The United States could be heading toward one of the biggest generational transfers of housing in decades, say those who track the country’s real estate markets.

Many more aging baby boomers -- the eldest of whom are now in their 70s -- are expected to soon begin letting go of their big suburban houses.

Meanwhile, young families with growing offspring are eager to take over large and well-located suburban houses, which are currently in very short supply.

“Until now, lots of older folks have been clinging to their family homes. Who wants to move during a pandemic? But all that will likely change profoundly in the near future,” says Mark Nash, a longtime real estate broker and analyst.

Nash predicts that as early as 2021, many more boomers will be compelled to sell their spacious properties, due in large measure to health worries, but also financial concerns.

“Right now, because of forbearance programs, the mortgage payments of many seniors (like adults of all ages) have been temporarily suspended under federal rules. But after COVID-19, that will change, and all these deferred payments will come due. Owners who can’t pay up may have to sell to avoid foreclosure,” Nash says.

He says seniors who must liquidate their equity to fund their retirement years will eventually release many of the sort of properties that families so desperately wish to acquire.

In many neighborhoods, the present zeal for home-buying among young families is unusually strong.

“The buying season we’re seeing this fall more closely resembles peak market activity we’d see in the spring of a typical year,” says Chris Glynn, a senior economist for Zillow, the national real estate company.

Until now, one factor slowing the generational transfer of housing has been that many older people have deferred spending on the sorts of improvements that would make their properties more show-worthy.

“A lot of people falsely believe it costs a fortune to get a house ready for sale. That’s only the case if the place has severe problems, such as foundation issues, a leaky roof or major plumbing problems,” says Nash, the author of “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home.”

In reality, most properties don’t require extensive expenditures to prep them for a positive sale.

“A ho-hum house can become a whole lot more appealing with a small investment in paint and cleaning supplies,” according to Nash.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Undertake a “power cleaning” for major impact.

Doing an in-depth cleaning can be one of the most cost-effective steps sellers can take to distinguish their property from rival homes for sale in the same neighborhood.

“The simple fact is that clean sells. Like it or not, people do judge a book by its cover. And any house that looks the least bit dirty will nearly always be passed over,” Nash says.

However, remember that the kind of cleaning your place needs is not the sort of superficial work you’ve typically done in the past before guests came over for dinner.

“You need to do a power cleaning -- the deepest cleaning you’ve ever done. For example, you need to clean every window, inside and out, no matter how high,” Nash says.

Are you unwilling to tackle such an in-depth chore? Then Nash recommends you spend the few hundred dollars it costs to hire a well-recommended cleaning crew.

“For sellers, an investment in cleaning services gives a tremendous bang for the buck,” he says.

-- Find a listing agent skilled in staging.

These days, many sellers see the wisdom of engaging a professional home stager. This is a design-minded person who removes excess furnishings from a property and then rearranges the remaining items to make the place seem larger and more attractive.

Hiring a professional stager can cost $500 to $1,500 or more, depending on the size of the space. But you can obtain high-quality staging services for no extra charge by selecting a listing agent trained in the art, says Kendall Bergstrom, a veteran agent who specializes in luxury home sales.

“Many real estate people have added staging to their skill sets,” she says.

-- Arrange for a pre-listing home inspection.

In the current seller's market, it’s not uncommon for buyers to waive the right to a home inspection to make their offer more competitive. But even after a contract is signed, deals can still fall through if the buyers discover a significant problem with a place.

As Nash says, many savvy sellers won’t risk a failed deal -- one that could delay their moving or retirement plans. To avoid this outcome, he urges sellers to hire their own inspector before their place goes on the market.

Granted, it can cost $200 to $600 or more to hire an inspector. And there will be more bills if the inspector locates problems that require repair. But that could be money well spent if it preserves your chance to sell on your timetable.

“The reality is buyers are now much more willing to walk away from a deal if scary-sounding problems are identified at any point in the process. The best way to avoid this crisis is to identify and resolve all the issues before any buyers arrive to tour your place,” Nash says. (To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)

America’s millennial generation -- born between 1981 and 1996 -- are highly motivated to buy their first house. They spend countless hours on the web searching properties. But many are scared to go beyond the internet phase.

“A lot of people get stuck window shopping online. It takes them a long time to get their ground game going,” says Devin Ratoosh, a 32-year-old real estate broker who counts many millennials among his home-buying clients.

To illustrate, he tells the true story of a longtime buddy, a computer engineer also in his 30s, who spent more than a year in the internet-search phase before finally touring properties with Ratoosh a couple of weeks ago.

“This guy took forever to get his ducks in a row. But he and his wife, both working from home due to COVID-19, were extremely unhappy living in their small city apartment. They really needed two home offices and a yard for exercise. The pandemic got them into the serious phase,” Ratoosh says.

Just this week, the couple is closing on a three-bedroom bungalow with an ample yard in a comfortable, middle-income suburb.

Ratoosh cites several reasons for homebuying hesitancy among millennials who are wannabe owners. One is that they came of age during the housing downturn of 2008, when foreclosures were everywhere.

Another limiting factor is that many cash-tight millennials believe they must amass a 20% down payment before they can seriously consider buying.

“That’s a false concern. There are many programs for people with much less than 20% down,” says Ratoosh, who’s in business with his boomer-age father.

Here are a few pointers for millennial renters seeking a well-priced house:

-- Move forward once you’re certain of your decision to buy.

True real estate pros never urge prospective buyers to rush into a home purchase prematurely. Even so, for those who are genuinely ready to proceed, they say one reason for people to move forward soon is that low-cost financing is currently available.

“Mortgage rates are now breathtakingly low,” Ratoosh says.

-- Remember that rents can always change.

It’s hardly surprising that those who sell real estate for a living encourage tenants to favor a home purchase over rental. But they do make one point that resonates with first-timers, including millennials. In most areas, your monthly housing payments should remain more stable over time if you’re paying on a mortgage rather than a rental lease.

“You’ll have fewer sleepless nights with one of those delightfully low fixed-rate mortgages,” says Tom Early, a broker and past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Buying also gives you the potential to build equity --especially when home values are ascendant, as they’ve been for multiple years.

-- Seek mortgage preapproval before hunting for a house.

It’s important to gain mortgage clearance before attempting to bid on a property. That involves getting your credit standing assessed and verifying your income and assets.

“In popular neighborhoods, the supply of available entry-level homes is very limited these days. So don’t even think about trying to compete with other bidders prior to gaining the credibility you need through mortgage pre-approval,” Early says.

-- Carefully time your pitch for a “stale” listing.

During the current pandemic period -- when buyers outnumber sellers in many desirable markets -- there are relatively few workable ways to compete for an affordable house. But one approach that could help involves pursuing a listing that’s been languishing unsold for a lengthy period.

“Those who way overprice their home when it first goes up for sale usually earn the ire and disrespect of many buyers,” Early says.

When finally these owners face reality and get into a “must sell” situation with their stale property, they might even let the place go slightly below market.

How do you know which sellers have a strong need to sell soon? Early says that the listing agents for many stale properties can be remarkably frank about why the owners need to move.

-- Look into buying a “spec home” from a builder.

Early, who’s worked in real estate since 1982, says he’s helped a number of purchasers score a good deal on a brand-new house the builders constructed without specific buyers in mind. This is known as a “spec” property.

Though many such homes have already been snatched up by eager buyers, there are always a few available for those who hunt them down.

“Seek out builders who still have several spec houses in their developments. They need to sell these homes to pay off the bank for their construction loans. Their urgency could result in a fair deal for you,” Early says.

-- Accept the current limitations for bargain shopping.

Early says there’s no shame in offering list price or slightly more in a hot area, assuming you’ve done your homework and are convinced you’re not paying more than a few thousand dollars over true market value.

“You can’t let emotion cloud your judgment. But if you’ve found a house you dearly love, years from now you won’t regret that you ran that extra mile to make it your own,” Early says.

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

Many renters are now eager to escape urban apartments in favor of suburbia. One factor is the quest for more space, especially among those working remotely or schooling their kids from home due to COVID-19. Another is that mortgage rates are hovering near historic lows.

The result is that in popular neighborhoods where listings are in short supply, properties are flying off the market. That’s making owners more self-confident. But real estate specialists caution sellers about the perils of pricing too high.

Mary Bazargan, a listing agent in Washington, D.C., explains why it’s foolish for sellers to price too boldly -- even where inventory is low and houses are selling quickly.

“When we price a new listing conservatively, we’re getting multiple offers, and these homes are often selling above list price. But if we push the price aggressively high, the home tends to sit on the market for a while,” says Bazargan, who works for Redfin, a national real estate brokerage.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert, agrees that those who attempt to test the market with too high a price typically attract fewer prospects.

“Buyers who shop with an agent usually shop with a top pricing point in mind. They won’t see properties above that pricing ceiling,” says Tyson, the co-author of “House Selling for Dummies.”

Moreover, due to internet sleuthing, buyers are increasingly savvy about property valuations. Many are annoyed by the appearance of greed on the part of sellers and refuse to bargain with those who ask too much.

“Remember that Americans don’t like to haggle. So don’t count on buyers engaging with you in multiple rounds of negotiation,” Tyson says.

Here are a few other pointers for sellers:

-- Research local valuations before hiring an agent.

Sid Davis, a Utah-based real estate broker, notes there are now a number of websites that offer free and instantaneous assessments of home values. Among the best known are Zillow and Redfin.

But it's unrealistic to look to such “fast pricing” sites for a definitive answer on the current worth of your place. After all, they typically rely heavily on publicly available data on recent home transactions. And some jurisdictions restrict or delay the release of such statistics. Still, such sites can sometimes give you a fair estimate.

“At least they’ll help you get into the right ballpark on the current value of your house. This gives you a starting point for a pricing discussion with the agents you interview,” says Davis, the author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home.”

Another way to gain a feel for prevailing prices is to attend open houses.

“In 15 minutes, you can visit two or three nearby open houses -- if only virtually -- and get a sense of pricing realities in your neighborhood. You can also get a preliminary comparison on the condition of your home versus rival properties,” Davis says.

-- Talk to multiple agents before choosing one.

When planning to sell, many owners instinctively turn to a friend or relative in the real estate field. But Tyson cautions against hiring someone from your inner circle, even if that person is an active agent in your neighborhood.

“We all want to hear how wonderful our house is and how much it’s worth. That makes it very hard for your friend or relative to recommend a realistic price tag,” Tyson says.

Interview at least three agents working in their area, and don’t pick one who relies on hunches.

“Ask each agent for an honest evaluation of both the condition of your place and its present value. Make sure each agent shows you the comparable sales they used to make their price recommendation,” Tyson says.

To determine if an agent is truly active in your neighborhood, he suggests you ask for an “activity list” of all the properties the person has listed there during the prior six to 12 months.

-- Examine each agent’s track record on pricing.

Even now, many sellers don’t receive their full asking price at the closing table. But if their property was marked accurately from the outset, they should come fairly close.

“Nobody wants to suffer huge price reductions because they asked way too much at the beginning,” Davis says.

To assess an agent’s pricing recommendations, look at a few key numbers that reflect his or her track record. If the agent is routinely making accurate price recommendations, there should be relatively little disparity between the original list price and the final closing price.

“Sellers shouldn’t have to knock down their price just to get their property sold. In most cases, their home should sell for no less than 5% under the asking price,” Davis says.

He suggests you ask prospective listing agents to show you “list-to-sale” numbers for all the homes they’ve sold during the last 90 days.

-- Don’t let your pride get in the way of accurate pricing.

Some people assume listing agents are motivated to price low with an eye to quick sales. But Davis says the greater risk is that occasional agents will recommend too high a price in hopes of flattering you into working with them.

“This practice is known in the real estate field as ‘buying a listing,'” he says.

Overpricing can even hurt owners in an area with few homes on the market.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re selling in a neighborhood that’s hot, cold or lukewarm. Asking way too much can easily kill your chances for a fast and successful sale,” Davis says.

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