Last year, when the National Association of Realtors surveyed homebuyers throughout America, it found that single buyers had been especially hard-hit by the restrictive mortgage standards that began during the economic downturn.

According to the survey, the market share of single buyers declined from 32 percent in 2010 to 25 percent in 2013, and stringent lending standards were a major factor in the decline.

But Art Godi, a former president of the NAR (www.realtor.org), says restrictive lending practices are gradually easing and that real estate agents are finding better ways to help their clients to obtain the financing needed to fulfill their home-buying plans.

With both home prices and rental rates rising in many areas, Godi says an increasing number of homebuyers --including numerous singles -- are eager to leave their rental units and buy a first home as soon as possible.

Are you a single person who'd like to buy a home, but worry you'll be turned down because of less-than-stellar credit? If so, Godi recommends you seek mortgage pre-approval through a face-to-face meeting at the office of a local lender, such as a community bank or credit union.

"If you use a national bank, you usually don't get to talk directly to the lender. But with a local lender, you're more likely to have a chance to tell your story," Godi says.

Here are a few other pointers for single homebuyers:

-- Opt for a mortgage that keeps you within your financial comfort zone.

Many homeowners who faced foreclosure during the worst of the recession had used an adjustable-rate mortgage to finance their purchase. They were able to qualify for an introductory "teaser rate" on the home loan. But once the ARM adjusted upward, they were in over their heads.

Like all homebuyers, singles are now understandably resistant to taking an ARM, even though it could let them qualify for a larger mortgage than they could have obtained with a traditional fixed-rate loan. Still, some lenders are again beginning to promote ARMs.

As a single homebuyer, should you consider an ARM to increase your buying capacity? Merrill Ottwein, a former president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org), argues against that step.

"A fixed-rate mortgage gives you certainty your monthly principle and interest payments will remain constant for as long as you keep that loan. But with an ARM, you have interest-rate risk. And if rates rise, you get smacked," says Ottwein, a longtime real estate broker who works solely with homebuyers.

He also warns all buyers, and especially young singles, against taking any mortgage (fixed or adjustable) that feels uncomfortably large.

"People who are house-poor suffer a lot of fear and anxiety about making their payments, which is a terrible way to live," Ottwein says.

Even in an era of tight credit, many single buyers who make it through the mortgage pre-approval process are surprised to realize that they're qualified for a larger mortgage than anticipated. To avoid over-borrowing, Ottwein suggests you set your own upper limit rather than letting the lender do so.

"Decide on your ceiling before you go looking at houses or condos. If you need a reminder, write that number on an index card and carry it around with you," he says.

-- Look for a home that a roommate could share.

Young singles used to sharing rental housing with roommates are often eager to live alone when they buy a home. Despite that, Ottwein recommends they consider buying a property they could share with a boarder, which would allow them that option in the future.

"Down the line, you might want an extra bedroom you could rent out to help offset your mortgage payments. In addition, if you choose to sell, a house or condo with two or three bedrooms is more marketable than one with just a single bedroom," Ottwein says.

What sort of floor plan works best to accommodate a roommate? He recommends you look for a place with a bedroom suite that includes a private bath. Also, a separate, outside entrance to the suite is ideal.

-- Choose an energy-efficient place.

Some expenses tied to homeownership, such as taxes and insurance, can't be avoided. But home shoppers can more easily contain their utility bills if they choose a property that's well-insulated and has substantial, double- or triple-pane windows.

Before they commit to buying a particular home, Ottwein suggests that buyers ask their home inspector to evaluate the energy efficiency of the property they've chosen. He also recommends they ask the current owners for copies of their utility bills.

In addition, Ottwein advises buyers to update themselves on the topic of energy-efficient housing through online resources. One website that provides an array of information on the topic, www.energystar.gov, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, along with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

-- Make your friends a priority when you buy.

If you're like most single people, your personal life is of vital importance to you. But even though you may outpace your friends in achieving homeownership, you won't want to move to an area that makes it difficult to keep up your social life.

In an age of texting and email, it's not necessary to live around the corner from friends to stay in close touch. But, if possible, you'll want to avoid buying a property many miles from friends, even if that's your most affordable option, Ottwein says.

"You won't be happy if you're isolated from your friends. So don't buy a house so far away that you'll strain these important relationships," he says.

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

The owners of a small split-level -- a high-school history teacher and his homemaker wife -- were at wits' end. To house their growing family, the couple was eager to sell their house and move to a larger space. But even as nearby properties were flying off the market, their place languished unsold. After six months, they decided to regroup.

An analysis by the couple's real estate agent indicated the house was correctly priced. Instead, the agent pinpointed the problem as the kitchen, which looked dated and needed a minor facelift. In response, the couple went into overdrive -- spending more than $18,000 on a major remodeling job that included new high-end cabinets and fine Italian-tile floors. They also installed all new stainless steel appliances, though the white ones in the house were still very presentable.

Soon after the renovation, the house sold. But Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of "A Survival Guide to Selling a Home, insists the extensive kitchen renovation was "total overkill."

"These sellers spent vastly more money than necessary to make that house saleable," he says.

Though he wasn't the listing agent for the property, Davis visited it several times with potential buyers, both before and after the renovation. And he insists the couple could have done equally well with just $2,500 in kitchen improvements.

"Instead of blowing their budget and recouping a small fraction of their outlays, they could have achieved their goal by simply refinishing their existing cabinets and putting in fresh linoleum flooring," Davis says.

The moral of this true story, he says, is that expensive pre-sale improvements are rarely warranted, except for properties in very exclusive areas where buyer expectations are high.

"Why throw cash around needlessly? The sad reality is that sellers never get the chance to enjoy the expensive improvements they do before they move," Davis says.

How can sellers determine which upgrades will result in a winning sale and which will simply waste their money? Davis says it's smart to evaluate the competition before putting money into upgrades.

"Ask your listing agent to take you on a tour of all the available homes in your immediate vicinity. Create a list of the pros and cons of each property. That will help you clarify what changes are really needed to make your place show-worthy," he says.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Resist the temptation to overspend on kitchen improvements.

Of all the potential upgrades in a home, Davis says sellers are most likely to go off-course in the kitchen. That's because contractors who specialize in kitchen remodeling are often involved in extensive projects and are likely to recommend more work than is needed to sell.

"Cost overruns for kitchen improvements are rampant. Granted, your kitchen can make or break your sale. But you don't have to spend a fortune to make it look wonderful," Davis says.

For example, he says many dark kitchen cabinets, which are unappealing to contemporary buyers, can be easily refreshed by simply sanding and repainting them in high-gloss white.

For an updated look, Davis also recommends that sellers replace worn kitchen cabinet pulls and knobs with handsome new hardware in satin nickel or oil-rubbed bronze. Such hardware can be obtained inexpensively through home center stores or online retailers.

-- Embrace fresh paint as a highly cost-effective upgrade.

Paint is one of the most powerful and reasonably priced tools available to sellers seeking to maximize the impact of their pre-sale dollars, says Elisa Dewees, a real estate agent who's listed and sold homes since 2000.

Still, she considers it a serious mistake to repaint in what she calls "custom colors." These include such personal choices as rose, bright green or vivid blue.

"Tastes vary widely, and it's very likely that colors which appeal to you will seem unattractive to the buyers who see your place. Remember that the last thing you want is to reduce the number of people who like the look of your house," Dewees says.

She has no financial interest in the Pottery Barn, a home furnishings retailer. But she recommends that home sellers examine the color palette shown in the company's online catalog -- subtle tones she believes reflect current homebuyer tastes. To see the catalog, go to the chain's website: www.potterybarn.com.

-- Improve the lighting in your bathrooms.

It's common for people who've lived in their home for many years to retain their original light fixtures. Indeed, the old light fixtures typically remain even after the tile work and cabinets are redone.

Dewees says that the multiple-bulb Hollywood-style lighting many people still use in their bathrooms doesn't appeal to most current buyers who want a fresher, less retro look.

"It's worth spending the time to search for light fixtures in a stylish, updated design. In many cases you can buy better fixtures for well under $100 per bathroom," she says.

-- Make carpeting a priority.

Ashley Richardson, an agent affiliated with the Council of Residential Specialists (www.crs.com), says many home sellers would prefer to offer buyers a "carpeting allowance" than to replace worn, stained or tired looking carpet. That's more convenient than tackling the project themselves.

But real estate agents often reject this idea, because few buyers can imagine how well the property will look once its old carpeting is replaced.

If you can't afford new carpet for the whole house, she recommends you focus on the areas most visible to visitors, such as the living and family rooms, rather than your smaller bedrooms.

-- Cut back any shrubbery that hides your home.

Some longtime homeowners become extremely fond of the greenery around their property. Even if their trees and shrubs shroud their property and make the interior seem dark, they resist cutting them back, according to Davis.

Pruning isn't usually expensive, unless major tree work is involved. But real estate specialists say that it's paramount because it's very tough to market a property hidden behind overgrown greenery of any kind.

"If people can't fully see a house, they can't appreciate it. And if they can't appreciate it, they'll never buy it," Davis says.

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

Looking back, a Silicon Valley couple in their 30s realizes it was a big mistake to buy a house in a premier suburb close to elite private schools. They still own the house, but their marriage continues to suffer the pressure of payments that exceed half their income and have forced them to rely on loans from their parents.

"Truthfully, buying that house was very wrong for this couple. They overshot their budget, and that's cost them many sleepless nights and polarizing fights," says Deborah Price, an expert on couple's financial issues who cites this true-life example of how the wrong real estate choices can lead to untold stress on a relationship.

"At the time, they didn't forecast how their decision would backfire on their marriage," says Price, the author of "The Heart of Money: A Couple's Guide to Creating True Financial Intimacy."

Because the purchase of real estate is the largest financial decision most couples make, Price urges them to talk through any underlying issues that could color their thinking.

For example, she says one partner might be a "spender" who's comfortable with a large mortgage, while the other is a "saver" who becomes very anxious when facing challengingly high house payments.

To avoid missteps, Price encourages couples who disagree to seek professional guidance to clarify and align their plans in order to find a workable option. For example, the Silicon Valley couple could have chosen a less expensive neighborhood served by tuition-free charter schools.

One option is to work with one of the new breed of "money coaches." These are typically financial advisers or therapists who've received special training on how to advise people on money issues. Price heads the Money Coaching Institute (www.moneycoachinginstitute.com), which has trained more than 400 such coaches in the last 14 years.

Here are a few other pointers for couples looking for a home:

-- Discuss your core beliefs.

"If you're unprepared, conversations around what to buy can get extremely contentious," says Leo Berard, a real estate broker and charter president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org). He recalls how, on several occasions, he had to halt a property tour involving young clients after they began to bicker.

"There was no point going on until they stepped back and talked out their differences," Berard says.

"For a lot of people, finances are a taboo subject," says Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and author of several books on the topic.

But money matters, including key decisions on housing, are so paramount to a couple's plans that failure to address them can "really hurt the relationship later on, particularly if one partner resents the choice they've made," Tyson says.

Before making a firm home-buying decision, Tyson says it can be helpful for couples to use paper-and-pencil exercises to explore their underlying values. He offers several such exercises in his book, "Mind Over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness."

-- Make your neighborhood choice before considering specific houses.

A couple's money talks give them a broad framework to help decide if they're both comfortable maxing out their mortgage eligibility. After that, it's time to pick one or more communities that appeal to both partners, says Berard.

Neighborhood choices should be made systematically, according to Berard. Ideally, both partners will itemize and rank their priorities and then compile a unified list.

Perhaps one partner hankers for an urban neighborhood with close access to restaurants and cultural venues. Meanwhile, the other is drawn to a leafier environment. In such a case, they might wish to settle for a semi-suburban area where both can enjoy some of the features they want.

-- Consider what you dislike in your present home to decide on features you want.

Years of experience as co-owner of an independent realty company taught Berard how to help clients develop screening criteria to find the right property. In doing so, he discovered a powerful tool: the "I don't want list."

The idea is for both partners to indicate what they don't like about their current residence. For example, perhaps the husband hates the tiny kitchen and the wife is unhappy about the noisy street outside.

"When you reverse the factors you loathe, it's easier to see what you actually do want," Berard says.

-- Request that your real estate agent help you mediate.

Obviously, a couple can be happily married despite having major differences in architectural taste. Maybe one favors a traditional colonial house while the other wants a contemporary structure akin to the homes Frank Lloyd Wright designed.

In instances where the gulf in taste is wide, Tyson says it's sometimes possible for a real estate agent to help reach a realistic solution.

"After listening to both people, a good agent can provide an element of objectivity that's very useful," Tyson says.

-- Resist your kids' pleas to go along on house-hunting excursions.

Perhaps you and your spouse have reached a firm compromise to buy a mid-sized townhouse with a small patio that fits your budget. But your young children are pleading for a larger place with a huge backyard.

In such an instance, you might be tempted to let your kids join you as you search for property. But Price, of the Money Coaching Institute, argues against doing so -- at least until you've narrowed your choices to just a few options you can afford.

"Your kids have their own agenda, and they don't necessarily know the practical realities facing you," she says.

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