An increasing number of Americans are single. In theory, such “unpartnered” people are more economically vulnerable than those married or living with a romantic partner. But real estate pros say that isn’t stopping many singles from buying a house on their own.

Take the case of a mechanical engineer of 28 who just bought a three-bedroom townhouse in a Chicago suburb. He was motivated to buy after facing a series of rent hikes on his apartment. He also sought closer proximity to work and the city’s two airports.

“This young guy was self-assured and confident about ownership. He was especially excited to acquire a place with a small, fenced yard where he could have a garden and a dog. Plus, the townhouse could also be easily rented out if he moves for a better job,” says Rich Harty, the real estate broker who represented the buyer.

The increase in single Americans is largely attributable to the decline in marriage among adults of prime working age. Though more people are cohabiting with romantic partners, that hasn’t been enough to offset the drop in marriage, according to research done by the Pew Research Center.

Pew says “unpartnered adults have lower earnings, on average, than partnered adults and are less likely to be employed or economically independent.” Yet those with solid jobs and good credit scores can overcome the financial barriers to home ownership.

Harty, who’s sold homes since 2008, says nearly half the clients in his practice are single and see no reason to delay a home purchase until they enter a committed relationship.

Why, on average, are singles more financially vulnerable than those with partners? Because more single households depend on one income, making them more susceptible to a drop in wages that could occur in an economic downturn.

Yet single buyers who plan prudently could weather such a recession just as well as couples.

“It’s a good idea to choose a place that’s both rentable and well within your budget, should your financial picture change,” Harty says.

Housing economists say 2024 should be a somewhat better time to execute a purchase.

Mortgage rates are projected to slip in the new year, and slightly more inventory is expected to hit the market. Meanwhile, prices, even in popular neighborhoods, should moderate, predicts Skylar Olsen, the chief economist at Zillow, a national realty company.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Pick property with long-term ownership in mind.

Given the financial barriers to buying, Sid Davis, a Utah real estate broker, cautions against short-term thinking.

“If you could be moving in five or fewer years ... you probably should abstain from buying a house now. That’s because your expenses -- first to buy and then to sell -- could more than wipe out any appreciation you might enjoy in the next few years,” says Davis, author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.”

Be especially careful to avoid short-term ownership of a brand-new house, says Davis, who points out that a new home typically takes some expensive initial fix-up costs, such as landscaping, fencing and window treatments.

-- Stay within your financial comfort zone.

“Loans with variable rates are a heck of a lot less popular than they were during the go-go years of real estate. With a steady fixed-rate loan, you don’t get any of those nasty surprises that come with ARM adjustments,” says Merrill Ottwein, an Illinois real estate broker.

Still, he cautions single buyers against taking any mortgage that feels uncomfortably large.

“Even with today’s rigid lending standards, it’s still possible to get your lender’s blessing to borrow more than you should. Remember that the people who make mortgages know nothing about your spending priorities,” Ottwein says.

-- Look for a “roommate suitable” home.

After sharing space with roommates in college dorms or living with friends in rented apartments, you may relish the idea of living alone in the home you buy. Still, you might consider buying a property that could be attractive to potential housemates, should you one day need the rental income to offset your mortgage payments.

“For homeowners needing extra cash to make ends meet, taking in roommates is an increasingly viable option,” Ottwein says.

What sort of property would be most alluring to roommates? Ottwein suggests you look for a place with a bedroom suite that includes a private bath, so a roommate could live more autonomously. A separate outside entrance to the suite would be ideal. And a property located near a college or university campus, where demand for rentals is typically strong, could also be a good bet.

-- Look for an energy-efficient place.

After moving in, many buyers are surprised by the size of their outlays for home upkeep. The size of their utility bills also comes as a shock.

Obviously, some costs associated with ownership, such as taxes and insurance, are unavoidable. But shoppers can more easily contain their energy costs by selecting an energy-efficient property that’s well-insulated and has substantial, double-pane windows,” says Davis, author of “Your Eco-Friendly Home.”

“Don’t try to project your future energy costs based on what a home’s sellers have been paying during the last 12 months. Energy prices are always subject to the vagaries of the market. Plan for the worst-case scenarios,” Davis says.

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

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.)