A woman of 27, an assistant at a Los Angeles investment firm, has long dreamed of doing an MBA on the East Coast and now has several offers from top programs. Though she’s yet to decide on the university, she’s certain to make a long-distance move. And that will mean drastically reducing the accumulations in her spacious L.A. apartment.

“Downsizing isn’t just for empty nesters. To meet their goals, many millennials must go through this challenging process too,” says Tyler Whitman, a New York real estate agent who specializes in helping young adult clients.

During her four years in California, the young investment assistant has acquired a lot of stylish furniture. She’s also purchased countless items of clothing and shoes, along with numerous books and pieces of cooking gear.

Of course, the young woman could always hire a moving company to transport her belongings across the country. Or she could stash them in a paid storage unit. But to save money, professional organizers urge her to do neither.

“Average millennials have a bright future with many moves ahead. Hauling all that baggage with them or paying to store it slows them down and isn’t either wise or cost-effective,” says Tanya Whitford, a former actress and certified professional organizer whose clients include many in the entertainment field.

Some millennials are tempted to store their belongings at the home of their parents. But Whitford says this too could be a flawed strategy.

“Maybe your parents will refuse to house all your stuff or they’ll need to downsize themselves in the near future,” says Whitford, who advises downsizers to streamline their material lives whenever possible.

“Usually, the only things you should keep are cherished memorabilia and things you’ll need in the immediate future,” she says.

Here are a few other pointers:

-- Liberate yourself from extra furniture before you move.

For most people, one major step toward downsizing involves dispensing with large pieces of furniture. Beyond precious antiques and family heirlooms, many find this process relatively easy because they don’t have sentimental attachments to most furniture.

Sid Davis, a longtime real estate broker and author of several real estate books, suggests one way to clear space and furniture quickly is to put it up for sale. If you have valuable antiques to sell, you’ll probably want to find a reputable dealer. But more routine items of furniture, as well as household belongings, can be effectively sold through Craigslist or an informal sale.

“People are surprised at how much money they can make through a local garage sale,” says Davis, who recommends that downsizers work with neighbors to attract more interest to their event.

He says downsizers often make enough money selling their oversized furniture to buy new, more appropriately sized pieces for their smaller home.

“After you’ve moved, it will be a pleasure to buy fresh furniture,” he says.

--Dispense with as many superfluous items as possible.

Beverly Coggins, the author of “Three Steps to Downsizing to a Smaller Residence,” suggests that those who must pare their possessions dispense with any clothing they haven’t used in a year or longer. The same applies to many other household items.

She says many people feel especially anxious about letting go of things given them as gifts from relatives or close friends. But she says such guilt feelings are needless.

“It doesn’t mean you love the person any less because you can’t keep everything they give you,” she says.

Coggins also suggests you take photos of treasured items that are too large to move. These could be hung up in your new domain.

-- Look to pickup services to hasten the giveaway process.

Many downsizers find it easier to let go of extra belongings if they know they’ll go to good use. That’s why Coggins and other professional organizers often advocate contacting charitable organizations interested in collecting serviceable items.

Very often, charity groups will pick up items from your home, a convenient way to free yourself of clutter quickly. Also, with a pickup appointment, you’ll have a definite deadline for your work, which can serve as a motivating factor.

-- Stay focused on the positives in your future.

Nowadays, the reality is that many are downsizing to cut expenses. Yet many who must move to a smaller home find that doing so has its favorable points, including less financial stress.

Coggins also notes another benefit of downsizing: With fewer home upkeep demands, you’ll have more time to focus on the people most important to you.

“After clearing through all their extra things, many folks realize what’s most important to them is not all those inanimate objects, but their close relationships,” she says.

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

A married couple in their 50s intend to put their one-story suburban house on the market soon. Proceeds from the sale will fund an active retirement involving boating, skiing and traveling the world.

The listing agent in this true story is optimistic about the couple’s chances for a successful sale. As she says, many people in their 60s and 70s are scouring the couple’s popular neighborhood in search of a single-level house, a rarity in an area where most properties are at least two stories high.

“Lots of older people hate climbing stairs because their knees cry out with arthritis pain. But they also hate the idea of moving to an apartment where they fear feeling boxed in. So, downsizing to a one-story house in the same area where their friends are still living is tremendously appealing,” says Sid Davis, a veteran real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.”

“If they can’t find a single-story house, at least they want a house with a first-floor master suite with a full bathroom,” he says.

Dorcas Helfant, a real estate broker and former president of the National Association of Realtors, says many seniors try apartment living and then reverse course, heading back to a traditional detached house.

“They don’t want to have to get into an elevator to go outside. They want more personal space and a little land around them, including possibly a small garden,” she says.

Are you seeking to sell a property with features that would make it suitable for older buyers with health issues or people with disabilities? If so, these few pointers could prove helpful:

-- Evaluate the market supply of senior-friendly houses in your area.

If you’re planning to sell one of the rare senior-friendly houses in your neighborhood, Davis says it’s conceivable your place could fetch a premium price of up to 10 percent more than houses of like square footage that lack these features.

But he cautions to make sure that the supply-demand ratio is in your favor before putting a price tag on your property.

“It’s always unwise to overprice your home, especially when it first hits the market and buyer interest is at its peak,” Davis says.

-- Consider adapting your house to make it more appealing to seniors.

To cater to the burgeoning senior market, some sellers are tempted to renovate their vertical houses to make them more user-friendly. But Davis says such a major investment is usually a mistake, unless you intend to enjoy the improvement for several years before you move.

“Spending too much on a pre-sale basis is overkill. Normally, you can’t expect to get any more than 60 percent back for a major addition when you sell,” he says.

Still, there are some less expensive steps that could be justified by would-be sellers who have the senior market in mind. For example, you might wish to replace shag carpet with laminate flooring to make your rooms easier to navigate by those in wheelchairs.

Also, home sellers who are already planning to redo a kitchen might want to incorporate some easy-to-use features with the senior market in mind. These could include wide low kitchen cabinets and countertops, as well as wide doorways.

“Many people don’t wait until they have health problems or need a wheelchair to think about buying a more accessible house. Once they hit their early 60s, they start preparing for their future needs,” Davis says.

-- Underscore your home’s senior-friendly features.

Any home placed on the Multiple Listing Service can be easily tagged by a listing agent to reflect its senior-friendly features. Because of this, any agent searching on behalf of senior buyers can do a computer run to locate nearly all the available one-level homes in a neighborhood, as well as those with a first-floor master suite.

But as Helfant says, the listing agent for a senior-friendly house can do much more than identify its features in the MLS. Ask your agent to highlight your home’s special features through various types of marketing -- including all types of social media, as well as newspaper and online ads.

“With so many older people now in the home-buying population, it’s totally in your interest to trumpet whatever features you have to draw in senior buyers,” Helfant says.

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

After a young woman in her 20s landed a dream job with a finance firm in Los Angeles, she made the same choice as an increasing number of millennials: to live walking distance from her workplace in downtown.

This true story doesn’t surprise Jeff Speck, a city planner and author of “Walkable City.” That’s because property in redeveloping urban centers is increasingly popular.

“Seventy-seven percent of millennials say they want to live in America’s urban cores,” says Speck.

The increasing popularity of walkable city neighborhoods with many amenities is good news for those with a property to sell in one of those areas, says Geoff Anderson, the president and CEO of Smart Growth America, a nonprofit group promoting city living.

“The closer you are to amenities, the higher the prices for city property,” he says.

Do you have a property to sell, whether a condo apartment or a detached house, in a vital urban core? If so, these pointers could prove of value:

-- Stress the value of road access.

Granted, most homebuyers wouldn’t relish living near the noisy entrance to a major highway. But a location just a mile from that ramp could be a plus for those who work in suburban areas but want to live downtown, says James W. Hughes, a housing expert and dean of the Rutgers University’s school of planning and public policy.

If your city location leads directly to an important thoroughfare, without being too close, he says this point should be emphasized in your marketing materials. Also, if the home is a short walk to mass transit, you should stress this point as well.

Sid Davis, a long-time real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home,” says that the majority of buyers with young children still prefer green suburban living to an in-town setting. But he notes that recent immigrants are often less resistant to life on a bustling street than those who’ve always lived in America.

To encourage interest, Davis says your agent should attach a map to the flier prepared to promote your property, pinpointing your home as well as popular sites nearby, such as the local cafe, a public library or a city park. This map should emphasize the advantages of your location.

-- Underscore access to improving urban schools.

Is the community where you live served by quality schools, whether public, charter or private? And are many would-be purchasers people with young children?

If so, Davis says it would be a smart idea to promote the purchase of your home as a way to gain easy access to good schools for your kids.

“Assuming your price is realistic and your schools are well regarded, this could be a genuine plus for your sale. Remember that many young families with a preference for city living are working diligently to improve the quality of the urban schools their kids attend,” Davis says.

-- Explore the cost of fencing your urban yard.

Some urban roadways seem particularly risky for children and pets. These include avenues traveled by many commercial vehicles. If you own a detached house along this sort of roadway, Davis says you might wish to fence your yard in hopes of lessening the fears of potential buyers.

“Fences aren’t cheap, there’s a lot of labor involved in their installation. But the expense could be justified if it helps unload a hard-to-sell property,” he says.

Your listing agent should be able to advise you on whether the fencing of your yard would constitute a justifiable pre-sale expenditure. As one money-saving option, the agent might recommend that you fence your backyard only, creating a protected area where small children and pets could play.

If you decide to invest in a fence, the choices may seem daunting.

“When selecting your fencing, choose something in wood or vinyl. Stay away from one of those chain-link fences that looks like a military installation,” Davis says.

-- Consider a price cut if your home won’t sell otherwise.

Suppose you’re attempting to sell a home on the noisier side of an urban community. But while comparable homes in more tranquil parts of your urban community are selling swiftly, your place continues to languish unsold.

In this case, Davis says one of your few remaining options is to take a slight price cut below what’s being asked for comparable properties on calmer streets nearby.

“Many sellers in popular city centers don’t need a discount. But if you’re selling in a still-up-and-coming area with an unusually high volume of construction noise, you might need a small price cut to move that property,” he says.

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