After Joshua Becker and his family sold their 2,200-square-foot house in Vermont and bought a smaller place, they vowed to enjoy the results of a scaled-down lifestyle.

“We considered the benefits of owning fewer possessions: less to clean, less debt, less to organize, less stress, more money and energy for our greatest passions,” says Becker, a professional writer whose books include, “The More of Less: Finding the Life You Want Under Everything You Own.”

But what faces many downsizers -- the process of letting go of excess belongings -- proves arduous.

“There’s a big stigma to downsizing. As Americans, it’s ingrained in us to believe that owning more is better than owning less,” Becker says.

One way to minimize the agony of decluttering is to start with the parts of your home where culling will have greatest impact in the shortest time. For example, before selling their Vermont house, Becker and his wife started in their master bedroom, sifting through clothing to eliminate pieces they no longer wore. Then, they tackled excess toiletries in their master bathroom.

“When you’re going to a smaller house, you must decide which things have the most meaning for you,” says Beverly Coggins, author of “Three Steps to Downsizing to a Smaller Residence.”

A professional organizer since 1995, Coggins says she’s learned it’s best to break the work into chunks rather than to attempt marathon sessions.

To avoid excessive fatigue, she encourages downsizers to focus their work on the times of day they have peak energy. Also, she recommends they spend no more than four or five hours at a time on these chores.

Here are a few tips for those of any age who are moving to a smaller domain:

-- Liberate yourself of extra furniture early in your transition.

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 real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home,” says 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 an informal sale.

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

-- Save money by avoiding use of a storage unit.

Many downsizers succumb to the temptation to place their belongings in a storage unit before they move. But Coggins strongly advises against this course if you can avoid it.

“Storage units are expensive. And for most people, they’re just an excuse to postpone making decisions on stuff they need to eliminate,” she says.

When working with downsizers, Coggins encourages them to dispense with many items -- including clothing that no longer fits -- especially if they haven’t used it for a year or longer. The same applies to many household items.

She says many people feel especially anxious about letting go of gifts from relatives or close friends. But she says such guilt is needless.

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

To be sure, you’ll not want to cast off items with unusual meaning to you, like family pictures and love letters. But unfortunately, you may not be able to take everything you love. In such cases, Coggins suggests you take photos of the treasured items -- like a grand piano passed down in the family. These can be framed and hung up in your new domain.

-- Make it easy to donate items to charity through pickup services.

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. Also, with a pickup appointment, you’ll have a definite deadline for your work, which can serve as a motivating factor.

The Salvation Army, for example, offers pickup services in many areas. To learn more or schedule a pickup, visit salvationarmyusa.org or contact its toll-free number: 800-728-7825.

-- Stay focused on the positives in your future.

Many seniors downsize because they must cut expenses. But even those who must downsize involuntarily often find that the process has positives.

As Coggins notes, with fewer home upkeep demands, you’ll have more time to focus on the people most important to you.

“After downsizing, many people realize it’s relationships, not stuff, that brings them happiness,” she says.

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

Many millennials spend a decade or longer struggling to assemble the down payment they need to buy a first home. Meanwhile, home prices continue to rise and mortgage rates are on the upswing.

But many aspiring homebuyers make it harder on themselves than necessary, says Rob Chrane, the founder and CEO of Down Payment Resource, an Atlanta-based company.

All too many would-be homeowners believe they must amass a 20 percent down payment before they can make a purchase. But in a still-recovering economy, spending years trying to save that much can be like chasing a moving train.

“The costs of waiting so long outweigh the advantages of a larger down payment,” Chrane says.

Many people are unaware they could access one of many down payment plans that are available to help prospective buyers. These include grants, loans and tax credits.

Indeed, the mission of Chrane’s company is to connect buyers with a host of these programs -- many of them offered by state and local governments seeking to encourage homeownership in their areas.

“Low down payment options will play a central role in the revival of first-time buyers in the months to come,” he says.

Although the homeownership rate for Americans under 35 improved slightly in 2017, it still trails the rate of five years ago. One issue is that salaries for young adults have been rising more slowly than home prices.

Here are a few pointers for those pursuing ownership without a family assist:

-- Start by analyzing your current financial picture.

One huge obstacle to saving for a house is unmanaged day-to-day spending, says Tom Early, a real estate broker and former president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Before deciding how to reallocate your income, Early recommends you review where your money has gone -- category by category -- over a recent three-month period. This can be done either with paper and pencil or with such software as Quicken. Alternatively, there are free personal finance apps available online.

Doing this preliminary inventory can absorb many hours as you sift through bank and credit card statements. Done properly, this process might consume a full weekend, but is well worth the time invested, Early says.

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

Once you know where your money is going, it’s time to create a new budget that allows you to meet your basic needs while letting you build savings for your home purchase.

“People who develop a serious spending plan derive enormous long-term payoffs,” says Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and author of “Mind Over Money: Your Path to Wealth and Happiness.”

He encourages you to closely evaluate every category of your spending in search of possible reductions.

“Some areas, like restaurant bills, will probably have more fat than others. But every area should be fair game for cutting,” according to Tyson.

For instance, don’t accept the rent on your apartment as a given, especially if you live in a luxury complex with upscale amenities you rarely use. When your lease is up, are you willing to move to a more modest building to reduce your rental costs?

Likewise, you’ll want to carefully examine your transportation spending. If gas and insurance costs are hitting you harder than they have to, what about switching to public transit or getting by with one car instead of two? You can also cut energy costs by reducing utility bills, particularly air conditioning, during the warmer months.

Financial planners often point to food expenditures as an area ripe for reductions. Many people are shocked when they realize how much they’re spending on carry-out food and restaurant meals.

“Why not start packing a lunch for work and learn to cook basic meals at home rather than going out to eat once or twice a week? Anyone can acquire these money-saving habits if they realize the benefits of doing so,” Tyson says.

As you create your new spending plan, don’t overlook seemingly small or relatively infrequent expenditures that can add up.

For instance, Tyson suggests you ask your doctors if they would prescribe generic drugs rather than more expensive brand name ones. Question your dentist on whether you need X-rays every six months to a year. And closely analyze your telephone bills.

-- Try to conquer your credit card debt.

It’s bad enough that many young people continue to pay student loans years after they’ve left their schooling years. But many also acquire substantial credit card debt during college.

“When people are serious about saving for a house, they try to zero out as much toxic debt as possible,” Tyson says.

You probably won’t need a financial adviser to help dig out of credit card debt, though you can find useful guidance through a book on the subject. One Tyson recommends is: “Deal With Your Debt,” by Liz Pulliam Weston.

“Like battling extra pounds when you diet, committing to home-buying means making a deliberate and concerted effort to tackle credit card debt,” he says.

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

Spending their retirement on home remodeling, a couple in their 60s poured money and sweat into their 1928 cottage. They transformed a modest two-bedroom house into a sprawling place with five bedrooms and a mammoth gourmet kitchen that adjoined a large great room.

But after health problems compelled the couple to move to a one-level apartment, they put the property on the market at what they later realized was an inflated price. By the time they finally adjusted the price, the place was so stigmatized that most buyers in the area had lost interest.

The couple ultimately accepted an offer from a single mother with three children who hadn’t been pre-approved for a mortgage. But after it was revealed that the woman had too poor credit to get a home loan, the deal fell through and the house had to go back on the market.

This true tale illustrates several painful lessons for sellers, says Joan McClellan Tayler, a longtime realty company owner. One is that trying to “test the market” with an aggressive price usually backfires -- even in areas where inventory is in short supply.

“A shortage of inventory won’t bail you out if you’re greedy. These days, buyers are too smart to overpay,” Tayler says.

Another lesson underscored by this example is that it’s risky to accept the bid of buyers who’ve failed to go through the mortgage preapproval process, unless those purchasers are making an all-cash offer.

Want to increase your odds of selling well? Here are a few pointers:

-- Choose a seasoned agent for your listing.

Tayler says too many sellers take a casual approach to picking an agent, noting that some make the mistake of hiring a relative, a friend or a young agent looking to get started.

“A lot of the sellers fail to understand that even in a strong market, it takes complex skills to do a great job selling real estate,” she says.

Tayler recommends that sellers opt for an agent with experience in handling lots of different deals. Those with a track record are most apt to sniff out problems before they happen.

If for personal reasons you’re determined to choose a newcomer, she suggests you ask that agent to share the listing with an established pro from the same office.

“With two agents on your side, you’ll benefit from both their strengths,” Tayler says.

-- Consider only prospects who are financially qualified to buy.

Sharp sellers are careful to check the financial standing of would-be purchasers.

“Who wants a deal to fall through because the buyers lack the wherewithal or credit to get it to the finish line?” says Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of “House Selling for Dummies.”

Before accepting an offer, sellers should insist on seeing a genuine pre-approval letter from a known lender, Tyson says. This should establish that the prospective buyers have had their credit checked, their employment confirmed and their assets verified.

In addition, prospects can be asked to supply other details about their creditworthiness, such as their credit scores. The most common of these, known as FICO scores, range from 300 to 850. The higher that number, the more likely are borrowers to get the loan they need to close the deal.

“To avoid insomnia, look for buyers with scores of 700 or above,” Tyson says.

Bidders can obtain reports on their credit scores from a website of the Fair Isaac Corp. (myfico.com).

-- Prepare for issues that could arise during an inspection of your home.

Even in tight markets, many purchasers exercise their right to a home inspection. And many use the process as leverage to renegotiate the deal.

“Even in a tight market, if the inspector finds substantial defects in the house, the buyers could attempt to use these findings to revisit the terms of the deal,” Tyson says.

Homeowners should never try to talk buyers out of a home inspection. But smart sellers will consider paying for their own inspection even before the property goes on the market.

“The person you hire for a pre-sale inspection is unlikely to find all the same small problems that the buyer’s inspector locates. But both should spot the really major problems -- like a failing roof or electrical system,” Tyson says.

-- Seek to avoid troublesome buyers.

Not all home sellers can be choosy about the offer they select. But if you’re reasonably certain you’ll have more than one bid from which to pick, Tyson says you should seek to avoid cutting a deal with difficult people.

You may not have any direct dealings with your prospective bidders. But your listing agent or others might observe them when they visit your place. And their behavior can be very telling.

One telltale sign of difficult people is that they often make negative remarks when visiting a property. Though you’re likely to not be present for showings, your listing agent should learn of these unpleasant comments and pass them on to you.

By avoiding such prospects, you could spare yourself a lot of grief.

“If you’re lucky enough to get multiple bids, you can be pickier about the buyers you choose. If possible, resist troublesome folks who might nickel and dime you all the way to closing,” Tyson says.

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