Many retirees aspire to ownership of a place with easy maintenance, where arduous chores like cutting the lawn and keeping up the garden will no longer be issues. But at the same time they want a home where the extended family will wish to visit often.

With frequent contact, grandparents can play vitally important roles in the lives of their offspring -- including mentor, buddy and hero, says Dr. Arthur Kornhaber, a psychiatrist and author of seven books on grandparenting, including "The Grandparent Guide."

Of course, practical realities often make for less-than-ideal lifestyle arrangements. Many retirees face financial limitations that make it difficult for them to reside near the younger generation. Also, the adults' lifestyle preferences may not blend, says Fred Meyer, an appraiser and long-time real estate broker who's advised many retirees on housing plans.

Are you a grandparent facing hard choices on where to live in your retirement years? If so, these pointers could prove useful:

-- Make your housing move a family decision.

"Long-distance grandparenting is very difficult," Kornhaber says. A few years ago, he and his wife, who have four grandchildren and three great-grandchildren, moved across the country to live near several of them.

If you're contemplating a long-distance move to see more of the younger generation, he recommends you carefully think through all the implications of your move and discuss these in advance with your adult offspring.

"A lot more people in the current generation of retirees want to live near the kids. They're questioning whether a move to an adult community would be the right thing. But before they solidify their plans they need to go over them with the family," Kornhaber says.

The parents of many small children appreciate having the grandparents in close proximity for mutual support and perhaps also child care.

"When the family works as a unit, everyone is happier," Kornhaber says.

But he says that before you make a firm decision to move close to grandkids, you should determine whether their parents might also be uprooting in the near future --perhaps to take another job in a different state.

-- Make sure the new community you select is grandchild-friendly.

Do you and your spouse plan to retire to an area far from the grandkids' house? In that case, you'll want to make sure you select a community that allows extended guest visits, says Merrill Ottwein, a real estate broker and past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org).

"Some age-restricted adult communities or neighborhood associations limit the number of days that guests can stay over. And this could restrict vacation and summertime visits from your kids," he says.

-- Locate yourself on a quiet street, if possible.

No matter where they decide to live, Ottwein advises clients with grandchildren to position themselves on a road that's safe for the kids.

"For small children, your best bet is to live on a cul-de-sac with no through traffic. Second best is a low-traffic street with speed bumps and few cars passing through," he says.

Protecting children from road dangers is particularly important if you're caring for very young grandchildren on a full-time basis. But it's also ideal for older kids who like to take their bikes and ballgames out into the street.

-- Try to buy a place with space for overnight visits.

If your adult offspring live a plane ride away, and you don't plan to move near them, you probably still hope they'll come to visit and stay over. That being the case, you'll want to purchase a home that offers them comfortable accommodations.

"A guest suite with a private bath would be ideal for the visiting family. Even better would be two guest bedrooms that share a dedicated common bath," Ottwein says.

You may not be able to afford a place with such fancy guest quarters. But at the minimum, it would be nice to have at least one small extra bedroom that would, for example, accommodate a visiting teenager or younger grandchild.

"Young children like having a room at the grandma's place where they can keep their toys. If you can't give them a dedicated room, at least be sure your new house or condo has a corner of a room where they can store their things," Ottwein says.

-- Reject the notion that you'll need a big yard.

Ottwein, who has 13 grandchildren and lives near most of them, spends as much time as possible with the kids. Fortunately, he and his wife own a large property with extensive gardens and play areas. But he says it's not essential for downsizers to have a big yard, playground equipment or swimming pool to attract visits from offspring.

"It's great if you could at least live near a park, a rec center, a soda fountain or a movie theater. But remember that the main idea is just to spend quality time with the kids. And you don't need to live richly for that," he says.

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

As the velocity of home sale increases, the real estate industry is watching one indicator closely: the number of first-time homebuyers in the mix.

"For far too many young people, it's been more of a renters' market than a buyers' market for many years," says Chris Polychron, president of the National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org).

He cites statistics from a survey done by the association showing that the share of first-time buyers in the home-buying mix has been steadily dropping to its current level of about 33 percent. That's the lowest share since 1987.

While factors like high levels of student debt and slow wage growth have held back young buyers in the recent past, other things are starting to work in their favor, such as the gradual easing of credit standards and access to lower-down-payment mortgages.

Another major positive for buyers, according to Polychron, was the recent announcement of a reduction in the annual insurance premiums that must be paid by homebuyers who take out mortgages backed by the Federal Housing Administration (FHA).

These developments and overall generational trends lead Polychon to believe that an increasing number of first-time buyers will enter the market and close a deal this year.

"People's views on homeownership evolve over time. All it takes for many young adults to go from renting to wanting to buy is the birth of their first child. But even then, it's a challenge for young people living in a high- housing-cost market," he says.

Here are a few pointers for homebuyers, including first-timers, trying to beat the odds:

-- Take a strategic approach in the emerging buyer's market.

"It's a simple matter of economics. Where there are more sellers than buyers, the pendulum starts to swing back toward the buyer," says Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of "A Survival Guide for Buying a Home."

Sometimes would-be purchasers shopping in a buyers' market feel guilty about pressing their advantages when bargaining.

But Davis says such feelings are groundless.

"Where they have the upper hand, sellers grin all the way to the bank. They (weren't) a bit bothered by using their leverage when they were in the stronger position. And the same should hold true for buyers," he says.

-- Watch overpriced properties for price reductions.

In an area where the market is shifting in favor of buyers, it sometimes takes sellers time to adjust their thinking.

Have you targeted a neighborhood where you have a strong interest in one or more homes that you and your agent believe are priced well over market value? Then Davis suggests you may wish to wait until the sellers come down on their own before you start bidding.

"One day, sellers who've been unrealistic might wake up in a panic. After their house has been on the market for a good while, reality hits them between the eyes and then suddenly there's a big price drop," he says.

A significant price drop is often a signal that once-stubborn sellers are ready to bargain in earnest, maybe because they face a deadline of their own.

The key to a wait-for-a-price-drop strategy is to keep a close eye on a home so you can submit your bid at the opportune moment and not lose the property to another purchaser.

"Make sure you stay in close touch with your buyer's agent so you'll know the minute a price drop occurs. It's also a good idea to set up an alert to notify you by text or email that a price drop is occurring," Davis says.

-- Make sure you take full advantage of your right to a home inspection.

In sellers' markets of past years, would-be buyers who had to contend with rival purchasers would often waive their right to a home inspection to increase their appeal to sellers.

But Tom Early, a veteran real estate broker, say inspections are nearly always a vitally important idea, especially for those planning to buy a property that's over 15 years of age, which could have serious problems.

"If your inspector finds terrible things wrong, you may want to walk away from the deal before it closes," says Early, who was twice president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org).

In most cases, inspectors don't find serious shortcomings. Still, Early says that many lesser issues that are found can be used to the buyers' advantage in gaining concessions.

-- Don't insult the owners of any property you'd like to own.

In areas where rising inventories are giving buyers more power, Davis says some prospective buyers try to take liberties that can backfire.

One common mistake involves any statement you might make that wounds a seller's pride in their home. Another misstep involves making a ridiculously below-market bid which so stuns the owners that they may refuse to deal further with you.

"People who make ludicrously low offers are often the victims of their own folly," Davis says.

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

As the economy improves and gas prices fall, more homebuyers are pondering the purchase of a new house in a distant suburb where they can get more square footage for the money. But a leading expert on commuting warns of worse commutes ahead.

"The unfortunate reality is that traffic congestion gets worse when gas gets cheaper and more people have jobs," says Alan Pisarski, a transportation consultant and author of the "Commuting in America" book series.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance specialist and co-author of "Home Buying for Dummies," recommends that all buyers take the issue of commuting very seriously and recognize that gas prices will almost certainly rise again.

"Beware of the cyclicality of all energy prices. You don't want to trivialize the costs of a long commute in either money or time. There's also a fatigue factor that sets in, especially after you've done a lengthy commute for a few years," Tyson says.

Why are some homebuyers tempted to buy in an outer ring suburb? Tyson says that in many metro areas, the bulk of new home construction is situated in the outer tier, where developers can obtain the cheapest land.

"Lots of buyers -- including those on a tight budget -- want that big new house with all the bells and whistles. That's a house they can only afford far outside a city or town center," Tyson says.

Commuting problems aren't easily escaped in many areas. But Tyson says homebuyers who are careful to research the neighborhoods they're considering can ignore some of the more horrific travel problems. Here are a few pointers:

-- Try out your commute on more than one day of the week.

Many real estate specialists advise buyers to hold off on choosing an area until they know what their prospective commute would involve.

"You have to drive the drive at the actual times you'll be doing it daily. There's simply no substitute for such test drives," Tyson says.

Pisarski says one test drive is insufficient because the volume of traffic can vary widely from one day to another, especially on overburdened roads. He recommends Tuesday and Friday -- usually the heaviest traffic days -- for the best commuter tryouts.

-- Look for a commute that doesn't depend on a major highway.

The interstate highway system was designed for long- distance travel, not commuting, Pisarski notes. But commuters have increasingly come to depend on such roadways for daily trips to work and back.

In an effort to ease traffic congestion, many local governments are now widening roadways rather than starting from scratch with a new highway. Typically, an ambitious new road project is more controversial, costly and takes longer to build.

But Pisarski cautions that relying on a major highway as the main conduit of your commute can backfire when the unexpected occurs, such as when a tractor-trailer tips over and traps motorists for hours on end.

Listening to radio traffic updates can alert you to problems ahead of time. But such alerts are only helpful if you have alternative ways to reach your destination.

-- Consider a community not hemmed in by physical barriers.

Many communities face major traffic challenges. But some have better prospects for future relief than others.

"Homebuyers should be wary of a traffic-ridden community that's circumscribed by any physical barrier, such as mountains or a body of water," Pisarski says.

Moreover, he says road-construction projects to improve travel are much more likely in areas free of these natural obstacles.

-- Talk to residents in an outlying area where you'd like to live.

Though the details of their commutes will differ, your prospective neighbors should be able to tell you what roadways are the most troublesome and when.

Also, local residents may be able to tell you about future housing developments slated for their area, which will give you clues to whether current traffic problems might worsen dramatically in the future.

According to Pisarski, too many people take a mental snapshot of the current road situation and make the mistaken assumption that the picture won't change.

"With infrastructure projects backed up due to funding declines, traffic could easily get worse," he says.

-- Review your plans to move to a "fringe" suburb before committing.

As construction continues to bounce back in the aftermath of the recession, Tyson says congestion is increasing most rapidly in outlying areas. Yet these are the ones where new road construction struggles most to keep up with costly transportation projects.

It's easy to identify neighborhoods where local government services are strapped. Often they have schools bulging with students and emergency medical services under stress. They also lack funds to widen or replace the narrow roads built when the community was still rural.

It's understandable that income-constrained homebuyers would consider moving to an outlying area to get more house for their money. But those who make this trade-off should remember that they'll probably pay a higher price in other ways, Tyson says.

"Do you really want to live so far away from work that you'll roll into your driveway at 9 p.m. and have only enough time left to grab a bite and watch a little TV before going to bed? That kind of lifestyle could be too high a price to pay for your castle," he says.

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