A massage therapist in her 50s has been attempting to sell her spacious three-level house in Idaho Falls since February. Given that she faces challenges climbing stairs, she aspires to trade the place for a one-level rancher.

The woman was especially hopeful of receiving a solid offer during the spring market when her garden was in full bloom and her yard, set against the spectacular Grand Teton Mountains, was particularly alluring. Visitors appreciate the home’s pecan hardwood floors and note its $25,000 price cut. But still the property sits unsold.

“I’m at a loss to know why this house hasn’t sold. ... I am just stumped about what to suggest to the owner, who’s very demoralized,” says Alecia Coburn, a Keller Williams real estate agent handling the listing.

Granted, affordability has become an acute issue for many homebuyers in Idaho’s metro areas. During the pandemic, when more people were permitted to work remotely, Idaho was a popular and affordable retreat for many buyers from California, Oregon and Washington. But the influx pushed up prices and squeezed out many who sought ownership there, according to Coburn.

During the pandemic frenzy, many were moving to Idaho to claim a big lot and all the advantages of outdoor living, like mountain hiking. Since then, however, sales have slowed dramatically.

Indeed, many communities in Idaho and across the nation experienced poorer-than-expected home sales this spring, and they’re now enduring a summertime slowdown. The result in some places is that buyers are gradually gaining slightly more bargaining power.

Kathy Scott, a Redfin agent in Phoenix, estimates there are still hundreds of thousands more home sellers than buyers nationwide. But some would-be sellers have moved to the sidelines as the market tilts more and more in the buyers’ favor in much of the country.

Of course, no matter the market, there are always some owners who must sell, even during the slower summer season.

“My advice for people who do need to sell -- I’m working with one couple that’s moving out of the country, for example -- is to set realistic expectations,” Scott says.

As a first step, she urges this summer’s sellers to assess market conditions in their local area.

“Talk to your agent about the market in your exact neighborhood. How long are homes taking to sell? Are they typically selling below asking price? And what are sellers doing in terms of repairs and concessions to get deals done? Price fairly based on those numbers,” she says.

Here are a few other pointers for sellers:

-- Seek solid counsel on upgrades.

Coburn, the massage therapist’s agent, knows that the relatively small size of the owner’s kitchen is hurting her prospects for a successful sale. But she cautions against expanding the kitchen through an extensive and expensive home renovation.

Mark Nash, a real estate analyst, recommends that prospective sellers contact three agents for advice on which home improvement projects are truly necessary.

Most well-established agents will visit your house and advise you even if you don’t intend to sell for another three to five years.

“Good agents are in their field for the long term. They’re not just looking for a quick sale,” says Nash, author of “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home.”

As an added benefit, he notes that many agents maintain a database of reliable contractors.

“They’ll help you find people who will do your projects smoothly, within your budget and on time,” Nash says.

-- Restrict renovation projects to neighborhood norms.

Tom Early, a longtime real estate broker and past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org), says current buyers won’t pick up the tab for any renovation work that raises a property above neighborhood standards.

“You can’t fool them into paying a premium for an over-improved home,” Early says.

What sort of upgrades constitutes “over-improvement”? For example, you wouldn’t want to install high-end designer light fixtures in a neighborhood of starter homes. By the same token, you wouldn’t want to construct a three-car garage in a neighborhood where most houses have no garage at all.

-- Cancel projects that prove too expensive.

If you think your contractors are going over the top, Nash says it’s better to cancel projects before they’re finished than to overspend on work that will cost much more than expected.

As Nash points out, real estate agents often recommend the use of less expensive products than are suggested by contractors. For example, you don’t need to spend your money on top-of-the-line carpeting when a mid-level grade will do just as well. Or you might wish to opt for generic hardware in your kitchen and bathrooms rather than ultra-stylish hardware.

“It’s true that bailing out of work with a contractor can cost you a penalty. But doing so might still be the wise course if a project has become too ambitious,” Nash says.

-- Avoid rushing the renovation process.

As Nash notes, many sellers realize too late that a thoughtlessly executed remodeling program can hit their wallet hard. That’s why he recommends you write on an index card the basic elements of a well-thought-out plan. Then have that index card handy as a reference guide when contractors come over to do estimates.

“Don’t let the contractors dissuade you from your goal of staying within your budget. What you need is a sound plan. Then stay true to that plan until it’s all done,” he says.

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

A scientist in his 70s met the love of his life way back in the 1960s, when the two were students at North Dakota State University. Life was very affordable back then, and after graduating, the pair could easily afford a custom-built rambler in Fargo.

The couple were still living in the property -- with its two fireplaces, four bedrooms and a three-car garage --when the woman died from a sudden heart attack last year. At first the man vowed to remain in the house indefinitely. But all that changed with a phone call from his daughter in Tampa.

“She told me she’d found me a great retirement community and more or less instructed me to move there, which I agreed to do. But downsizing my household is one of the greatest challenges of my life. With my wife gone, it’s especially hard to move forward,” the scientist says.

Stacy Berman, a real estate agent who’s sold homes since 2002, doesn’t know the scientist in this true story. But she has plenty of advice for the man and retirees who are similarly situated.

“I would tell the man to make a ‘not to bring’ list for his move to Florida. Give away those big, heavy North Dakota sweaters and lots of furniture that’s too big for your new place. You might even want brand-new furniture that fits perfectly in the next property,” Berman says.

She advises downsizers to plan ahead and avoid retaining more furnishings than they can realistically use in their next place -- in part because moving costs are increasingly expensive.

“I urge seniors to bite the bullet on their vast accumulations. That’s emotionally very hard to do, but easier if you pick out a fresh new property you intend to buy in a new community,” Berman says.

She describes the “overstocked” condition of the garage of an engineer selling a large colonial house in suburban Maryland in favor of a brand-new “villa” in a Getttysburg, Pennsylvania, retirement community.

“The man’s garage was bursting with old electronics and car parts He even had broken-down TVs he hoped one day to repair. He also had almost limitless quantities of canned foods, like giant jars of pickles, that he’d stocked up on from the Costco warehouse store where he was a member,” Berman says.

It took weeks for the engineer to pare down his possessions, first by removing those items that were essentially trash and second by donating many still functional and usable items from the garage and throughout the house.

It was easier for the man to progress and determine what to keep because he had a floor plan for his new one-level property in Gettysburg.

“If you’re going to a retirement community, the place can likely equip you with a floor plan and measurements that should make it easier to decide what to keep and what to leave behind,” Berman says.

Here are a few pointers for seniors intending to downsize:

-- Realize that a smaller lifestyle can take many forms.

Duane Elgin, who’s authored several books on voluntary simplicity, estimates that perhaps 20% of U.S. adults are now challenging the commonly held view that a bigger house is always better. But he also allows that the dreams of downsizers are quite varied.

Your aim could be to stay in the same suburban community, though with a smaller and less financially demanding home. Alternatively, you could choose to leave suburbia and reinvent your life in an urban loft or a rustic rural cottage.

“To create your dream, focus on what gives your life juice,” he says.

Though many view downsizing as a form of sacrifice, Elgin says it can lead to greater richness.

“We live in such a frenetic, driven society. To evaluate our lifestyles, we need to step back and get clear. We need to ask whether the pressure of payments on a big house is worth it,” he says.

-- Begin with small victories in your quest to live more compactly.

Even before you put your current property up for sale and begin searching for the right smaller place to buy, Elgin suggests you begin a methodical process of plowing through your accumulations to contain your material life.

“Start in your bedroom closet. We all have too many clothes and this is one area where you can score an early victory against clutter,” Elgin says.

He found it relatively easy to reduce the size of his wardrobe without consequences and says others could experience this as well.

“As you go through your clothes, select a unique outfit for every day in a two-week period. Put your extra clothes in storage for two months and see if you even miss them,” Elgin says.

After that, look for other satisfying victories by sifting through your junk drawers one at a time. Next, head to your garage for a purging.

-- Allow yourself ample time to make the transition.

Elgin cautions seniors that the process of downsizing, from the day you make the decision to move to the day you close on the purchase of a smaller property, can be time consuming.

“You need to allow yourself plenty of time to make this transition and especially to sort through all your things. It took years to accumulate all that stuff, so you’re not going to clear through all of it overnight,” he says.

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

Geopolitics isn’t supposed to influence homebuying decisions. But that’s one factor, along with inflationary concerns, that now has potential purchasers backing off in droves. The Middle East is a long way from the small town of Winona, Minnesota. But thoughts about war and peace are among the factors causing wannabe homebuyers there -- and well beyond -- to pause their plans.

Take the case of a divorced dad in Winona who has custody of his two young sons. The man, a vice president at a regional bank, is living with the kids in a cramped apartment. He’d love to buy a big house for his children, and is weighing the pros and cons of executing a purchase now.

“As a banker, I believe in the underlying soundness of the U.S. economy. Even so, I’m still cautious because so much change is occurring in the country and around the world. Also, I think that, with so much property lingering unsold in our area, lower prices are possible in the near future,” he says.

What’s compelling for the banker is that he’d love to provide his kids a place where each boy would have his own bedroom and both would enjoy a large, wooded lot for play. He has his eye on a 1907 Victorian with 5,700 square feet of living space. The place, on the market for more than a month, has a fully renovated kitchen and a two-car garage.

With so many houses up for sale nearby, the banker is convinced he could negotiate a good deal on the Victorian or another equally spacious property.

“Given the way the market is now, I’m in no hurry,” he says.

Housing economists understand the hesitancy of many would-be buyers, a trend that is now manifesting itself strongly among companies in the homebuilding field.

“Rising inventory levels and prospective homebuyers who are on hold waiting for affordability conditions to improve are resulting in weakening price growth in most markets and generating price declines for resales in a growing number of markets,” says Robert Dietz, the chief economist for the National Association of Home Builders (nahb.org).

As it happens, homebuilder sentiment has fallen its lowest level since 2012.

“Buyers are increasingly moving to the sidelines due to elevated mortgage rates and tariff and economic uncertainty. To help address affordability concerns and bring hesitant buyers off the fence, a growing number of builders are moving to cut prices,” says Buddy Hughes, a North Carolina builder.

With his background in finance, the Minnesota banker, like a small number of potential buyers, sees opportunity in the current situation for buyers.

“I have been undecided on homebuying for several months. But my overriding priority right now is to accommodate my boys and their needs. So I don’t want to wait too long. Both my boys are still in elementary school, and I want them to have a real home while they’re still young,” he says.

Here are a few suggestions for current buyers with young children:

-- Think through how much yard space you truly need.

Many parents, recalling their own carefree childhoods in a suburban setting where big yards were the norm, assume their kids will fare well living in a similar setting. But what worked for you growing up isn’t necessarily best for your kids, says Eric Tyson, a consumer advocate and co-author of “Home Buying for Dummies.”

“Children are much more programmed than they used to be. There’s less spontaneous play,” he says.

Rather than focusing heavily on yard size, Tyson suggests you consider the outdoor features of a neighborhood, including parkland and bike paths.

As Tyson says, neighborhoods where yards are smaller are often more family friendly.

“Kids can be closer to their neighborhood friends. They don’t have to be driven around to see their playmates,” he says.

-- Consider that you can often obtain more floor space in a two-story abode.

Many older home shoppers are looking for a single-level ranch-style house that doesn’t require them to climb stairs.

But people with school-age children may wish to consider the advantages of living on two levels, Tyson says, as it’s easier to contain the noise and mess of children if their bedrooms are separated from the common living space of the family.

Also, young families can typically get more space for their money in a two-story house.

-- Look for a floor plan that performs well for your family.

Tyson says it’s more important for those with young children to have a floor plan that encourages togetherness than a very spacious place.

“You probably won’t use a formal dining room, except on Thanksgiving and Christmas. You’ll find more use for an inviting, good-sized family room,” he says. Large, comfortable common rooms help draw children out of their bedrooms.

-- Try to buy as many bedrooms as you can afford.

Tyson insists it’s more important for families to have an adequate number of bedrooms than large bedrooms or a sumptuous primary suite.

“Families with enough bedrooms can give siblings with different school schedules their own rooms. That’s an ideal way to help ensure that all the kids get enough sleep,” he says.

-- Ensure that adults in the family make the final housing choices.

Not infrequently, school-age children will mount a protest against any housing move their parents plan because, as Tyson says, “children like constancy.”

To appease unhappy offspring, some parents let their kids cajole them into the wrong property. But Tyson says children usually adapt quickly to a move, and it’s unwise to let their feelings dominate your plans.

“Buying a house is a massive financial decision. Only the parents can plot the most prudent choice,” he says. (To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)