The residents of high-income neighborhoods often have busy travel schedules and hectic social calendars. So does that mean plush neighborhoods are less welcoming to newcomers than less affluent ones? Not necessarily, says Peter Lovenheim, who's written a book on community.

"It's idiosyncratic which residential areas are friendly. You can't predict this based on income alone. Sometimes, just one person who is proactive in leading neighborhood events can make a huge difference," says Lovenheim, who details his own struggle to find community in his book "In the Neighborhood."

The book was written after a murder-suicide occurred in Lovenheim's suburb, and residents there faced the shocking realization that they'd never met the family involved. As a result, he embarked on an attempt to get to know others in the neighborhood, and found many feeling alienated and lonely.

As Lovenheim notes, there are many pluses to living in a friendly, close-knit community instead of one where residents don't even smile or say hello when they meet on the street.

Are you a homebuyer who wishes to move to a friendly neighborhood? If so, Lovenheim suggests you look for a community with a "built environment" that supports neighborly interaction. That could include sidewalks and green spaces where residents can interact easily.

Here are a few other pointers for homebuyers:

-- Look for a strong neighborhood school.

A strong neighborhood school has the potential to make a community more coherent by strengthening bonds among parents, says William Bainbridge, president of the SchoolMatch Institute, (schoolmatch.com), which provides comparative school information.

Must you shoehorn yourself into an expensive neighborhood to find an excellent school? Not necessarily, says Bainbridge.

"Our research indicates there are still many areas in the U.S. where houses are moderately priced and the schools are great," he says.

Mark Nash, author of "1001 Tips for Buying & Selling a Home," says that children are the conduit for lots of connections among families, particularly through playdates and sleepovers.

-- Don't assume that an "age-restricted" development is your best bet.

Obviously, it's not just people with school-age children who wish to live in a friendly community. Indeed, retired people have even more reasons to appreciate strong neighborhood ties, given that they spend so much time at home.

Many older house hunters are drawn to age-restricted communities where they hope to find social activities to fill their days. But Nash says some who choose such a community face an unexpected result: boredom.

People with broad intellectual interests, as well as the ability to program their own time, can find life in an age-restricted community that's located in a resort area to be especially monotonous due to the dearth of cultural attractions.

"Who wants to spend every cocktail hour hearing talk about other people's aches and pains or what's on their dinner menu?" Nash says.

-- Investigate the social dynamics of any neighborhood you're considering.

Nash, a longtime real estate broker, says homebuyers seeking a friendly, interactive community should spend sufficient time there to pick up less-than-obvious clues about how people relate.

"Even prestige neighborhoods can present real problems if a few residents there have noisy lifestyles or otherwise disturbing tendencies," Nash says. "A couple of very loud party animals who are always up late can spoil the peace for all who live on their street."

To investigate the underlying social dynamics of a community, don't hesitate to go door-to-door for conversations with residents or to talk to local merchants. Quiz them about the pluses and minuses of living in the area; they're likely to give you their candid views.

-- Preview the neighborhood more than once.

Nash encourages buyers with a strong interest in a particular community to visit the area at various hours to scope out patterns of behavior. Also consider visiting on a weekday as well as the weekend.

"Ideally, you'll walk or drive through the neighborhood four times in one day, during the morning, at mid-afternoon, at dinnertime and at 11 p.m. Observe whether residents are interacting or staying in their homes nearly all the time," he says.

In some neighborhoods, residents are superficially friendly yet don't build in-depth relationships with one another.

"It's one thing for people out walking their dogs to smile and wave. It's another for them to occasionally stop and chat before moving on," Nash says.

-- Don't rule out a brand-new subdivision.

Are you interested in buying into a subdivision that's still under development, but fear it could be an unfriendly habitat? If so, Nash recommends you learn more about the area before rejecting it based on what could be an unfounded assumption.

It's true that brand-new communities are often populated by two-income families with parents in their 20s to 40s who have very demanding daily schedules. Even so, many who move to new areas are highly motivated to make friends with neighbors who have children the same age and who would like to share child-care responsibilities.

"The beauty of a brand-new neighborhood is that there's no established social hierarchy. That means everyone is a newcomer and all the friendships are fresh, which can make for a more inclusive place to live," Nash says.

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

Are you planning to sell your home during the first couple of months of 2015, when buyers will be scarce due to normal seasonal variations? If so, don't hesitate, says Sid Davis, author of "A Survival Guide to Selling a Home."

"It's depressing to face all those bills in January and February. But many people committed to a job-related housing move will still go forward with a purchase at the beginning of the year," says Davis, a real estate broker who's been selling homes since 1984.

Although many post-holiday buyers are committed buyers, they're also hard bargainers.

"They're always trying to save pennies on their deal because they're in an austere mood," Davis says.

Still, Davos seeks to dissuade most would-be home sellers from postponing on the basis that springtime would be a better selling period.

"Starting in March, there will be lots more buyers flooding the market. But there will also be lots more sellers. So your competition greatly intensifies," Davis says.

John McLellan Tayler, a real estate author and former realty company owner, says a property in good condition that's located in a popular neighborhood with good schools can sell quickly, even during an overcast winter period.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Choose a listing agent who's weathered several post-holiday cycles.

No matter where your house is located, it's crucial to hire a listing agent with an established track record.

"An agent who's been through at least 10 post-holiday seasons should be especially good at identifying the best week and day to put your property on the market," says Mark Nash, the author of "Starting & Succeeding in Real Estate."

-- Go on a cleaning crusade right before your place goes up for sale.

Once your New Year's celebrations are behind you, your first challenge should be to remove any hints of holiday decor.

"A house that's stuck in Christmas or any other winter holiday is a turnoff to buyers. Trying to show a property with holiday decor still in place signals to buyers that you're not really ready to move," Nash says.

After the decor is gone, Nash urges sellers to go on a cleaning binge, purging the property of all superfluous items and then making the whole place dust- and spot-free.

Sellers lacking a design-trained eye might consider engaging a home stager, a professional who helps reduce and then rearrange sellers' furnishings for maximum appeal.

"One way to make a room look better is to remove up to half the furniture and then float your sofa and other pieces at an angle away from the walls," Nash says.

-- Lighten your interior walls.

Are you a homeowner who loves bold designer paint colors? That's fine during your tenure in the property. But once your place is heading for the market, such colors are a poor choice, especially for a wintertime sale.

"I call colors like magenta, mustard and chocolate brown 'commitment colors.' They might look good in houses shown in Architectural Digest magazine. But they're a bad idea for wintertime sellers because they make a place look even drearier on cloudy days," Nash says.

However, when repainting your walls in advance of a sale, you needn't pick sterile white to lighten and neutralize your look. Good choices include linenlike tones with just a hint of another pleasing color, such as very pale yellow.

-- Engender excitement about your wintertime sale.

Clearly, enthusiasm is in shorter supply during January and February than in the weeks leading up to the winter holidays. So it's often helpful for you and your listing agent to develop a creative marketing strategy for your winter sale.

Nash, who long sold homes in the frigid Chicago area, recalls the true story of an Illinois couple whose listing agent was puzzled about how to attract home shoppers to what he describes as their "blah suburban house" when it went up for sale one February.

What finally worked was a "Garden of Eden" theme, in keeping with the fact that the home's owners were avid gardeners. Though their flower beds were buried in snow, the agent asked for photos showing their flowers blooming in summer. These were enlarged to poster size, mounted on tall easels and placed next to windows throughout the property.

"The theme created buzz among neighbors, real estate agents and buyers during some of the darkest days of February. We all loved the break from winter because it was so hopeful, bright, and cheerful," Nash remembers.

"The simple goal of creative marketing is to encourage talk about your house and get eyeballs over to see it," Nash says.

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

A woman in her 50s was highly motivated to make an out-of-state move for a new job. But before her house could go up for sale, she had to cull through her huge collection of belongings. The task was enormous, but she managed to do it in a week of focused work.

"I gave her a step-by-step action plan and she followed it meticulously," recalls Kristin Bertilson, the professional organizer hired by the woman to oversee her project.

Bertilson, who's affiliated with the National Association of Professional Organizers (www.napo.net), advises hurried home sellers to pre-pack their largest and heaviest belongings first.

"Start by removing non-essential furniture, placing the extra pieces in storage so your house won't look crowded. Then pack away the contents from your bookshelves, leaving just a few books behind," she says.

After that, she recommends you head for the kitchen.

"Pack away all the kitchen items you use only intermittently, like your crock pot and popcorn maker," Bertilson says.

During the culling process, you'll want to save for last any items that are hard to let go for sentimental reasons.

"You don't necessarily make final decisions on your mementos before you move. Instead, you can neatly pack these items and go through them after you've reached the next house," Bertilson says.

Mark Nash, a long-time real estate broker and author of "1001 Tips for Buying & Selling a Home," says many sellers now have less lead time than in the past, making a methodical prep plan all the more important.

Are you a homeowner who wants to move as soon as possible? If so, these pointers could help:

-- Target those projects with the most impact.

"An experienced agent can help you identify tasks that will make a real difference to a sale versus those not worth doing," says Dorcas Helfant, a former president of the National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org).

For instance, your listing agent might dissuade you from hiring a landscape architect to redesign your backyard. But the same agent could convince you of the value of resurfacing your kitchen cabinets.

-- Look to outside assistance if your time is limited.

Do you often work overtime or have other duties that require time outside of your job?

Sellers in this sort of situation need extra help from their listing agent, Nash says.

Nash estimates that at least 40 percent of listing agents will assist their clients in finding contractors for pre-sale repairs and cosmetic improvements. Many will also oversee the contractors' work while it's underway.

"Interview proactive agents whose references say they're super-organized and have a database of good contractors," he says.

-- Set your priorities thoughtfully.

As Nash says, it's crucial for any time-strapped home seller to set priorities.

"Walk through your property with the agent, listing all the steps that could make a worthwhile difference for your sale. Then classify them into "A-," "B-" and "C-level" tasks. Start with the "A" items. Move on to the "B's" and "C's" only if time allows," he says.

-- Address your top-priority projects first.

"If you can afford it, hire people for your grunt work. Find people to wash your windows inside and out and to prune your shrubs. Also, consider hiring professional painters," Nash says.

When it comes to interior painting, Nash urges you to avoid such daring colors as magenta, salmon and mustard. Granted, bold colors are commonly recommended by designers on popular TV home improvement shows. But sellers risk alienating potential buyers when they choose controversial colors.

He recommends that sellers select a single neutral color, like an off-white or light gray. and then use it throughout the home.

"Bold colors make the buyer's eyes stop, start and stop again. But when you use a calm neutral, your home appears larger and more unified," Nash says.

-- Take on "B" and "C" tasks if time permits.

One "B-level" item on most sellers' task lists involves window treatments.

"If you have the kind of heavy drapes your grandmother had in her house, take them down. The current generation of buyers likes a light, bright living environment. That's why you're often better off with no window coverings than those old-style drapes," Nash says.

Additional items on your "B" list should include the installation of new kitchen countertops, assuming yours are nicked or damaged. Also, consider sanding and polishing worn hardwood floors.

"C" items typically involve improvements to a house that are outside its main living area, such as attics and garage spaces. They also include repairs to cracked or stained driveways and walkways.

"When time and money are limited ... you've got to put your resources where you'll get the best return," Nash says.

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