Europe is in turmoil after Britons voted to leave the European Union. The Middle East is in flames. China is in an economic slowdown. And at home, the U.S. presidential race has everyone's nerves frayed.

Yet most home sellers aren't worried about how these factors could affect the real estate market -- or their own potential for a positive outcome, says Sid Davis, a veteran real estate broker.

"Economic and political factors don't affect people's views on real estate unless the problems are in their neck of the woods," says Davis, author of "A Survival Guide to Selling a Home."

Of course, U.S. property markets were shaken in the aftermath of the foreclosure crisis that hit the country beginning in 2008. But the gradual U.S. economic recovery remains more or less on track.

In fact, there are several positives that keep current sellers smiling. One is that mortgage rates continue to hover near record lows, keeping property relatively affordable for buyers. Another is that houses are in short supply in many communities, and prices are still holding steady or rising.

Lawrence Yun, the chief economist for the National Association of Realtors, predicts that the good news should last in the months ahead. He anticipates that repeat buyers -- many of whom are trading up to larger properties -- will continue to make up the bulk of purchasers in the near future.

Kathy Zimmermann, a broker-owner with the Re/Max Realty chain, says anxiety levels are typically highest among sellers who face tight time limits because they're moving for a job transfer or because they've already committed to buying another property. In addition, those confronting divorce can become particularly frazzled if a house they expected to sell quickly sits unsold.

Anxious home sellers often lose sleep due to their worries and sometimes bother their listing agent early in the morning after a sleepless night, says Zimmermann, who's received calls and texts from worried clients as early as 5:30 a.m.

But Dorcas Helfant, a broker and former president of the National Association of Realtors, says the fault for a slow-moving house often rests not with the listing agent, but with owners who insist on an above-market price.

"Ask too much and potential buyers will be repelled by what they perceive as your greed," Helfant says.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Realize that hassling your listing agent could be counterproductive.

Zimmermann says anxious sellers can hurt themselves if they make unreasonable demands on their listing agents. For example, she tells how one of her clients emailed or called her at least two to three times per day, requesting a detailed update on everyone who'd toured his house and their reactions.

Putting a lot of pressure on an agent might seem like a helpful strategy. But it can easily backfire if the agent begins to resent your persistent inquiries, which could result in their dropping the client altogether.

-- Ponder the value of open houses to address a selling problem.

Helfant says that in most cases, public open houses provide little value to homeowners trying to hasten a sale.

She says open houses rarely attract serious, well-qualified purchasers. Many who visit open houses are neighbors or those seeking decorating ideas, while others are mere wishful thinkers who lack the means to go through with a deal.

Instead of pressing your agent to hold more open houses, Zimmermann says you could consider asking for an "office caravan" to gain pointers on making your property more salable. During such an event, many members of the sales force at the listing agent's office come over to critique the home and offer suggestions for upgrades.

For instance, the consensus of the group could be that you should repaint the sunrise yellow walls in your kitchen to a more neutral tone -- even if your agent didn't recommend that.

-- Remember that avaricious sellers often receive less than they deserve.

Accurate pricing is complicated, especially in neighborhoods where property valuations are in transition. In such areas, a study of recent sales -- what are known as "comparables" -- may not give you obvious answers on how much to ask.

Still, cautious pricing is all the more important at a time when many buyers -- including cash-short first-timers -- are still fearful they'll overpay. "Many people won't waste their time trying to negotiate with someone asking too much," Zimmermann says.

Sellers who live in an area with many very similar properties -- like a lot of townhouse communities -- should be particularly careful to avoid over-pricing. That's because buyers searching in such look-alike developments can easily spot overpriced units.

-- Channel your stress into a cleaning blitz.

Davis, who's sold property since 1984, says that in recent years he's noticed a steep decline in the cleanliness of properties shown for sale. He counsels anxious sellers to direct some of their nervous energy into a cleaning spree that covers every room in their place.

Showing a home in immaculate condition can give you a competitive edge over less-tidy people trying to sell in the same hamlet.

"If you're a slob and don't do anything about your mess before buyers start trooping through, you'll be punished," Davis says. "But if your house is well furnished and truly sparkles, you could be richly rewarded."

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

When Fred Meyer buys a new car, he takes a quick and systematic approach. First he browses a few dealers to pinpoint the exact model he wants. Then he requests price quotes from multiple dealers and takes delivery of the lowest-cost vehicle. That way he never overpays.

But when Meyer -- a veteran real estate broker and appraiser -- helps homebuyers decide how much to offer for a property, he does much more research on their behalf. He searches databases to see what homes in the same area have fetched recently. He also drives the clients by these closed sales to ensure they are truly comparable.

While a 2017 Honda Pilot is a generic purchase, a three-bedroom bungalow on Pine Street is not. It's not only that property values can vary widely due to differences in interior and exterior features. Values can also differ greatly due to locational differences. For example, a house on one side of a neighborhood could be worth significantly more than a very similar one on the other side because it's further from a congested roadway or closer to a neighborhood school.

"Determining the market value of a new car is absolutely not the same as figuring out the true worth of any given home. With cars you can have identical products. But nearly all homes are different," Meyer says.

Real estate pros say it's critically important for homebuyers to get a grip on local property values before they shape an offer.

"For buyers to depend on their hunches is a total mistake," says Tom Early, a real estate broker who was twice president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org). "If you overpay, you'll regret that for years."

Early says savvy buyers narrow their research to the precise area where they're looking. If you like a house on a certain street, you should focus there exclusively. Data gathered on state or national real estate trends will have little bearing on your situation.

In areas of the country where property values are high and still rising, it can be challenging for purchasers who've done their research to resist the urge to overpay, says Svenja Gudell, the chief economist for Zillow, the online real estate database group.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Look to the Internet for preliminary data on local valuations.

Early notes that several websites offer free information on property values and can prove a valuable resource. For example, he cites Zillow.com, which allows you to search data at either the property or neighborhood level.

However, he cautions buyers to keep in mind the limitations of such websites.

"The best they can do is point you in the right direction, getting you into the right ballpark," he says. "In many cases, these websites will either overestimate or underestimate values," he says.

Meyer says websites are no substitute for guidance from an astute real estate agent with a comprehensive knowledge of the area you're searching. Such a local specialist can often recite local property sale statistics from memory.

If you're considering purchase of an unusual, very upscale or one-of-a-kind property and are truly stumped about its value, Meyer recommends you consider hiring an appraiser.

"Appraising is an often forgotten profession, at least for homebuyers," Meyer says.

-- Take advantage of your agent's data sources.

The classic method used by real estate professionals to reach an estimation of value for a property is known as a "comparative market analysis." This technique is grounded in data on recent sales of similar homes to the one being judged.

"In those few new neighborhoods where housing units are essentially clones of each other, this process is pretty straightforward. It's a lot tougher in a neighborhood of older homes, or where every property is custom built," Early says.

"Determining value is both an art and a science. Experience plays a big role," Early says.

-- Consider neighborhood economic trends before you bid.

At a time when real estate market trends are relatively uncertain, as they are now, you need to look beyond closed deals to see where values are heading, according to Early.

"It's highly unusual for home values to rise or fall sharply in a few days or weeks -- as do stocks or bonds. But local economic factors can be hugely influential over time," he says.

For example, in an area that's heavily reliant on a single employer -- such as a military base -- cutbacks by the Pentagon or other employers can have a major impact on property values in nearby neighborhoods. Values can also ascend or decline due to changes in school district boundary lines.

"It's almost impossible to overestimate how much influence schools have in determining property values -- as can the reputation of a neighborhood with a prestigious ZIP code," Early says.

-- Review inventory levels before crafting any offer.

The supply-demand ratio has everything to do with the bargaining power of purchasers, Davis says. Therefore, your agent should keep you abreast of changing inventory levels throughout your search period.

"In areas where bidding wars are a reality, it's always a good idea to recheck inventory levels right before writing up a contract offer for a dream property. Then you're be more likely to submit an offer that's competitive with other bidders," he says

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

A couple in their late 20s located in a city where rents were spiraling upward decided that homeownership would be a good financial bet. They selected a modest townhouse for a good price and were lucky to acquire the place with significant down payment help from their parents.

But what about marriage? Though in love, the couple in this true story is delaying any decision as to whether to make such a binding legal commitment.

Relationship experts don't oppose the idea of cohabiting couples buying a home. But they urge couples to sort through the financial and emotional implications of joint ownership before taking that step.

"Even if you can afford to buy a house together right now, don't rush into that decision. Also, don't make the mistake of thinking that buying a house is a surrogate for a full commitment," says Bryn Collins, a therapist and the author of such books as "How to Recognize Emotional Unavailability and Make Healthier Relationship Choices."

Collins encourages couples who are serious about homeownership to develop a financial plan that addresses how they'll divide their mortgage and utility payments and what they'll do about the property if their relationship falls apart.

"Remember, this is a business transaction as well as a personal one," she says.

Here are a few pointers for cohabiting couples considering a purchase:

-- Try to avoid maxing out on your house payments.

Mark Nash, a long-time real estate broker and author of "1001 Tips For Buying and Selling a Home," encourages all home-buying couples, whether married or not, to cap their mortgage payments at no more than a quarter of their income, so as to protect their relationship from budgetary stresses.

Setting limits on how large a mortgage you'll take is an especially good idea in an uncertain economy like the current one, given that unemployment is always a possibility.

"Ideally, if one person loses a job, you can still keep your payments current on a single income. That's a big plus for your financial security and peace of mind," Nash says.

-- Ensure that both you and your partner weigh in on the choice of a home.

Nash stresses the need for both partners to have an equal say in property selection. This is especially key for cohabiting couples, whose ties are more easily severed than are those of married people.

"If one person is shut out when the house is chosen, this can easily backfire later as resentments develop," Nash says.

He suggests that any couple planning a home purchase go through a simple written exercise. Each partner draws up a list of his or her five top priorities for the property. Then they compare the two lists to look for overlaps.

"If at least three of the five items on each partner's lists don't match, then you need to get together and come up with a combined list that reflects the compromises both of you are willing to make," Nash says.

-- Discuss how your mortgage payments will be apportioned.

"When couples who are in love go together to make a house purchase, the 'elephant in the room' is usually money. Because it seems unromantic to talk about money, neither partner mentions financial issues before they move in," Nash says.

But Nash says it's far better to discuss these issues prior to your purchase. That way the couple could decide, for example, that each person will contribute to mortgage outlays in proportion to his or her income.

You'll also want to pre-determine who will be responsible for covering routine utility costs, along with upkeep and repair costs.

Then, too, it's wise to agree on how you'd handle things should one of you lose your job or become disabled.

"You need a game plan. You don't want one person feeling ambushed by the other, should an unexpected situation arise," Nash says.

-- Don't rule out using a mediator to help you develop your agreement.

When it comes to relationships, many people assume that mediators deal primarily with couples heading for divorce. But they can also help couples establish the groundwork for a strong live-in relationship, whether or not that involves marriage.

"The idea is to discuss the issues with a skilled third party so they don't become problems later," says Stephen Erickson, a professional mediator affiliated with the Association for Conflict Resolution, which represents trained mediators.

Mediators can help couples develop a mutually acceptable arrangement for handling financial issues that might otherwise become landmines.

A skilled mediator can also help you formalize a smooth exit plan, should you and your partner break up while living in the home you own together. This agreement should spell out the terms by which one partner could buy out the other's stake, assuming that's feasible, or how any proceeds will be divided if the place is sold to a third party.

"For cohabiting couples with property, a breakup can sometimes be even more messy than a divorce. That's because there's usually no divorce court to intervene and divide up the property. So it's wise to plan ahead for this scenario," Nash says.

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