A car salesman and his homemaker wife had long aspired to ownership of their first home near the Catholic school their daughter attends. After a short search, they were thrilled to find a freshly renovated ranch-style house that met their needs, and quickly obtained mortgage approval.

But just days before closing, the transaction came to an abrupt end, recalls Sid Davis, the real estate broker who represented the couple.

"As far as we knew, everything was going smoothly with the car salesman and his wife up until the very last minute, when they breached the sale and lost their deposit," he says.

The lesson is that when it comes to real estate, there are never any guarantees. Even sellers who follow all their listing agent's suggestions to the letter can run into problems, says Joan McLellan Tayler, the author of several real estate books and a former realty company owner.

Still, real estate specialists say there are several strategies that can help homeowners increase their odds of a successful sale. Here are a few pointers:

-- Pick a veteran as your listing agent.

Tayler says too many sellers take a casual approach to selecting an agent.

According to Tayler, sellers should opt for an agent with experience in handling lots of different kinds of deals. Those with a track record, she adds, are most apt to sniff out problems before they happen.

If for personal reasons you're determined to choose a newcomer, she suggests you ask that agent to share the listing with an established pro from the same office.

"With two agents on your side, you'll benefit from both their strengths," Tayler says.

-- Educate yourself on the finances of prospective buyers.

In the aftermath of the real estate downturn, regulators have become exceedingly strict in their oversight of mortgage lenders, resulting in far tighter standards for borrowers.

Smart sellers are careful to check the financial standing of would-be purchasers before they accept any bid.

"You don't want your deal to fall apart because the buyers couldn't get a mortgage," Davis says.

Before accepting an offer, sellers should insist on seeing a genuine "pre-approval" letter from a known lender. This should establish that the prospective buyers have had their credit checked, their employment confirmed and their assets verified.

Also, prospects can be asked to supply other details about their creditworthiness, such as their credit scores. The most common of these, known as "FICO scores," range from 300 to 850. The higher that number, the more likely it is that borrowers will get the loan they need to close the deal.

Buyers can obtain reports on their credit scores from this website: www.myfico.com.

-- Head off issues that could arise during an inspection of your home.

Nowadays, most purchasers exercise their right to a home inspection. And, as Davis observes, many use the findings of their inspector as leverage to renegotiate the deal.

"If the inspector finds anything seriously wrong, the buyers see that as an opportunity to cut you down on price," he says.

Homeowners should never try to talk buyers out of a home inspection. But smart sellers will consider paying for their own inspection even before the property goes on the market.

"The reality is that no two inspectors are likely to find the same minor problems. But both should discover the really huge issues, like water leaks that are undermining the structural integrity of the house," Davis says.

"You're far better off if you can anticipate the big issues with your property before your buyers find them and feel stunned and betrayed that they didn't know about them before they made their bid," he says.

-- Seek to avoid difficult people when doing a deal.

Not all home sellers can be choosy about the offer they select. But if you're reasonably certain you'll have more than one bid from which to pick, Davis says you could seek to avoid cutting a deal with someone who's made nasty comments about your property.

You may not have any direct dealings with your prospective bidders. But your listing agent or others can observe them when they visit your place. And their behavior can be very telling.

"Remember that you can't judge buyers by their superficial behavior and that the sale of a home is a business transaction. It's in your interest to be objective and not subjective. Even so, if you've received multiple bids with essentially the same terms and want to avoid unpleasant people, that's your right as sellers," he says.

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

As a homeowner facing the need to sell your place in 2016, your trepidation could be palpable. After all, the direction of the economy is uncertain and the future is all the more confusing in the year of a presidential contest.

Even so, this could be an excellent year to sell, says Dorcas Helfant, a past president of the National Association of Realtors (realtor.org).

But Helfant, the co-owner of several realty offices, cautions that the strength and speed of your sale could be heavily dependent on whether you select a seasoned agent who knows your local market and is a highly responsive communicator.

As it happens, some listing agents who tout the high volume of their sales are less responsive to their clients than they should be, says Michael J. Connerly, the author of "How to Win With Real Estate," who addresses sellers on his website: usahomebuyerguide.com.

"Although most agents are good, some are playing a numbers game. They take lots of listings, but don't give each one the attention it deserves," says Connerly, who sold property for 20 years and limited himself to no more than 10 listings at a time.

Here are a few pointers for sellers on agent selection:

-- Take a close look at the agent's track record.

Perhaps the agent you're planning to hire touts an impressive record of annual sales. Still, this agent might not be the ideal one for you, says Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of "House Selling For Dummies."

Tyson urges prospective sellers to obtain an "activity list" from any agent they're considering. This should itemize all sales closed in the prior 12 months and should include the property location, as well as the list and sale prices.

Why is this roster more revealing than information on an agent's aggregate sales volumes? Because, as Tyson says, an activity list tells you if the agent is routinely selling homes of a similar type and with a similar market value as your property.

"Suppose you're selling a small condo in a nondescript location and the agent is making most of his commissions from classy waterfront houses worth at least $1 million. In that case, your transaction could easily get overlooked by the agent," Tyson says.

Conversely, if your property is at the higher end, you should steer clear of agents who deal mostly with starter-level properties.

"Like professionals in any other field, people in real estate develop a specialty and skills to match," Tyson says.

-- Find out about an agent's vacation and travel plans.

Like everybody else, real estate agents enjoy getting away now and then. But it could be unwise to hire an agent who plans a break during the first two to four weeks after your place goes up for sale -- when buyer excitement should be at its peak.

Some agents rely on backups when they're away. But Tyson says this isn't the ideal option for clients, especially if the agent will be gone for more than two to three days.

It's unreasonable to expect listing agents to reveal their travel plans for a full year ahead. But Tyson says you should expect full disclosure about any lengthy absence that would occur within the initial weeks of your listing.

-- Avoid an agent who's unresponsive to you.

From the moment your home goes on the market, you'll need your listing agent to keep you in the loop on your sale.

If your agent stages an open house for real estate professionals in your area -- known as a "broker's open" --you'll want to receive their comments about the price and condition of your property. Likewise, you'll want timely feedback from prospective buyers who tour your place.

Why is feedback vital to a successful sale? Because it permits you to make course corrections quickly, even after your property hits the market. For instance, it would let you drop your asking price by a notch before your home gets branded as "overpriced."

Your listing agent should be the one giving you feedback on a regular basis. To ensure this happens, you need someone who is conscientious about gathering comments about your place and passing them on.

Helfant says one way to help identify a responsive agent is to ask the person's references if they received regular feedback. Also, before signing a listing agreement, make sure it stipulates how often and under what circumstances your agent will call, email or text you with updates.

"For strong agents, good communication is the lifeblood of their work," she says.

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

Some longtime renters have tried unsuccessfully for years to save money toward their dream of homeownership. What stops them? In many cases the problem is out-of-control spending.

"If your goal is to buy a house, compulsive spending can stop you from ever reaching that goal," says Judith Briles, the author of "Money Smarts For Turbulent Times."

Carried to an extreme, overspending can impoverish you and lead to broken relationships.

"Watch for red flags that you have a serious problem -- such as that you can no longer make your rent or minimum payments on your credit cards," Briles says.

In such severe cases, she says you may need to consult a therapist to help resolve your issues or join a support group such as Debtors Anonymous.

"In spite of economic problems in this country, a nice home is still a dream for people at all income levels. People still want the freedom and autonomy of owning a place that suits their lifestyle," says Judy Lawrence, a budget coach and author of "The Money Tracker: Find the Cash to Get What You Really Want."

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Document your spending and then trim expenses where possible.

The technique of doing a budget, often called a "spending plan," isn't difficult, but requires close attention to detail, Lawrence says.

Before deciding where you can and can't curb your spending, you must first see clearly where your money is now going. You don't need an elaborate software program for this. Personal finance specialists say a pencil-and-paper system is often your best bet when creating a budget, especially if you're a novice at the process.

"Look at your recent checking account and credit card statements and then write down what you've spent for the last three months, breaking your expenses into two broad groupings: mandatory and discretionary," Lawrence says.

Mandatory costs include items like car payments and childcare expenses. Discretionary items include restaurant tabs and clothing outlays. After tracking your prior spending, search within the discretionary section for low-priority items that could be cut.

A couple who dreamed of buying a small but elegant 1920s-era bungalow found a number of expenses they could cut with little pain. The wife, a marketing administrator, slashed her clothing bills and her husband, a therapist, gave up his season baseball tickets. The couple also canceled their membership in a wine-tasting club and drastically reduced their restaurant spending.

The savings soon piled up, ultimately allowing the couple in this true story to replace a series of small spending pleasures with the much larger reward of owning their ideal city home, located near a verdant city park.

"A budget is simply a way to control small expenses now so you can savor bigger pleasures later," says Lawrence, who offers money management tips on her website, moneytracker.com.

-- Bypass budget busters on the way to your money goal.

Of course, it's not enough to create a spending plan if you don't stay on track and remain faithful to it. That means depositing money in savings every time you get paid and avoiding temptations to veer off-course.

Lawrence recommends that people trying to stay on a tight budget jot down all their expenditures as they make them. This should increase your awareness of where your money is going. Then make sure you enter all these expenses in your budget book.

Are you a shopaholic who gets a high from making purchases, but later wonders why you bought all that non-essential stuff? If so, Lawrence urges you to follow the "24-hour rule." When going shopping (for anything but food), leave your cash and credit cards at home. Make your selections, but allow yourself at least one full day to decide what items are truly essential and then return to the store to purchase only these.

-- Limit eating-out costs both small and large.

It's no secret that many people overspend due to frequent visits to coffee shops like Starbucks, a realization that prompted the chain to offer brews for frugal folks. But many people still remain unaware of how much they're spending for weekday lunches and fine dining.

Nearly every financial adviser recommends that clients take a close look at their "eating out" expenses. As Lawrence says, many people find this a black hole and realize, upon reflection, that more cooking at home could dramatically reduce their food expenses.

-- Contain your generosity, at least until you reach your savings goal.

Lawrence, who does one-on-one money coaching, also urges clients to be extremely watchful about another group of expenses known as "gifts." Birthdays and holidays cause many to let go of their purse strings for emotional reasons.

Before you buy any gifts, Lawrence suggests you write down what you intend to spend and then use the "24-hour rule" to stay within your shopping limits. Also, watch out for emotional reactions that could undermine your gift-giving plans.

"Many people give big gifts because they want to feel loved or appreciated, or maybe to gain attention. But this practice could seriously hamper your savings plans. Also, large gifts can make the receivers uncomfortable --especially if they can't afford to reciprocate," Lawrence says.

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