Right after a couple in their late 20s were married, they spent a day searching for a house to buy in a city neighborhood popular with their friends. Excited to find a renovated townhouse, they immediately bought the place.

But a month after the papers were signed, the wife happened upon a website detailing several serious crimes that recently occurred in the immediate area, including several rapes and armed burglaries. Horrified, the wife was adamant she'd never live in the townhouse they'd agreed to buy.

The couple managed eventually to back out of their purchase. But their buyers' remorse proved costly both in legal fees and a lost deposit. As a result, they put their home-buying plans on hold and decided to rent an apartment in an entirely different section of the city.

As this true story illustrates, a poorly thought out home-buying decision can have unhappy consequences. But real estate specialists say much of the angst and expense of buyer's remorse can be avoided with research and planning.

"It's all about doing your homework. ... (and making) sure you have some breathing room written into your sales contract to allow you to back out if problems are found in the immediate aftermath of your purchase," says Sid Davis, a veteran real estate broker.

"If time allows, why not drop by the closest police station and ask for data on recent incidents? As citizens, you're entitled to these statistics," says Davis, the author of "A Survival Guide For Buying a Home" and several other real estate books.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Try to keep your emotions in check when shaping a bid.

Joan McLellan Tayler, who owned a realty firm for 15 years, says would-be buyers who in the past have lost houses to other bidders are sometimes prone to rush into a deal they might later regret.

Granted, buying a home is currently a competitive activity in many neighborhoods. But as Tayler says, every property should be evaluated on its merits, not on the number of people vying to own it.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of "Home Buying For Dummies," suggests buyers set a ceiling on how much they're willing to pay for a property before making an opening bid.

-- Seek information from neighbors in an area you've targeted.

Your agent should be helpful in sorting through property listings, making sure you identify the most promising homes available.

But once you have your eye on a particular place, it could be the time to talk to those who know the community best: neighbors.

Before Tyson and his wife bought the colonial-style place they still own, he walked around the community, chatting with residents and picking up a large amount of useful information.

"Believe me, most neighbors will bend your ear about their area," he says.

-- Look at enough properties to make an informed comparison.

Tyson and his wife visited 15 properties before settling on their ultimate choice, a four-bedroom colonial with a circular driveway in front.

Even if the first place you see looks perfect, you'll want to ponder alternatives to make sure you have a basis for comparison, says Tyson, who recommends that home shoppers look at a minimum of six properties before they buy.

"Buyer's remorse is much less likely if you've examined several options, even if you must do so in a single day," he says.

-- Get smart about local property values.

If you're uneasy about the price tag attached to a property you like, have your real estate agent show you several comparable homes that are also on the market, including those under contract, Tyson says.

Resourceful buyers might even go a step further by asking those who've recently bought into the neighborhood whether they'd mind giving them a peek inside.

"Drop a little note in their mailbox telling them you're interested in the neighborhood and leave your contact information in case they'll let you come by," Tyson says.

What's the advantage of evaluating the price and quality of freshly sold homes? In areas where home prices are rising, the latest sales are the most telling, more so than transactions that occurred months ago, he says.

-- Don't surrender your right to a home inspection.

Almost without exception, homebuyers are entitled to an inspection of a property once their offer is accepted by its sellers. But in hot markets, some buyers are now waiving this right, believing their bid will be more appealing to the sellers if they do so.

Tyson says he understands why some buyers voluntarily give up the right to an inspection, particularly if they're trying to purchase a home in a strong sellers' market. Still, he argues that an inspection could expose unseen defects, such as a heating system problem, that may not be apparent until after the move.

"No matter how hot the market, I would never advise buyers to forgo an inspection. If for competitive reasons you don't want to have this right in your contract offer, at least you should ask the owners for the chance to do an inspection before you make a bid," Tyson says.

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

Home sales have dipped recently in what the National Association of Realtors calls the "tightening grip" of rising prices due to limited inventories of available property.

To keep sales buoyant going forward, the real estate industry is counting on homebuyers now in their 20s and 30s, known as millennials. But many in this cohort are living paycheck to paycheck and find it tough to save for a down payment.

To make matters worse for young buyers, the supply of "starter homes" has fallen drastically, even as prices for such properties have risen, according to Ralph McLaughlin, chief economist for Trulia, the online real estate site for buyers and sellers.

Sophia Bera, a certified financial planner, encourages young buyers to think seriously about taking a second job until they can reach their down payment goal.

"Try to earn an extra $500 to $1,000 per month with a 'side hustle.' This could be freelance writing, driving (for) Uber, walking dogs or doing two shifts a week at a restaurant. Look at the skills and interests you have and go from there," says Bera, the author of a new ebook titled "What You Should Have Learned About Money But Never Did."

She also recommends that young buyers consider slashing their spending on non-essentials and letting go of the expenses of car ownership by reengineering their daily commutes to involve carpooling or biking to work.

Eric Roberge, who heads a millennial-focused financial planning firm, recommends that wannabe first-time buyers consider moving back into their parents' home to cut their rental expenses, a step he took temporarily to generate the cash he needed to start his small business.

Here are a few pointers for first-time buyers:

-- First, get a grasp on your current financial picture.

One major barrier to saving for a home is uncontrolled day-to-day spending, says Tom Early, a real estate broker and past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents.

As a prelude to cutting your spending, he recommends you review all your expenditures for the most recent three-month period. You can do this with pencil and paper or with such personal finance software as Quicken, Early's favorite. Alternatively, you can turn to such free online money management tools as Mint (www.mint.com).

A full inventory of all your spending can consume many hours as you comb through credit card and checking account statements. Indeed, Early says the process might take up to an entire weekend. Nevertheless, he insists it's a crucial first step for any individual or couple determined to reduce spending to buy a home.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of "Homebuying For Dummies," allows that many young adults strongly resist the notion of micro-managing their money. But he says it's worth the temporary constraints involved.

-- Create a spending plan with home-buying in mind.

Once you know where your money is going, you're in a good position to build a budget that ideally should both allow for your core needs and let you start assembling enough savings for your home purchase.

In some categories such as restaurant tabs, you're likely to find a good deal of low-hanging fruit for pruning. But he says wannabe budget cutters should examine every area in search of potential cuts.

As you move forward with your budget, don't overlook seemingly small or relatively infrequent expenditures that can add up quickly, like popcorn at the movies or hot dogs at a baseball game.

Another fertile area for cutbacks? Your cable TV bill.

"I'm always astonished at the large sums people spend for cable, which can cost more than $200 per month," Tyson says.

-- Face your credit card debt.

It's not only student loans that hold back some potential homeowners. It's also credit card debt, much of which may have been acquired during the college years.

"Credit card debt, especially high interest-rate debt, is toxic to a savings plan. You've got to zero it out. I strongly recommend that people get out of all their double-digit credit card debt," Tyson says.

Of course, it's not easy to pay off large credit card balances. But doing so will help you in two ways. You'll free up capital for your down payment and, over time, you could improve your credit score.

Most people don't need a financial adviser to help them dig out from credit card debt, Tyson says, though you can find useful guidance through a book on the subject. One that he recommends is "Deal With Your Debt: Free Yourself From What You Owe," by Liz Pulliam Weston.

-- Beware of friends trying to talk you out of buying a home.

If you're a relatively recent college graduate with many friends who have busy weekend social schedules and expensive hobbies, you could confront a major psychological barrier to progressing with your own home-buying plans.

"When you're young, it's not a cool thing to be saving money to buy a house. Your friends may view this as fuddy-duddy and try to talk you out of it," Tyson says.

But he says those who allow their friends to dissuade them from pursuing homeownership in the next year or two might one day live to regret it, especially if home prices continue to rise during that period.

"One of the great things about owning a house is that it makes you less vulnerable to unexpected increases in your rental costs," Tyson says.

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

First, her husband died suddenly after a severe stroke. Then she lost her job. Then her financial planner told her she'd need to sell the house where the couple had lived for more than 20 years.

The 59-year-old engineer in this true story agrees that a move is necessary. And she's confident that her property, a custom-built place in a heavily wooded setting, will sell quickly and for a good price once it's ready for the market. But as a self-described packrat, she's worried about the enormity of the task she faces to cull through her vast collection of accumulations.

"If you're going to sell your house for what it's worth, it's essential that you clear away all your clutter. Otherwise, no one can appreciate the inherent beauty of your place or sense the size of your rooms," says Vicki Norris, an organizing consultant who heads her own firm.

"The problem is that very few buyers can envision a home's potential when it's filled with junk," says Tom Early, a veteran real estate broker and past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org).

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Determine your clutter profile.

"Everybody who stacks their house to the rafters has their own particular reasons," says Norris, author of the book "Restoring Order: Organizing Strategies to Reclaim Your Life."

Norris, a former real estate agent, tells of a wealthy client who felt shortchanged as a child during holidays. As a result, she developed an irresistible urge to acquire Christmas decor and gift wrap in massive quantities.

Another woman who rarely cooked had purchased more than 100 cookbooks before realizing she was doing so to settle a score with her mother, who refused to let her cook when she was young. Though her mom had passed away, she remained bitter about this restriction.

Norris urges clients who are selling their homes to get to the root of their packrat problems so these won't carry over to their next home.

"A move presents you with a wonderful opportunity for a fresh start. ... You've got to change your thinking to change your behavior," she says.

-- Stop the inflow to keep the purging process on track.

Shopping is a hobby for many, who relish the thrill of hunting through stores for bargains. People often resort to shopping as a mood-lifter or a remedy for loneliness.

Continuing to shop during your de-cluttering process threatens your momentum, according to Diana Thomas, a professional organizer who's worked with many would-be sellers.

"At the very least, you've got to stop buying more of the things for which you have a weakness, even if you find them at bargain prices," Thomas says.

-- Develop a timeline and a step-by-step plan for de-cluttering.

Thomas says homeowners who plan to sell their property should allow the maximum available time for de-cluttering.

"Because it's laden with decision-making, going through your belongings can be exhausting,"" she says.

Thomas can spend multiple weeks to multiple months helping her clients cull through seemingly endless numbers of belongings. But that's a realistic timeframe for people who've long been packrats.

Professional organizers estimate that 2 percent of all Americans are "chronically disorganized," meaning they have deep-seated psychological issues related to the acquisition and handling of material items.

"For them, it's a much longer process to clear through their things. They might need a full year before they can move out of a house where they've lived a long time," Thomas says.

An increasing number of professional organizers are trained to work with the chronically disorganized. To learn more, and find out if you fall in this category, you may wish to contact the Institute for Challenging Disorganization (www.challengingdisorganization.org).

-- Approach the purging process systematically.

Most prospective home sellers can plow through their belongings without the intervention of a professional organizer, though the help of a non-judgmental friend or family member is often useful.

For those tackling the process alone, Thomas offers several tips.

She recommends you work on just one room at a time, or a small part of that room if it's crowded. Make sure you take an ample number of breaks to avoid fatigue, and don't pass up nutritious meals that help keep you going.

Do you find it hard to part with memory-rich items, like a collection of trophies your son acquired during his teenage baseball years? Then Thomas suggests you assemble your treasures and, before letting them go, take a photo of these to hang on the wall of your new place.

She says bibliophiles who struggle to part with an overflow of books often do well to donate them to an organization that will put them to good use. Other collections with intrinsic value, such as antique teacups, can be easily sold through an Internet marketplace such as Craigslist or eBay.

Thomas also advocates using a reward as an incentive to help spur your de-cluttering project. This could be a brief vacation or a festive party at a restaurant. But the best motivational tool for many people is to begin visiting the kind of home where they'd next like to live.

"If you must make an involuntary move, it's a lot more helpful to look forward rather than back," Thomas says.

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