Buying & Selling a Home.”

One way to make decision-making faster is to give yourself guidelines on what to save and what to toss. For instance, small business owners might choose to keep all their receipts for tax deductible expenses, like office equipment and supplies, but throw out those for clothing and food purchases.

-- Scan many papers rather than filing them.

Many people who work from home struggle to stay organized through the use of extensive filing systems. But Ashcroft says filing anything more than the most important papers is usually a waste of time and energy.

She advises those trying to declutter a home office to scan many documents into a computer rather than trying to store them in filing cabinets.

“I’m practically paper-free in my own home office. I use a rapid scanner and can scan up to 200 papers in two minutes,” Ashcroft says.

-- Reason your way through your book collections.

Many professionals, including those who don’t work from home, keep more reference books than they ever use, according to Ashcroft.

She recalls one client, a doctor, who left medicine to pursue her passion as a potter. Though she never planned to return to her former profession, she kept a huge collection of medical books that she never opened.

The problem for bibliophiles preparing to sell their home is that shelves crammed with books make a property seem less attractive to buyers.

Ashcroft advises sellers to remember that many books can now be quickly and easily downloaded onto an e-reader.

-- Don’t take your bad clutter habits to your next home.

Nash recommends that sellers “edit” their papers, office supplies and technology well in advance of a sale to make sure they have time to finish the process.

“Why haul clutter with you when moving expenses can mount up quickly? It’s vastly better to get a fresh start at your new place,” he says.

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

A wealthy couple in their mid-60s -- an artist married to an IT consultant -- recently reset their priorities to emphasize relationships with family. Hence, they made the firm decision to buy a place near their 3-year-old granddaughter.

“Money is not a problem for this couple, who’ve set a $2 million ceiling on their purchase. But they’re particular on the type of home they buy. They want a big one-level place within a half-hour drive from their granddaughter,” says Victoria Ray Henderson, the independent real estate broker who’s assisting the couple in their search.

There are now more than 70 million baby boomers in the United States, and Henderson says many in this aging population cohort feel an urgency about living near grandchildren, even if that means making a long-distance move.

“There’s a certain poignancy as we get older. Unless you’re just railroading through time and space, you sense the preciousness of time and important ties,” says Henderson, a boomer herself.

In business since 2010, Henderson has worked with a number of clients anxious to buy a home near grandkids. Though some can’t afford to move, many others are finding a way to fulfill the dream while their grandkids still have the time and inclination to see them often.

“To be sure you’re on the same page as the grandkids’ family, I strongly recommend you have a talk about expectations before you make a move. Are you agreeing to do a lot of child care? Remember, that can be exhausting for older people,” she says.

Here are a few other pointers for those planning to buy a home near grandchildren:

-- Determine if your extended family has time to see you often.

Joan McLellan Tayler, a veteran realty company owner, notes that some relocation dreams prove disappointing as they play out. Sometimes living close to grandchildren isn’t enough to create the strong bonds older people desire.

Of course, there are relocation plans that work well for extended families who wish to see each other frequently. For example, Tayler says she’s had clients who’ve sold a big family home in favor of a smaller one located in a faraway state near their offspring, and everyone involved finds the situation fulfilling.

“This is much easier in a rural or semirural area where life is less hectic,” Tayler says.

If you’re not now close to your grown children, it can be tough to make up for lost time.

“Not all family relationships are as harmonious as we’d like. It’s possible you’d be better off buying in the same community where you already have friends and know the shopkeepers rather than moving near grandchildren. Then you could travel to see the children occasionally rather than structuring your days around them,” Tayler says.

-- Realize you don’t need a huge yard to accommodate the kids.

Tayler spends as much time as possible with her nine grandchildren, most of whom live in her immediate area. Although the apartment she owns has only a small patio with a few flowerbeds, the youngest children always seem to enjoy visiting there.

Of course, as toddlers grow into school-age children they range more widely with their play activities. Even so, that doesn’t mean you’ll need a large yard to keep them happy. One good substitute is to buy a place within walking distance of a neighborhood park.

-- Seek a house on a quiet street, if possible.

Tom Early, a longtime real estate broker who works exclusively with homebuyers, advises clients seeking to purchase a place near grandchildren to think about the kids’ safety when pondering the street on which to live.

“Consider buying on a cul-de-sac or dead-end street. If that’s not possible, pick a low-traffic street with few cars passing through,” says Early, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

-- Find out if a community you’re considering allows for extended visits.

Do you and your spouse plan to retire to an area far from your grandkids’ home? In that case, Lee Tews, a Texas real estate broker, says you’ll want to be sure the community you choose allows for extended guest visits.

“Many new condo and townhouse communities, along with new detached home neighborhoods, limit the length of guest stays. And this can put a dent in family visits,” he says.

Of course, it’s always possible that the written rules governing guest visits won’t be enforced. But that could change if the residents’ association gets new leaders who insist you follow the rules to the letter.

“It’s not unusual for all the restrictions to run 200 pages long. But before you buy into a community, you’ll probably want to scan them for provisions that could hinder your lifestyle,” Tews says.

-- Try to find a property with an extra bedroom.

If your grown children live several states away, you likely aspire to as many lengthy and meaningful visits as possible with them. But will you have the accommodations to make them feel comfortable in the home you buy?

“For this purpose, it’s wonderful to buy a house with an extra master suite that has its own private bathroom,” Early says.

Perhaps you can’t afford a home with guest quarters. But it would still be good to choose a place with an extra bedroom for family visits.

“If your grown children and their kids are staying in a hotel, that means they won’t integrate as well when the family gathers,” Early says. “It’s only natural that all the family members will want to stay close together -- not to have to go back to the hotel early for the children’s bedtime.”

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