A couple of 30-year-old New Yorkers were excited to land new jobs in Chicago. So they immediately began stalking their first home in the new city. Soon they found a three-story brick townhouse and willingly offered to pay a $100,000 premium over what the same place would have fetched just last year. That way, they beat out two other bidders.

“The townhouse is walking distance from their jobs. Because it checked all their boxes, it was well worth a premium to this couple. Available homes are scarce in the neighborhood they like, and they didn’t want to miss out,” says Rich Harty, the couple’s buyer broker.

Harty, former president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org), says an increasing number of potential homeowners are making peace with seemingly never-ending home price appreciation.

“Housing is on an escalator. People who want to buy are jumping on if they can afford to. They know the root problem is a serious shortage of inventory that won’t be solved anytime soon,” Harty says.

Of course, there are many wannabe owners who can’t afford to make a purchase as long as mortgage rates remain high. But those who can -- like the Chicago buyers -- see no advantage in delay.

“When, finally, mortgage rates come down, the current crop of buyers just foresee more competition than ever from people who’ve been waiting on the sidelines. That’s why there’s no point in procrastination,” Harty says.

Although financially qualified buyers are pushing ahead to execute purchases, others hoping to buy in a high-cost market are feeling discouraged by the stream of data showing seemingly unstoppable appreciation.

For instance, a new analysis from Zillow, the national real estate company, shows that in a rising number of U.S. communities -- now 550 -- the typical home value has reached $1 million or more. That’s up from 491 communities last year.

“Affordability is still a big challenge for buyers, but that hasn’t stopped prices from growing,” says Anushna Prakash, a data scientist at Zillow.

Here are a few pointers for buyers struggling to make a deal happen:

-- Identify and rule out sellers who are simply testing the market.

Eric Tyson, co-author of “Home Buying for Dummies,” says that in all markets there are sellers who won’t budge from an unrealistically high price because they’re in no rush to move.

How can you tell which sellers are merely testing the market and will never negotiate seriously with anyone who bids less than their lofty list price?

Tyson recommends you ask your agent to find out if previous offers have come in on the property you want. If the owners have already rebuffed one or more fair offers, this indicates they’ll probably resist reason with you, too.

The good news for buyers is that information on past offers is often readily available through the listing agent.

While there’s no harm in trying to reason with market testers, Tyson says you can waste a lot of time and energy trying to budge people who won’t entertain a fair offer.

“Finding the really serious home seller is the key to getting a decent price,” Tyson says.

-- Research the equity position of the sellers of any property you like.

Alexander says its critical for buyers to gather as much information on sellers as is readily available before bidding on any home.

“What you’re looking for are insights into the mindset of the sellers,” Alexander says.

One source of clues on the owners’ equity position can be found by searching local government land records. These records (usually available online) should tell you when the current owners purchased the place and the original price they paid.

“If the sellers bought the house a couple of decades ago and haven’t refinanced, they should have a lot more equity than if they bought it in a strong market just a few years ago,” Alexander says.

-- Request that your buyer’s agent query the listing agent.

When owners have an urgent need to sell, it’s normally against their interest for that information to be broadcast to the world, which could weaken their bargaining position. Even so, Alexander says many listing agents will readily disclose such client information in response to questions.

“You’d be amazed how much listing agents will divulge to a buyer’s agent. For example, they might blab about how the seller must move due to divorce or a job transfer,” she says.

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

A civil engineer of 38 bought his first single-family house six years ago. Located in a pricey suburban enclave, the bungalow represented a major stretch for the man, leaving him no extra funds for upgrades. Now that he’s richer, he plans to sell the house and trade up to a much larger place. But he wonders what presale upgrades would make sense.

“I made out like a bandit on equity increases during the pandemic, when my house shot up in value. That, along with a salary increase, let me dream of a new 3,000-square-foot house I intend to buy in my same neighborhood. But to clinch that trade, I really need to net strong proceeds from my current house,” the engineer says.

Recently, the man began roaming the internet in search of pointers on upgrades that could help his bottom line when he sells. He was especially intrigued by a research report on the topic from Zillow, the national real estate company.

“When certain home features or design styles are highlighted in a listing description, they serve as a signal to a buyer that a home is appealing and up-to-date. As a result, those features can help a home sell faster and for more money,” says Amanda Pendleton, a Zillow home trends specialist.

What’s more, the failure of sellers to address certain outdated features can penalize them at the closing table. Also, Pendleton notes that certain upgrades may pay owners back in some neighborhoods but not others.

To illustrate her point, she mentions the popular trend toward “tricked-out” backyards with such features as an outdoor shower, a pizza oven and a bluestone patio. While some upscale communities can support such expensive improvements, others cannot.

"While many people spend too little to make their homes salable, others spend too much on the wrong improvements,” says Sid Davis, author of “A Survival Guide for Selling a Home.”

How can you determine which upgrades will pay you back with a successful sale and which will simply waste your money? Davis says it’s wise to assess the competition prior to pouring any money into improvements.

“Go around and visit all the other For Sale houses in your immediate area as if you were a buyer. Create a checklist for the pros and cons of each home. Then make sure your home meets the neighborhood’s standards -- though without going way over the top,” Davis says.

Though expanding a home to add more square footage is an expensive upgrade that’s rarely justifiable -- except in elite neighborhoods -- some much less costly improvements could pay you back multiple times over.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Never shortchange yourself on fresh paint.

Experienced real estate agents are nearly universal in their appreciation of a newly repainted home. Painting is one of the most cost-effective improvements sellers can do.

But Davis considers it a mistake to repaint in what he calls “commitment colors.” For instance, he tells of one seller who repainted his light gray walls in bright school-bus yellow.

Davis has no financial interest in Pottery Barn, a home furnishings retailer. But he suggests that would-be sellers examine the color palette shown in the company’s catalog -- tones he believes reflect current buyer tastes.

-- Restrain yourself on kitchen improvements.

For sellers, the road to overspending is paved with good intentions, Davis says. He believes they’re especially likely to veer off course on kitchen improvements.

For instance, he says most sellers don’t need to tear out and replace their worn kitchen cabinets -- only the cabinet doors. Or, if that’s not a feasible solution, they can freshen their kitchen’s look by sanding and repainting their cabinets in a high-gloss white.

-- Change out the lighting in your bathrooms.

The multiple-bulb Hollywood-style lighting that many people still use in their bathrooms doesn’t appeal to most contemporary buyers, who want a fresher, less retro look.

Look for lighting fixtures that are more contemporary. In many cases, you can upgrade your fixtures for under $200 per bathroom.

-- Replace tired-looking carpeting.

Many sellers would rather offer buyers a “carpeting allowance” than replace worn, stained or outdated-looking carpet.

But real estate agents typically reject the idea of using a carpeting allowance, which they say undermines the sellers’ prospects for a successful sale. That’s because few buyers can envision how much better a home will look when its bad carpeting is replaced.

Can’t afford new carpeting for the whole house? Then focus on the most visible areas.

“Put your carpet dollars into the first floor where they’ll be most appreciated,” Davis says.

-- Take away any foliage that conceals your house.

Many longtime homeowners are very fond of the trees that grow in their front lawn. Even if their trees now dwarf their property -- or have grown perilously close to the house -- they’ll resist cutting them down.

“Lots of people are emotionally attached to their trees. There are many reasons for this. A tree may have been planted on a wedding anniversary, at the birth of a child or in memory of someone who died,” Davis says.

But given that curb appeal is paramount, he urges sellers to spend as much as necessary to remove any tree that hides their property. Otherwise, he says many buyers will summarily reject their property based solely on how it looks from the street.

“If you can’t see a house, you’ll never buy it,” he says.

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

A doctor nearing retirement aspires to sell his four-bedroom contemporary to move in with his longtime girlfriend. But neither his years in medical school nor his time in private practice have taught him how to approach the monumental chore of selling the property he’s enjoyed for more than 30 years.

“I’m very sad to let go of my happy place, especially with my beautiful gardens. I’m clueless about how to even start,” the doctor says.

With less time on his hands than money, the man plans to hire an expert to help him navigate the major decluttering chores that face him.

“Selling a home brings up a lot of grief. It’s very hard to say goodbye,” says Cris Sgrott, the founder of Organizing Maniacs, a firm that’s helped numerous home sellers meet the many challenges of changing residences, including decluttering.

As Sgrott notes, the process of clearing a typical American home takes at least 40 hours and can drag on indefinitely if the owners attempt to handle it alone without outside help. But this year, more owners who’ve finally vowed to sell are impatient to move on -- and with good reason.

Owners like the doctor sense that the window for a highly successful sale is finally narrowing slightly as more owners enter the market. Jiayi Xu, an economist with Realtor.com, the home listing service, says active inventory is increasing week by week.

Owners seeking to expedite the decluttering process should begin by sorting through items that have less emotional significance.

“Instead of starting with the bins of family photos or memorabilia from your kids’ childhoods -- like all that artwork from the early grades -- head to the kitchen for that easy-to-remove dingy Tupperware or that chipped China,” Sgrott says.

Although it can be tempting to just box up excess belongings and place them in a storage area until the property is sold, delaying the sorting-out process can be costly in both time and money.

“The more items you can offload through donations to charity or sales, the less expensive ... your eventual move (will be). Shipping costs are very expensive,” she says.

Here are a few pointers for sellers seeking a smooth and speedy transition:

-- Undertake as much pre-packing as possible.

Vicki Norris, a professional organizer and former real estate agent, knows how hard it can be to keep a For Sale house in prime showing shape. It’s especially difficult when people are selling against their desire -- for instance, due to health problems.

“Sometimes, life takes people off track, and they get unusually disorganized. Then it’s twice as hard to keep their home in good condition for a sale,” says Norris, who runs her own consulting firm, Restoring Order (restoringorder.com).

To limit upkeep demands during the showing period, Norris recommends sellers clear through their clutter in advance of putting their place on the market.

“You don’t have to remove everything, but reduce the quantity. For example, if you can winnow down an overpacked bookshelf from 200 to 30 books, that would be great,” Norris says.

-- Consider use of a professional cleaning service.

Are you sloppier than the average homeowner? If so, it might be wise to pay for what real estate agents call a “super-duper cleaning.”

“If you start with a professional cleaning at the beginning, you’ll have an easier time keeping your house tidy all the way through to your sale,” says Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home.”

Though it’s likely to cost well over $100, he says a single in-depth cleaning could hold you for more than a month before another in-depth cleaning job would be necessary.

Unfortunately, hiring a cleaning crew won’t spare you the need for routine upkeep. “This will be no substitute for keeping your dishes washed and your bathroom toiletries put away. But it’s still a big step going forward,” Davis says.

-- Seek to get all members of your household involved.

After a home has lingered on the market for a few weeks, those who live there can easily lose focus and slip back into their bad habits.

The problem is that keeping your house in show condition is not a relaxed way of living, so people get tired of it.

According to Davis, it can be especially tough to ensure that children’s rooms are kept orderly and that their toys are put away.

“Often the kids are protesting the move. So the parents may need to clean their rooms for them. Alternatively, to get the kids to do it themselves, you might need to bribe them with pizza or a dinner out,” he says.

-- Face the reality that the selling ordeal is temporary.

Davis says homeowners who earnestly want to sell should keep their houses looking good enough to appear in online advertising. But he cautions that even picture-perfect properties that are fairly priced can languish unsold for a lengthy period through no fault of their owners.

Ashley Richardson, a real estate agent affiliated with the Residential Real Estate Council (crs.com), advises her clients to avoid dwelling on critiques of their property.

“Buyers are more candid than they were in the past and sometimes can be quite blunt in their feedback after a showing,” Richardson says.

To limit the amount of unfiltered and discouraging negativity that can flow to you about your home, she suggests you tell your listing agent to filter out all pointlessly critical comments about your place.

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