There are good reasons for sellers to limit the times and hours their home can be shown to prospective buyers. But if you put too tight a window on viewings, your place is likely to linger on the market or remain unsold.

“If a seller makes the home too difficult to show,” said Texas agent Tom Branch, “most agents will pass it up.”

If you have a newborn at home, sure, go ahead and restrict showings to certain hours or times of the day. The same goes for elderly or sick occupants who should not be disturbed. Or maybe it’s the first day of school -- that morning is always chaotic. And a showing is often a bigger inconvenience for the seller than for the agent who calls 40 minutes before he wants to swing by with a possible buyer. Feel free to declare such occasions off-limits.

But otherwise, to limit showings is usually a bad idea.

Yes, you have to keep the place clean and tidy 24/7. And you could have people walking through the house at all hours of the day and evening. But if you are a motivated seller, you don’t want to put anything in the way of landing a buyer.

Sellers sometimes unintentionally put up roadblocks. Branch, who works for RE/MAX Dallas Suburbs, recalled one instance where the seller required a 24-hour notice, plus a 30-minute reminder, for all appointments. Not only that, but the house was vacant.

That kind of restriction is “a big problem,” said buyer’s agent Diane Schubach of Laffey Fine Homes in Port Washington, New York. “I’m convinced that sellers are not aware of, nor have they ever had a conversation with their listing agent about, the importance of making a home easy to show.

“If a buyer can’t get in on one weekend, they will rarely ask to see it the following weekend,” said Schubach in a conversation Branch started on the ActiveRain real estate website.

Rachel Reardon of RE/MAX Executive in Charlotte, North Carolina, said she “couldn’t agree more.”

When showing five or 10 houses in a single day, Reardon and other agents “don’t have time for someone who has such restrictions unless they have a valid reason.”

In such cases, Reardon said she would do her level best to accommodate the seller. But Lynn Bower of John R. Wood Realtors in Naples, Florida, and Monica Atherton of the Associates Realty Group in Temecula, California, said they would just move on to the next place on their lists.

“I would not opt to show unless there was something about that property no other listing had,” said Bower. “Our inventory is healthy enough now that if one (listing) doesn’t fit the bill, another one will.”

“If it gets too complicated, I pass,” said Atherton.

Still, if you absolutely, positively have to restrict showing times, have your agent write them into the private remarks section of the MLS listing for your property. That way, all agents will be on notice and will try to oblige your wishes.

“Most agents understand that there are times when it’s just not possible to have a home shown within the next hour or two. We really do,” said Anna ‘Banana’ Kruchten, broker-owner with the Phoenix Property Shoppe. “We know ‘stuff happens’ from time to time that makes it impossible to accommodate a showing.”

If there are valid reasons to restrict showings, Kruchten recommends suggesting alternative times, or asking that your house be last on the list of houses the agent plans to show that day.

Buyers shouldn’t face ridiculous restrictions, but sellers can expect to be shown a modicum of courtesy and some reasonable notice, especially “if they ask for it,” said Jayson Holland of RE/MAX Masters Millennium in Denver.

The way the listing agent communicates with other agents about special showing instructions “can make a difference” in how fast a house sells and the price the seller receives, says Raylene Lewis of Century 21 Beal in College Station, Texas.

“I am talking about the difference between a quick sale at top dollar, and a listing that stays on the market an unnecessarily long time and sells for less than what it should have,” she said.

Lewis told of one instance in which she tried to schedule a showing three different times, but each time, it was not convenient for the sellers. Her client finally decided to pass and went on to buy another place. The sellers “lost out on a chance to get an offer and very likely cost themselves money, because the longer the house sits, the lower the offer the buyer is likely to make,” she said.

Of the thousands of complaints received by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), gripes regarding debt collections from the military community numbered twice the rate of the general population.

That’s rather surprising when you consider that servicemen and women, veterans and their families are covered not only by the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act, which applies to everyone, but also by the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act. The latter postpones or suspends certain civil obligations to enable servicemembers to devote their full attention to their military duties.

That the CFPB has fielded nearly 20,000 complaints from servicemembers is dastardly news, indeed. But there’s also good news from the financial field – especially from the housing industry -- when it comes to the military.

Here’s a peek at just some of the “thank you for your service” efforts being taken on behalf of the military:

-- Army Sgt. Matthew White and his two dogs, Nike and Toffee, recently received the keys to a new mortgage-free, fully furnished home in Dumfries, Virginia. The house was donated by PulteGroup’s Built to Honor program, which gives new homes to wounded veterans and their families across the country. (White was injured while on a foot patrol during his second deployment to Afghanistan.) Pulte has given away dozens of houses under the program.

More than 50 national and local contractors, trade partners and Pulte employees donated time, money and resources to build the 1,800-square-foot townhouse. The home’s furniture was donated by TV personality Rachael Ray.

-- Bank of America has given more than 2,000 abandoned and foreclosed houses to such nonprofit partners as HomeStrong USA and the Military Warriors Support Foundation, which vet the eventual recipients to make sure they can handle the responsibilities of homeownership. The bank’s employees volunteer thousands of hours to help put the houses into move-in condition, including stocking the pantries with canned goods.

-- SunTrust honored vets on the Thursday before Memorial Day last year. At exactly 11 a.m., the bank’s 35,000 employees stopped what they were doing for a moment of silence to honor the fallen -- even if a teller or loan officer was with a customer. And in many cases, customers bowed their heads right along.

-- In conjunction with local groups, Freddie Mac -- the giant quasi-government secondary market institution that helps keep the mortgage money flowing -- offers free homeownership counseling during American Heroes Housing Fairs and Open Houses throughout the country. Counseling is open to both active and retired military, as well as educators, firefighters, police and other first responders.

-- The Chesty Puller House in Saluda County, Virginia, is intended to be a refuge for at-risk Marines of all ranks, from privates to generals, before they reach the point of considering suicide. In 2015, to raise money for this cause, Dave Biggers of real estate technology firm A La Mode matched donations, dollar-for-dollar, from customers, employees and anyone else who felt compelled to donate.

-- Brint Construction, a Texas-based, family-owned homebuilder, designed and built the Lone Survivor Foundation’s first retreat center in Bolivar, Texas. The space provides therapeutic healing and educational support for soldiers suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and other wounds associated with combat.

-- Barbara Mills, a RE/MAX Realty One agent in Inverness, Florida, has arranged hundreds of small parties to greet individual warriors returning home from the Middle East. She also arranged a larger event for 140 National Guardsmen who arrived all at once. Each soldier or sailor is given a gift basket valued at about $450. Each basket also contains $500 or so in checks and other gifts from member of the Citrus County community.

-- Greystone Real Estate Partners of Charleston, South Carolina, is among a number of firms involved with Homes Fit for Heroes, a foundation that provides apartments to wounded special operations warriors -- SEALs, Green Berets, Rangers, Night Stalkers, Delta Force members and others -- while they recover from their wounds.

These are just a few examples of how real estate folks try to give back. There are too many others to list here. But we salute all of them, as well as the warriors they are helping.

Perhaps you are living on a fixed income and need some extra money to pay the bills. Maybe you need some help with daily chores. Or perhaps you simply yearn for companionship.

If any of those scenarios seems to fit, it might be time to consider a roommate: someone with whom to share your house -- and perhaps your life.

House-sharing among empty nesters, retirees and other aging adults certainly isn’t a new phenomenon. But with something like 10,000 people a day turning 65, it is definitely on the rise, says Wendi Burkhardt. She’s the co-founder and CEO of Silvernest, a Boulder, Colorado-based online matching service that helps seniors find compatible housemates.

Proof: In the 12 months since Silvernest’s launch, the service has signed up 10,000 clients, the majority of whom are 50 to 75 years old. The client list includes would-be landlords, who pay $29.99 to use the site for three months, as well as wannabe roomies, who pay the same amount to cover their application fee and the cost of various background checks.

People considering a roommate can use a matching service like Silvernest, or they can save a few bucks by going it alone. But be forewarned: Choosing someone to share your house with is much harder than picking out a ripe melon or the proper exterior paint.

Here are a few tips:

-- First, let your inner circle know about your roommate search. Even if you’re still pretty independent and your mental facilities are intact, it’s easy to be taken advantage of during this process.

”Make sure you tell others what you are doing,” advises Burkhardt. ”Vet your plan with your family, and trusted advisers, such as your attorney or accountant.”

-- Limit your search for a roommate to known sources, such as your circle of friends, your garden club or your church. The wider you cast your net, the more vulnerable you become to someone who might try to fleece you out of your money -- or maybe even your house.

-- Never, ever agree to interview a potential housemate alone or in your home. Bring along a family member or friend, and meet in a public place such as a coffee house.

-- Be picky. “You are going to share not just your space, but perhaps your life, so it’s important to find someone who is compatible,” says Burkhardt. “Be specific about what you’re looking for. If you are retired, you may want someone who works during the day and isn’t around all the time. Or it may be important that they’re tidy, share similar hobbies or keep the same hours as you.”

-- At the same time, keep an open mind. For example, multigenerational living situations have been shown to be highly successful. Don’t write off someone just because they are not what you initially had in mind.

-- Once you’ve settled on someone, run several background checks. Ask your favorite real estate agent to pull a credit report, which will tell you how this person handles their finances. And spend the money to search criminal records: You need to make sure you are not considering a sex offender or swindler.

-- If the person passes muster, it’s time to draw up a lease. Before you ask: “Yes, you positively, absolutely have to have a lease,” says Burkhardt. Even if your new roommate has been your dear friend for 30 years, or has been recommended by one of your children, you need a lease.

”Everyone who opens up their home to someone else needs to have legal protection.” she warns. “People are people. You never know what’s going to happen.”

What you put in the lease is up to you. You can start with a lease template from a stationery store and customize it to your heart’s content. Generally, though, it should contain a clause that outlines, in as much detail as possible, what you and your tenant expect from one another.

Rather than entering into a one-year lease right from the get-go, Burkhardt suggests starting with a three-month trial period. That way, you can get to know your housemate and determine if you really are compatible. If things turn out as you hoped, you can always extend the lease for a longer term.

As for a security deposit, some people ask for them, while others don’t. Again, it’s a personal preference. But Burkhardt thinks it’s always wise to obtain one. That way, you’re covered if your roomie causes any damage to your property.

-- If there is any rent involved, set up an automatic payment system in which the money is transferred into your account on the same day every month. Money is a messy thing, anyway, so a recurring system removes the hassle of collecting rent, and ensures you are paid in a timely manner.

-- Finally, make it easy to terminate the lease. Remember, life happens. Things don’t always work out as planned. Maybe you prove to be mismatched after all, or perhaps one or both of your situations change. Allow each party the option to end the relationship after a 30-day notice.

Above all, don’t allow a bad situation to fester until it becomes a full-blown legal dispute. If you decide to part ways, both sides should document the situation, have it reviewed by a legal professional and keep the signed agreement on file.