The house looked like a castle -- a French provincial on a large yard in a cushy gated development. But its owners were exhausted by their long commutes and wished to move closer to their jobs.

Unfortunately, it took them more than a year and two price cuts to finally sell their mansionlike property. This didn’t surprise their listing agent, Ashley Richardson, who often represents the owners of such high-end homes.

“The luxury market is always a limited market. That’s because there are relatively fewer buyers with enough income to support payments on an upper-tier house,” says Richardson, who’s affiliated with the Council of Residential Specialists (www.crs.com).

Other factors are also contributing to the situation. “In some big costly markets, there’s been a lot of new construction in the premium segment,” says Ralph McLaughlin, the chief economist for Trulia (www.trulia.com), the online real estate service for buyers, sellers and renters.

He advises those with a luxury home to sell to make sure they locate a listing agent with in-depth knowledge of their local turf -- someone who has the capacity to price accurately and in accord with neighborhood market conditions.

“The last thing any homeowner should do is price too high. An overpriced house can linger on the market for a long time, making people wonder if there’s something wrong with it,” McLaughlin says.

Here are a few other pointers for luxury home sellers:

-- Don’t let hubris affect your pricing decisions.

If you're proud of your house and the luxury features it offers, you may be tempted to set your asking price higher than most of the homes in your immediate vicinity.

But Dorcas Helfant, a veteran real estate broker-owner, warns against doing so, lest you scare away price-conscious home shoppers.

“Your first step is to determine the current market value of homes with the same floor plan in your neighborhood. Then go no higher than the top of that price range,” says Helfant, a former president of the National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org).

-- Select a listing agent skillful in creating strong visuals.

“Anyone who owns a home in model condition should be doubly sure it looks good in all its online advertising and marketing materials,” Helfant says.

As Helfant relates, a growing number of agents have become skillful users of digital photography and can now produce the kinds of pictures sellers need to appeal to prospects.

“Before buyers tour houses, they’ll go online and maybe also go to their agent’s real estate office to pre-screen photos of available listings on a wall-mounted monitor. If your house doesn’t show well in pictures, many buyers will simply decline to go see it,” Helfant says.

Before photos are taken, she says all sellers, including the owners of premium properties, should be attentive to the clutter in their rooms.

“Everything shows in photos. So you’ll want to remove every bit of clutter, including those decorative magnets on the refrigerator and the dish towels hanging over the oven,” Helfant says.

-- Consider a community-wide open-house event.

Many real estate agents downplay the value to sellers of open houses, saying they rarely attract serious buyers. But Helfant says there’s a way to maximize the impact of a public open house conducted for your premium property: encourage other sellers in the neighborhood to hold open houses ON the same day, thereby increasing your potential draw.

She suggests you ask your listing agent to call the other agents representing all the available listings in your neighborhood and try to coordinate your open houses.

“With more traffic, you have a better chance of drawing in serious buyers,” Helfant says.

According to Helfant, a neighborhood-wide open house event can be especially helpful to the sellers of a premium property, which will stand out in comparison with other available homes.

-- Remain steadfast on your selling plans.

Understandably, the owners of homes in showcase condition often have mixed feelings about letting go of a property they’ve babied through the years of their tenure. This is especially likely in hot neighborhoods where sellers figure they can afford to delay.

But before letting emotion cause you to back off from your selling schedule, it’s important to look at the big picture of your personal and financial plans to see if it would be in your interest to postpone your sale.

Tom Early, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org), says owners who plan to sell and then make a move-up purchase to a still costlier property may wish to accelerate their timing to avoid the potential for higher mortgage rates.

“We’ve been slumbering for a while with very comfortably low mortgage rates. But with a new administration in Washington ... you can never be sure what will happen with the economy and how that could translate to higher rates,” Early says.

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

Statistics on home-buying show a strong and enduring trend toward purchasers seeking more square footage, with three, if not more, bedrooms.

Why are more bedrooms such a hot ticket? Those who track buyer preferences say one major factor is the current popularity of an old-fashioned idea: different generations living under the same roof.

“Across all family types, we’re seeing more multi-generational living,” says Jessica Lautz, research director for the National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org).

John Rygiol, a longtime real estate broker affiliated with the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org) says that beside extended family needs, quality-of-life concerns are increasing demand for extra bedrooms.

“People want a ‘guest bedroom’ where a husband or wife can sleep if the other one snores. Also, many folks love an extra bedroom or two for their hobbies,” Rygiol says.

Is a home with four bedrooms affordable for many buyers? Surprisingly yes, says Jon Boyd, a real estate broker and former president of NAEBA.

As Boyd explains, home values are determined primarily by location, as well as square footage. And the square footage of many four-bedroom homes is often no greater than three-bedroom homes in the same neighborhood. Because of that, he says a fourth bedroom also doesn’t typically add much, if anything, to the home’s utility costs.

Even so, he says that having a fourth bedroom can significantly improve the resale potential of a property.

“Nowadays, a four-bedroom home will usually sell faster than a three-bedroom one in the same neighborhood,” Boyd says.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Look ahead to the future needs of your household.

Boyd, who heads his own independent real estate company, says it’s not unusual for young couples to fail to factor in family planning when choosing a home.

Maybe you’re expecting your first child in two or three years. In this case, he says that purchasing a place with a bedroom that could serve as a nursery is a better bet than changing houses after the baby arrives.

“Ideally, you’ll want to hold the house you buy now for a period of at least four or five years before you move again,” Boyd says.

Buyers with teenage children should also be aware they may need housing even beyond their date of graduation from college or grad school.

-- Realize that room-sharing can be a viable option for large families.

By the time they reach kindergarten, if not before, most children yearn for a bedroom of their own. Yet if your family is large or you hanker to convert at least one bedroom to a home office, it may not be possible to furnish each child with a private bedroom.

Still, Boyd says buyers needn’t worry if the house they purchase has too few bedrooms to meet their children’s wishes. He sees some benefits to room-sharing, especially for pre-adolescent children.

“My two daughters shared rooms until they were 12 or so. That way they learned to make compromises and to get along,” Boyd says.

-- Consider a first-floor master suite for an elder parent.

Boyd estimates that at least 20 percent of all homebuyers are “talking about an elder parent moving in with them at some point in the future.”

If this is a possibility in your case, he says you should consider buying a one-level, ranch-style home or a place with a first-floor suite, complete with a private bath.

Even if your parents can easily scale the stairs now, they might find it a lot harder later. Having easy access to a bedroom with a full bath can be especially important to those who are elderly or have a disability.

“Because of the aging population, a first-floor master suite can also be a plus for resale,” Boyd says.

-- Make certain that any room counted as a “bedroom” fits the definition.

Given the popularity of properties with plenty of bedrooms, Rygiol says it’s not unusual for home sellers to sometimes stretch the definition when counting their bedrooms.

On occasion, for example, some sellers will place an armoire and a bed in a small den or another spare room and then call it a “bedroom.” Or they’ll count a sitting room off a master suite as a “bedroom.” But Rygiol says homebuyers shouldn’t be fooled by these falsely named “bedrooms.”

“If the room doesn’t have its own built-in closet and a window or door for egress, it’s not a bedroom. The same goes for a room that can only be entered through another bedroom. Remember that neither one of these rooms should count as a true bedroom,” he says.

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

Call it a retreat, a haven, a safe harbor. But whatever name you give it, a private home, especially one owned by its occupants, represents the proverbial castle that offers solace. And in a turbulent world, that feeling of calm has become all the more important for homebuyers.

"We're all going back to our human roots, for shelter, comfort and escape," says Ashley Richardson, a veteran real estate agent who first began selling homes in 1993.

Elizabeth Mendenhall, a real estate broker and president-elect of the National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org), says that the home features and finishes chosen by the current generation of homebuyers reflect their desire for an easygoing style of living.

"Fireplaces create a relaxing ambiance, as do spa-worthy features in bathrooms. These include steam showers and showers with multiple heads. People are always looking for a little bit of luxury," she says.

Moreover, the desire for calm is also reflected in preferences for paint colors.

"Buyers now like more muted paint colors, such as light blues, grays and greens. They like these better than bright colors like yellows," Mendenhall says.

Here are a few pointers for buyers seeking that special something:

-- Seek surroundings that seem calming to you.

Because there's no single answer as to the type of neighborhood most likely to put you at ease, one key is to reflect back on your past habitats and recall how you felt living in those various settings.

"Maybe you want to cocoon in a neighborly place where people get to know each other as friends. Others want ... anonymity of isolation and are most at peace in a wooded area where neighbors keep their distance," says Tom Early, a real estate broker and past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (www.naeba.org).

One thing preferred by the majority of buyers is a quiet street.

"To reduce your chances of being bombarded by noise, choose a community with very little cross-through traffic," Early says.

How can you gain assurance that the neighborhood you choose will be relatively free of traffic rumbling through?

Early recommends you visit your target community during a weekday morning or afternoon rush-hour period. Park your car and listen for the noise levels generated by the traffic.

-- Search for a home with a large kitchen.

For most people, the heart of a satisfying floor plan is the kitchen. And as busy couples and families spend more time together cooking, a cost-saving alternative to restaurant tabs, the size of the kitchen becomes more of an issue.

"Cooking together is the ultimate nesting experience. But you need sufficient space to cook side-by-side," says Mark Nash, a longtime real estate broker and author of "1001 Tips For Buying and Selling a Home."

To obtain a sizeable kitchen without blowing the family budget, you might consider trading off a formal dining room in the house you select, says Eric Tyson, co-author of "Home Buying For Dummies."

-- Choose a property suited to home entertainment.

Although many giant houses built within the last 10 years have dedicated home theaters -- complete with professional quality audio and video equipment, etc., this feature is less popular than many proponents had expected, according to Tyson.

Another home entertainment option that works poorly for many people is to place a large-screen TV in a spare bedroom.

"Most bedrooms, even master bedrooms, aren't big enough for comfortably viewing a big TV. You need more floor space than that," Tyson says.

Those intent on acquiring a place where they can enjoy home entertainment on comfortable sofas should consider a place with a large family room or a "great room," he says.

-- Consider a place with an extra bedroom for fitness.

"To save money, a lot of people are trading off their gym memberships in favor of working out at home. I'm very happy with the elliptical machine I've owned for years. Over time, you get a much bigger payback for the money you spend on exercise equipment than on gym dues," Nash says.

Although a spare bedroom usually works poorly as a home entertainment area, it can function well as an exercise room.

"You'll probably enjoy a better resale price if (your house) has an extra bedroom that the new owners could use as a hobby area or a home office," Nash says.

-- Look for exquisite interior finishes.

"For people who want a delightful retreat, think beautiful millwork. Even in a small house, it adds great warmth," Nash says.

He cites crown moldings, six-inch base moldings and raised panel doors as among the most popular elements of interior architecture. French doors also make rooms more livable.

"It's hard to overestimate the importance of visual appeal to the desirability of a home. Maybe you can't spend a fortune for a big house. But even a small place with gorgeous finishes can give you a wonderful, welcoming feel," Nash says.

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