In recent years, turbulence in real estate markets has caused many older homeowners to delay plans to sell. But as the housing recovery gets underway, all that could change in a major way.

Jan Yager, a sociologist and time-management consultant, predicts that within the next decade "tens of millions" of baby boomers will sell their current homes and move to different abodes more suitable for retirement.

No matter where they plan to move, boomers who've lived in the same home for many years will face the enormous task of sifting through accumulations and upgrading their property for market. And all who try to tackle this project need a strategic plan to manage their time, says Yager, author of "Work Less, Do More," a time- management book.

"Using your time wisely is pivotal to getting your house in order, whether you're working, retired or semi-retired," she says.

If possible, Yager encourages those who need to clear through a vast collection of belongings before selling to allow a full year for this project. But she's aware that most sellers don't have this much latitude and that they may need some help to expedite the process.

"It could be a good idea for you to hire a professional organizer," says Yager, who recommends that home sellers consider seeking a local referral through the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net).

These few pointers could prove helpful, if you are a time-stretched home-seller:

-- Acknowledge your limitations on time.

"People are beyond busy now. If you're working, you're extremely busy at the office. If you're not working, you're busy looking for a job," says Lee Silber, author of "Time Management for the Creative Person."

"Everything happens so much faster than before, making it hard to keep up," Silber says.

When people seek to add on to their already busy schedules all the work associated with a housing move, many go into overload.

"I've ruled out moving myself, because I know it would take months to get the whole project completed," Silber says.

Silber recommends you make a list of discretionary activities that could be cut from your schedule until your home project is done. For example, you might cut back on TV.

Rita Emmett, a time-management specialist and author of books on procrastination, suggests you reduce the time you spend on what she dubs "recreational shopping."

"For Americans, the No. 1 family activity is going to the mall," she says.

Another way to liberate time is to prepare simple meals at home rather than heading to a fast food place, Emmett says. As she notes, the drive back and forth to a restaurant takes more time than people expect. Plus there's the time spent waiting to be served at the restaurant.

-- Set priorities carefully.

Like many time-management consultants, Silber discourages clients from taking an all-or-nothing approach. Rather, he urges them to concentrate on the tasks with the greatest possible impact.

To ensure that the most time and money are focused on key priorities, he says your first step should be to ask a trusted real estate agent to walk through your property and advise you on the steps most worth taking.

For instance, replacing a stained living room carpet could make a huge difference in the salability of your place. But fixing the stains on your concrete walkways may not.

"Remember, you get 90 percent of your bang from just 10 percent of your activities. So always focus on that top 10 percent first," Silber says.

-- Create a work plan that suits your personality.

Silber says too few people embark on a home project with an overall plan in mind, and this slows their progress. But he also stresses that there's no one-size-fits-all approach to planning.

As an alternative to a formal written plan, he suggests that non-traditionalists may wish to make a visual "blueprint" of their property, marking in tasks on a room-by-room basis and then doing the work in the sequence they prefer.

"To help stay on course, you might draw a picture of how you want each room to look and then tape it to the door of that room," he says.

-- Infuse fun into the home preparation process.

You'll gain more momentum in your quest to ready your home for market if you can make an otherwise boring project more interesting, Silber says.

He suggests you might want to throw a "pre-sale party" featuring pizza and beer. To stage such a party, and gain help with your project, simply send out invitations for an event to occur before your real estate agent lists your home for sale.

"Surprisingly many people -- especially organized people -- like to make their friends' homes look better. They really do want to help you out, so don't be shy about asking," he says.

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

He's a newly minted Ph.D. who recently landed a solid teaching job at a major university in a city he loves. He's ready to settle down and buy a condo. But after months of looking at real estate, he's still torn. Is now the time to buy?

On the one hand, he's swayed by the breathtakingly low-cost mortgage rates currently available to buyers. And home prices are still within his range of affordability. Indeed, he worries that recently rising prices could mean it's already a tad late to enter the market.

On the other hand, our teacher fears that real estate markets have yet to fully stabilize. True, home values in major cities have risen sharply in recent months. But the other economic measures, including the unemployment rate, paint a darker picture. Meanwhile, family members, including those who've lost equity in their homes, are urging him to be cautious.

This true story illustrates the still pervasive ambivalence affecting would-be homebuyers in the face of mixed signals about the direction of the housing market, says Michael Crowley, a veteran real estate broker.

"Given human nature, people wonder if there's a catch to all these good prices," says Crowley, the immediate past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org).

One result of the mixed feelings among prospective homebuyers is that they're less willing to engage in back-and-forth negotiating with sellers when counteroffers are involved.

Even after agreement is reached on a deal and the results of a home inspection come in, many buyers continue to demand concessions when flaws are found. Unless the flaws are corrected, they often want the deal to be re-cast or they'll walk away.

"Buyers still have a lot of leverage and they're obviously willing to use it," Crowley says.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of "Home Buying for Dummies," says it's understandable that many buyers are still ambivalent about making a purchase, given the current level of economic and political turmoil.

Because all real estate markets have their own characteristics, and recovery is still stalled in some markets, he encourages buyers to carefully monitor market conditions in any area where they'd like to live, and to avoid waiting too long if they're seriously interested in taking the plunge.

Are you considering a home purchase in the near future? If so, these tips could prove useful:

-- Confirm your reasons for planning a purchase.

Anxiety can prevent people from moving ahead, even when it's against their interest to hold back. But those convinced that now is a good time to buy shouldn't let unwarranted fears constrain them, says Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of "A Survival Guide to Buying a Home."

"If your job is secure and you have found your dream home, don't let groundless concerns block you," Davis says.

Davis says one way to put your fears about real estate in perspective is to re-examine your original reasons for buying. Have you yearned for a home of your own, but couldn't afford to buy until prices moderated? Or has your family outgrown its small house and you're seeking to trade up to a large space?

"Whatever your reasons for buying, you should be aware that waiting could be counter to your interests. In some neighborhoods, we're already seeing robust real estate markets where available property is starting to dry up," Davis says.

-- Find a skillful mortgage lender to help guide you.

As Davis says, lenders now want certainty that any mortgage they originate will be solid. This means you'll need to be well prepared to answer the lender's request for documents.

"To satisfy the lender, I recommend that even before you start shopping for homes, you pull together the key documents you'll need to show you're worthy of a loan," Davis says.

As proof of income, many mortgage lenders now insist on much more documentation than the customary pay stubs and W-2s. They may also require federal tax returns. Also, most lenders now want proof that the funds you've amassed for your down payment have been in your savings or checking account for some time and weren't just borrowed last week from a family member. That means you'll need to produce account statements verifying this.

Those who are self-employed can expect their lender to do a rigorous review of documents related to your business.

But the time you spend documenting your eligibility for the home loan will be worth it if your lender gives you a "pre-approval" letter. This you can use as a bargaining chip when negotiating for the property of your choice.

"Getting pre-approved makes you a stronger contender for the home you want. It gives sellers the confidence that they have a bird in the hand," Davis says.

-- Know your market, and make your decisions accordingly.

Many neighborhoods still have an unusually large number of homes available for sale. But in other areas, inventories are shrinking.

If you live in an area where many housing options are available, you can afford to take somewhat more time to make a selection and seal a deal. But Davis cautions against waiting indefinitely to buy in any popular area.

"If this is the right time for you to buy a house, don't be haunted by past problems with real estate. Times are changing and you won't want to be left out," he says.

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

A discount store manager and his wife, a post office clerk, had long searched for an affordable house for their retirement years. So they were thrilled when they found a property that seemed perfect: a small, well-priced, one-level ranch-style house on a manageable lot.

But in their excitement, the couple failed to take note of the home's setting. Living just a quarter-mile from an airport, the surrounding neighborhood suffered the near-constant drone of planes flying overhead.

"Happily, these folks realized the racket would be a terrible problem and backed away from buying the house before it was too late," says Leo Berard, the long-time real estate broker who represented the buyers.

Berard says that it's not unusual for some homebuyers to fall in love with a house located in the wrong setting.

"Homebuyers should never ignore the overall neighborhood, or the quality of their lives could be at stake," says Berard, charter president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org).

Fortunately, the couple in this true story passed up the house near the airport and continued their search until they found another ranch house in a peaceful community without a noise problem. Although that property cost 5 percent more, they were pleased with their choice.

A recent U.S. Department of Labor study shows that Americans now spend a substantial amount of their free time indoors. But that doesn't mean they should be oblivious to what's happening outside their front door, says Ronald Phipps, a real estate broker and the immediate past president of the National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org).

Here are a few pointers for homebuyers who want to ensure they choose a home in the right setting:

-- Factor shopping into your neighborhood choice.

Despite the rise of Internet shopping in recent years, most homebuyers still do their grocery shopping in person. And Berard says the typical buyer wants to be within a 10- to 12-minute drive of a full-service supermarket.

"It's not just the time but also the route to the grocery store. People shouldn't have to battle traffic on an interstate highway to get to a supermarket," he says.

The proximity of other commercial enterprises, such as hardware stores, dry cleaners and gas stations, are also important to purchasers, as well as quality restaurants.

Still, as Berard notes, few homebuyers are willing to live extremely close to these amenities, fearing that traffic and noise could be a problem. This could be especially vexing if they find themselves within earshot of a store, a restaurant or still worse, a bar.

-- Seek a leafy neighborhood if greenery is important to you.

Timothy Saeland, a real estate broker affiliated with the Real Estate Buyer's Agent Council (www. rebac.net), says an increasing number of his home-buying clients are "outdoorsy people" who insist that the home they buy is set in an area with ample open space and greenery, particularly if they own pets.

Are trees and green space more important to you than lavish kitchen or bathroom fixtures? If so, Saeland says you should seek firm assurances that the green areas around the home you buy will stay that way. He recommends that homebuyers stop by the local government's planning and zoning office to learn more about long-term plans for open areas near any residence they may purchase.

He believes residents in neighborhoods with dedicated parkland and hiking-biking trails are often more sociable than those where houses are cheek-to-cheek.

"People who live in green neighborhoods generally walk more and are more likely to talk to neighbors," he says.

-- Don't forget to factor crime statistics into your consideration.

Saeland recommends that prospective homebuyers contact local police before confirming plans to settle into a neighborhood that seems appealing.

"People look at crime statistics on the Internet. But fewer than one in 100 take my advice and stop by to talk to people at a local police station to learn more about the nature of crime in their area. Doing so is well worth your time," he says.

Besides giving you statistics on local crime, the police can tell you what types of incidents are most common in a neighborhood -- helping you assess its overall level of security.

-- Realize that location is ultimately a very personal choice.

For most homebuyers who are employed, a reasonable commute to work tops their search list when choosing a neighborhood. But beyond these positives, Berard says purchasers vary widely in the importance they attach to neighborhood features.

"Some buyers with very young kids insist on finding a home in a community with its own day-care center so they can drop off a child conveniently on their way to work. This is especially vital for dual-income families," Berard says.

Retirees often wish to position themselves within a short drive of a hospital or doctors' offices. And those with severe health issues may want special assurances that emergency medical services could reach them quickly.

Often, personal interests are critically important to the selection of the best possible neighborhood. For instance, Berard tells how one pair of clients -- married rabbis -- stressed their need to find a house within walking distance of a neighborhood synagogue.

Homebuyers also vary in terms of their resistance to certain neighborhood features. For instance, some find it objectionable to live close to a church that draws many cars on Sunday mornings. Yet that doesn't bother others.

"At the end of the day, your choice of a community is a highly individual matter. But it's also extremely important to your happiness," Berard says.

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