It’s rare for economists to agree on the state of the nation’s real estate market. But right now, they concur that home sales should prove robust this spring.

“We’re finally beginning to see owners who have been putting off moves return to the market,” says Skylar Olsen, chief economist at Zillow, the Seattle-based real estate behemoth.

For several years --indeed, since before the pandemic began in 2020 -- many potential home sellers have been sitting on the sidelines. One huge factor has been the steep rise in mortgage rates, making owners reluctant to move lest they lose their locked-in rock-bottom mortgage rate.

Earlier this year, homeowners keen to sell had hoped for a near-term drop in rates this year. But even though such hopes are fading, more owners are determined to sell anyway, either to upsize or downsize to smaller quarters.

“For many households with record-high equity, waiting out potentially lower rates later in the year may not be worth it,” Olsen says.

Hannah Jones, senior economic research analyst for Realtor.com, the home listing firm, says that this spring there’s been a nearly 20% surge in new listings compared to last year.

The increase in listings is a reason for celebration among buyers who’ve had few property alternatives until now, says Chen Zhao, a lead economist for Redfin, the national real estate brokerage.

“The uptick in listings should be another motivator for buyers. There’s more to choose from, and improving inventory may bring out more competition from other buyers as we get further into spring,“ Zhao says.

Margaret Lebenson, who sells homes in New York City, cautions that owners who have only recently decided to move should “pick up the pace” to compete well with rival sellers this season. She urges them to do necessary updates quickly.

“Buyers really want a place in move-in condition. They don’t have the time or money for anything more than a paint job,” Lebenson says.

Here are a few pointers for sellers in a hurry:

-- Hire a listing agent as early as possible.

“Through the years, I’ve gotten many calls from eleventh-hour sellers in a panic. Sometimes I feel like an EMT running an ambulance,” says Sid Davis, a Utah-based listing agent.

When he first entered real estate in 1985, he recalls how clients would typically call for help many months before they intended to put their property on the market. Now, with more harried, two-income households, many don’t contact him more than a few weeks in advance.

Once you know you’re definitely going to move, he says it’s prudent to begin interviewing prospective listing agents and then to promptly select one to represent you.

“People who have enough time to get all their ducks in a row and use it wisely have a huge advantage over those who start late,” says Davis, author of “Home Makeovers That Sell.”

-- Ask for data on selling times.

Suppose you’re a nurse for a national hospital chain who’s accepted a promotion in a faraway state. How can you estimate the time needed to go from list to sale?

Dorcas Helfant, a past president of the National Association of Realtors, recommends you ask your agent for statistics on the average selling times for homes in your neighborhood.

“Keep in mind that the only numbers that are relevant are those for your own community. National statistics don’t matter,” Helfant says.

-- Accelerate your packing process.

In his experience, Davis says a majority of sellers don’t see the point of packing early for their move.

Besides painting and repairs, nearly all sellers need to go through an exhaustive clearing-out process to ensure their property doesn’t seem crowded. Your first step should be to remove any large excess furnishings. Then box up smaller items and position them neatly in your garage or a rented storage unit.

“It’s very easy to underestimate how long it takes to go through all your personal things ... But trust me, you won’t miss all that extra stuff you’ve packed away,” Davis says.

-- Allow yourself extra selling time when moving to a brand-new home.

These days, it’s uncommon for a homebuilder to sign a sales contract with a prospective buyer that’s conditional on the sale of the buyer’s property.

Consequently, those who seek to buy a place in a popular new subdivision take the gamble that they’ll sell their current property before the builder has completed the new one. But that’s better than the alternative.

“Buyers who don’t have a contingent contract and can’t afford to carry two homes at once are putting themselves in financial jeopardy,” Davis says.

Because it can take months to construct a house -- and it’s not unusual for builders to take longer than expected -- some buyers wait longer than they should before trying to sell their current property, according to Davis.

“Unfair as it seems, remember this is a one-way street. The sales contract may let the builder finish construction late but give you little grace time to get your old place sold,” he says.

Many listing agents urge sellers who intend to move to a brand-new home to be extra cautious in estimating how long they’ll need to sell. It’s better to be ready to move early, they insist.

“Granted, if you sell earlier than expected, you might have to take a short-term rental or move in with family temporarily. But the hassles of interim housing are a lot better than the disappointment of surrendering your chance for a wonderful new house,” Davis says.

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

A high school teacher married to an admin assistant are planning a big family wedding in June. By then, they’d hoped to leave their tiny rental apartment and move to a small home of their own. Hence, every Sunday they attend open houses in their target neighborhood.

But two factors are delaying progress toward homeownership. One is that there are few available properties in the starter-home price range in their suburban area. The other is that they’re intimidated by the mortgage application process.

“We both have college degrees. But the thought of going to a mortgage lender for preapproval makes us feel ignorant. We’re scared we could get rejected by lenders on some vague technicality,” the teacher says.

Kate Foster-Bankey, a longtime agent with Compass Realty, says this young couple is hardly unique in their level of intimidation about home finance.

“When I ask young buyers at open houses whether they’ve been preapproved, most tell me no. That’s too bad, because preapproval is essential for all buyers. Many agents, myself included, won’t even show homes to people who haven’t been cleared by a lender to know what they could afford,” Foster-Bankey says.

Is anxiety preventing you from buying a first home? Here are several common sources of intimation and how to overcome them:

-- Fear your credit history will be a problem.

“If you’re willing to face a mortgage lender at the front end of the buying process, you could experience a big breakthrough. Buyers are often surprised and delighted by what the lender tells them,” says Eric Tyson, co-author of the “Home Buying Kit for Dummies.”

But many first-time buyers refuse to see a lender in advance of home shopping.

Of course, many wannabe owners have flaws on their credit reports that must be fixed before mortgage approval is possible. Still, as Tyson says, mortgage brokers and lenders often prove much more supportive than loan applicants anticipate.

“Remember that lenders have seen it all when it comes to credit reports,” he says.

As Tyson underscores, most mortgage lenders rely on commissions and don’t get paid unless their clients get approved. This gives them a strong incentive to take the time and energy to find workarounds that allow their clients to make a purchase.

-- Fear of choosing a home your family won't like.

Many would-be first-time buyers belong to the Gen Z or millennial generations. On financial matters, they still look to their parents or other older relatives for guidance and, not infrequently, for cash subsidies as well.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with seeking help from relatives. But Tyson stresses that buyers should request their involvement early on, not when you’re about to close on the property of your choice.

Relatives who are asked to see just one home prior to submitting a bid could well find flaws with the place and advise against it.

“Most family members will wish you well. But by asking for their counsel at the 11th hour, they could feel an obligation to dissuade you in order to protect you. It’s often a problem that older people may be out of touch with current real estate pricing, and if you catch them off-guard they may worry you’re overpaying,” Tyson says.

If you’re afraid to go forward without your relatives’ guidance, but don’t want them to mess up your plans, Tyson suggests you bring them along on all your house-hunting trips. That way, they can compare various alternatives and are likely to give you more objective advice.

-- Fear of a mistaken purchase.

Given the stakes, many prospective first-time buyers become highly risk averse out of concern they could make a huge mistake.

“For some novice buyers, there’s a strong tendency to do endless market research, especially by spending hours on the internet,” Tyson says.

But especially in the current fast-paced market, waiting for total certainty can also have its penalties. That’s especially true in popular neighborhoods where homes are still scarce and bidding wars remain a problem.

“It’s an unfortunate reality that you can forfeit the chance for a great purchase by procrastinating,” Tyson says.

Second- and third-time buyers are less inclined to procrastinate on a purchase decision because they know there’s no such thing as a perfect house, even if they have it custom-built to their taste.

-- Fear of having too little cash to go through with a deal.

It can be costly to make a housing change at any stage of your life. But many first-time buyers overestimate their need for cash to go through the transition. They fail to take into account the reality that there are a multitude of low-to-no-down-payment mortgage programs available to them, particularly through local government offices.

Tyson says cash-short buyers are well advised to explore these options as soon as they decide to make a purchase -- rather than postponing until their savings accounts are brimming with funds.

“This is one more reason that having a comprehensive sit-down visit with a strong mortgage lender makes financial sense before you dive into a housing purchase. Information is always power,” Tyson says.

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

Optimism is rising for a stronger springtime home sales market.

“There’s definitely more buyer enthusiasm, along with seller enthusiasm,” says Kate Foster-Bankey, a longtime agent with Compass Realty, a nationwide brokerage.

One huge factor accounting for greater buyer ardor is that more properties are finally coming up for sale, giving prospects more potential choices than they’ve had for several years.

New listings, a statistical measure of owners putting homes up for sale, are now nearly 12% higher than one year ago, according to Danielle Hale, the chief economist for Realtor.com, a national home listing service based in Santa Clara, California. Active inventory, which includes properties already on the market, is also increasing.

Changing life circumstances for owners help to explain the latest increase in inventory levels, says Foster-Bankey. Chief among these is that many young families from the millennial generation have outgrown their present quarters.

“Maybe a young couple with a toddler has a baby too. Then the need for more space becomes urgent. That’s when they finally sell their small house to move up,” she says.

Meanwhile, older owners -- including from the boomer generation -- are finally selling to live near grandchildren.

“These are people who postponed a move after the pandemic started in 2020. They refuse to wait any longer, after having missed several precious developmental years for the grandkids,” Foster-Bankey says.

She urges those planning a home purchase this spring to prepare well in advance. That’s especially important if you need a mortgage and have targeted a popular neighborhood where multiple bids are especially likely.

“Otherwise, you could find yourself bidding against other buyers who’ve already obtained mortgage preapproval -- the assurance sellers are seeking,” Foster-Bankey says.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Avoid any major purchases right before closing on your home.

You may have sufficient income to carry the payment on a new car as well as a mortgage payment on a home in the price range you have in mind. But it’s wise to hold off on that new vehicle until your home deal closes.

“This is not the time to buy a luxury Lexus SUV or even a Honda Civic,” says Keith Gumbinger, a vice president at HSH Associates, a New Jersey firm that tracks mortgage rates for consumers, including those with “bruised credit” (hsh.com).

As Gumbinger explains, making a major purchase with credit can easily depress your credit score, as can opening new credit lines, whether or not you use them.

“You need to hang back financially until you get the house you really want,” Gumbinger says.

-- Take advantage of a willing relative’s good credit.

There’s one exception to the rule against expanding your access to credit before a home purchase. You could boost a weak credit score by teaming up with a trusted relative with a strong credit score.

“Get added to a paid-on-time credit card account as an ‘authorized user,’ and you may benefit from that person’s good credit history. You never even have to touch the card itself,” says Gerri Detweiler, a consumer credit expert.

This tactic can be especially effective if your name is added to a card that’s been paid promptly for several years.

“Remember, though, that if the person who has the account pays late, it will appear on your credit report as well,” says Detweiler, author of “The Ultimate Credit Handbook.”

-- Decline to close unused credit accounts prior to a home purchase.

It’s a myth that rushing to close unwanted credit lines will help your credit score and therefore make you look more appealing to a mortgage lender.

Detweiler explains that closing accounts reduces the total credit available to you, thereby making your overall “debt utilization ratio” rise. Among other factors, credit scores reflect the gap between the credit you use and your total credit limits. The smaller the gap, the more harm to your score.

There are a few exceptions to this rule, however.

“Sometimes, you have to close unused accounts to protect yourself from a co-signer or during divorce,” she says.

-- Restrict the number of mortgage lenders allowed to check your credit.

Shopping around for the best available mortgage rate is a good idea. What’s not a good idea is letting every lender you talk with check your credit.

Every time you authorize a lender to use your Social Security number and other pertinent data to do a computer run on your credit, this generates what’s known to the industry as an “inquiry.”

The problem is that inquiries done by lenders can count against your credit score. And, as Detweiler points out, your score is especially vulnerable to harm if it’s at the 700 mark or below.

The good news is that consumers can obtain their own credit information without harming their score. One source is the Fair Isaac website: myfico.com. With your reports in hand, you can shop all you’d like. There’s no need to let more than one lender pull your credit -- the one you ultimately choose to do your deal.

-- Reduce your credit card balances to the extent possible.

Of course, many prospective buyers lack the means to wipe out their account balances in full. To gain the maximum benefit to your credit score, Detweiler advocates spreading your funds around. If possible, pay your revolving account balances down to 30% or less of the available credit, she says.

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