A couple in their mid-30s, parents of three boisterous boys, felt cramped in their tiny suburban house. Because they longed for more elbow room and loved animals, they dreamed of moving to a small farm outside their city.

The couple’s real estate broker, Sid Davis, found them just such a property. But the night before they were to submit an impulsive offer, they couldn’t sleep. All night, they fretted about the implications of living on a farm. As they ruminated, it occurred to them that caring for animals would seriously hinder their plans to travel with the kids, and they backed off.

Davis, the author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home,” says the couple avoided a potentially disastrous move, but that many buyers fare better when they thoroughly investigate the consequences of a major lifestyle change.

“Sit down and really look at the reality of any significant move well before you finalize your decision. One way to do this is to take a weeklong vacation and hang around the new area, to get a good feel for what it would be like to live there,” Davis says.

Of course, many people who methodically plan a major housing move turn out to be very pleased with their decision.

Take the case of Sheree Bykofsky, a writer who left a pricey Manhattan neighborhood for the Atlantic City area of New Jersey. There, after a thorough investigation into all her options, she found a brand-new apartment with large windows that overlooked the ocean and a picturesque lighthouse for much less money than her New York City place.

Here are a few pointers for those seeking a more fulfilling existence through a housing transition:

-- Examine your larger life plan before making a major housing decision.

Inevitably, making a lifestyle change involves trade-offs, says Bykofsky.

“You have to ask yourself questions, focusing on your needs and desires and figuring out which ones are strongest,” says Bykofsky, author of “Me: Five Years from Now,” a step-by-step approach to lifestyle change.

She recommends the use of visualization techniques to picture how your ideal future would look. In doing so, she says you should take into account not only your housing preferences, but also your professional and financial situation, along with health concerns.

“It’s not just about the money,” says Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert who also advocates taking a holistic approach to real estate decisions.

Though financial planners can help, Tyson says many tend to overlook non-financial variables when they advise clients on housing choices.

-- Take into account your savings for retirement.

Before you upgrade your housing, Tyson urges you to review your preparations for retirement, especially if you’re nearing retirement age.

“Even though your dreams of upgrading your real estate may seem pretty modest, if you’re facing retirement in the near term you may need to postpone these dreams until you’ve saved more for retirement,” Tyson says.

To gauge how well prepared you are for retirement, he suggests you use the free planning calculators provided on the websites of such mutual funds as Vanguard and T. Rowe Price.

-- Remember that a bigger property will consume more upkeep time.

Suppose you'd like a bigger house complete with elaborate landscaping, such as a topiary garden, in the backyard. If a financial analysis shows you can afford it, should you go ahead on that basis alone?

Not without considering the implications for your time of owning a much larger property, Tyson says.

“Maintaining a really big home can be draining, both emotionally and physically,” he says.

Of course, if you relish gardening and are willing to expend much of your free time maintaining your grounds or overseeing the contractors who do the work, the purchase of a property with extensive landscape requirements may seem less of a burden.

Tyson, who co-authored “Home Buying for Dummies,” suggests people carefully review their personal priorities before taking on ownership of a property that will tax their time.

“You may want to rethink your dream if it involves a high-maintenance home that means you’ll have much less time to spend with friends and family. People can be house poor in time as well as in money,” he says.

-- Factor relative property costs into your moving decisions.

As a self-employed writer and literary agent, Bykofsky is free to live anywhere she likes. If you’re in the same position or are on the verge of retirement, you, too, could upgrade your lifestyle at a lower expense by moving to a new area.

As Tyson says, a disparity in property valuations means you might get a home you like much better at a lower price, just by changing venues.

“The truth is that property costs are intensely location specific. Someone leaving a high-cost area is often stunned by how much more house they could own for the same money in a cheaper city,” he says.

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

In many popular neighborhoods, starter homes continue to sell at a healthy pace. After all, such available properties are in extremely short supply in such areas. Still, there are signs that, relatively, buyer interest is now weaker in some expensive communities.

It’s all about supply and demand.

“The dismal number of listings in the affordable price range is squeezing prospective first-time buyers the most,” says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (www.realtor.org). But he notes there are many more homes available in pricier communities.

“In fancy neighborhoods, home prices have been escalating for so many months that some high-income people are delaying a purchase for the time being,” says Tom Early, a real estate broker and former president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Early says that while there are no magic bullets for sellers of homes in an unfavorable market, there are a few steps you can take to speed up the process.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Hire a professional “stager” for a minimal level of advice.

Staging is the art of transforming a property so potential buyers can visualize themselves living there. Properly done, staging accentuates a home’s attractive features and minimizes its drawbacks.

Working under a full-service contract, most stagers will provide an array of services. They’ll remove excess furniture and personal items and rearrange the remaining pieces. Often, they also supplement the owners’ furnishings with eye-catching accessories of their own.

Unfortunately, the cost of hiring a professional stager for a full contract menu of services can run $500 or more and exceed the amount many home sellers can afford, says Michelle Minch, the owner of a staging company called Moving Mountains Design (movingmountainsdesign.com).

But Minch says for a much lower price, perhaps around $100, budget-conscious sellers can obtain an abbreviated consultation and receive pointers they can execute themselves.

“For just an hour or so of consultation time, a good stager can tell you about furniture arrangement and also recommend mild, pleasing paint colors for your walls. You’ll get a road map for making your house move-in ready,” she says.

How can you find a competent stager who will work on an “a la carte” basis? Minch suggests you visit the website of the Real Estate Staging Association (realestatestagingassociation.com). Look for stagers in your area and be sure to check out their websites for examples of their work before you give them a call.

-- Hold a home-selling party with friends.

Sometimes, the owners of a property that’s lingered on the market will pressure their listing agents to conduct several public open houses. That way, they hope to increase their odds of selling promptly.

But traditional open houses rarely lead to a sale, says Lisa Atkinson, an agent affiliated with the Council of Residential Specialists (crs.com). That’s because these events typically attract few qualified home-buying prospects and are more likely to draw curiosity seekers. Most serious buyers see homes on an appointment basis, during a tour led by their agent, she says.

A better way to ignite renewed interest in your place is to throw a “home-selling party,” inviting your close friends and relatives. Such a party is more likely to lead to a sale. That’s because those close to you will be more motivated to promote the sale of your home than are strangers.

“In any case, the party can help revive your excitement about your home-selling goal,” Atkinson says.

-- Request that your listing agent spread the word about your property.

In extremely strong seller’s markets, well-priced properties practically sell themselves and listing agents have relatively fewer marketing duties. But in posh neighborhoods now, the well-honed marketing skills of an experienced listing agent are critically important.

One key marketing skill your listing agent can use is to “talk up” your place to other real estate agents who have home-buying clients of their own, Atkinson says.

“Strong agents will respond to your request to step up informal marketing of your place by spreading the word. They’ll make personal phone calls to other agents. They’ll also take flyers about your house to their professional meetings and hand them out. This way you should get more people over to visit your house,” she says.

“By alerting other agents to your property, your listing agent will enhance your chances of finding a buyer,” Atkinson says.

-- Take full advantage of blooming plants.

It’s nice to have fresh-cut flowers on display throughout your home’s interior. But if average market times in your neighborhood are quite long, the cost of keeping fresh flowers in your home can add up to a substantial sum.

One less expensive alternative is to display flowering, potted plants indoors and then, as the temperatures warm, to later install such blooms in your outdoor gardens, especially in the front of your house.

The color of bountiful, blooming plants is a great way to make any home more attractive, according to Minch, the staging company owner.

“Correct pricing is tremendously important. But every house that’s up for sale is an entrant in a beauty contest. And prettier is always better,” she says.

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

No matter your income or wealth, when you’re buying your first home, the mortgage process can seem bewildering.

“With so many moving parts, the process is nerve-racking for many folks not in the finance field. First, you’re under pressure to gather all your personal financial information. Then you worry your loan could fall through, which could cost you the chance to acquire your dream home,” says Keith Gumbinger, a vice president at HSH Associates, which tracks mortgage markets throughout the country.

Another factor that’s stressing buyers is recent uncertainty over the direction of mortgage rates. If rates rise significantly before their deal closes, buyers fear they could lose the ability to afford the house they’ve selected.

“Rates have been very volatile in recent weeks and could be more so as 2017 progresses,” says Gumbinger, who’s worked as a mortgage market analyst since 1984.

Given the difficulties facing first-time buyers, he says that finding a mortgage lender who offers personalized service can be very helpful.

Here are a few tips for buyers:

-- Initiate your mortgage search early.

The mortgage market is always evolving. With mortgage rates still hovering near historic lows, the overwhelming favorite choice of most homebuyers is a fixed-rate mortgage. Still, new products are constantly developing to appeal to a divergent set of buyers.

“Keep an open mind and explore your mortgage options,” says Sid Davis, a veteran real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.”

Most mortgage innovations involve adjustable-rate mortgages of one type or another. But they can differ dramatically relative to their names, terms and conditions.

“There are many puzzling twists and turns, especially with adjustable loans. That’s why it’s critical you know what you’re getting into before you commit to any mortgage product, fixed or adjustable,” Gumbinger says.

He says that both first-time buyers and those with more experience need as much lead time as possible to educate themselves on mortgage basics, to cull through alternative home loan choices, and to compare lenders and rates.

-- Look for a lender willing to get you started with tutorials.

Gerri Detweiler, a consumer advocate and author of “The Ultimate Credit Handbook,” encourages first-time buyers to seek out a mortgage lender who will instruct them on the intricacies of home loans.

“A good lender won’t think it unreasonable to spend a couple of hours teaching you the basics and helping you deal with potential flaws on your credit reports,” says Detweiler, who offers free credit pointers on her website, www.gerridetweiler.com.

But how do you find a sympathetic lender willing to usher you through your first or second attempt at home finance?

Gumbinger says real estate agents are usually a good bet for sound advice on finding a qualified lender. But he says you should look well beyond the suggestions of agents.

“For referrals, I recommend you use what I call the Satisfied Customer Index, also known as friends and family,” he says.

-- Go into the lender’s office fully prepared.

To maximize the use of your time and that of the lender you’ve chosen for your preliminary tutorials, there’s no substitute for gathering key documents in advance of your meeting. Ideally, these should include recent pay stubs, your latest W-2, a couple of years’ worth of federal tax returns, and bank account statements.

Using these documents, your lender should be able to quickly calculate your top borrowing limit and also assess your eligibility for various lending programs.

“Well before you’re ready to apply for a loan, you can bring the whole mortgage picture into much clearer focus by supplying basic documents related to your financial life,” Gumbinger says.

-- Determine your credit standing to make sure you get the best possible rate.

Under federal law, you're entitled to one free credit report each year from the three largest credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion. You can easily request these online at www.annualcreditreport.com.

Besides your credit reports, you'll want to access your credit scores. Such scores, which draw on data from the credit bureaus, seek to provide lenders with a quantitative measure of a person's credit risk. Most lenders still use FICO scores, pioneered by the Fair Isaac Corp. In most cases, you'll need to pay a fee to obtain your credit scores. One way to get them is through the Fair Isaac website: www.myfico.com. You can also receive credit scores through the three large credit bureaus.

Once you’ve chosen a property you want to buy, it’s time to get serious about making your mortgage application. And with your credit scores in hand, you can readily begin the process of comparison shopping on rates.

As Gumbinger says, you may wish to start the rate-shopping process with the lender who tutored you in the basics of home finance.

But he strongly suggests you extend your rate hunt well beyond the first lender you consulted. And he recommends you include community banks and credit unions in your search.

“It sounds like overkill. But it’s smart to take the time to make enough extra phone calls to collect at least a dozen rate quotes before going forward with a formal mortgage application,” Gumbinger says.

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