If you’re selling a starter home this spring, you’re likely in luck. Due to a worsening inventory situation for this segment of the market, you might even have rival bidders competing to buy your place.

But a new report on inventory levels for homes across America includes some cautionary notes for sellers of luxury homes, where the picture is very different. According to the report, the supply-demand ratio is gradually moving in favor of buyers for upper-end properties.

The report comes from Cheryl Young, a senior economist for Trulia, which tracks housing trends nationwide. It shows that within the last year, starter home inventory has dropped 14.2 percent while premium home inventory has increased nearly as much.

Also negatively affecting luxury home sellers this spring are the implications of gradually rising mortgage rates and the new federal tax law, which limits the deductibility of home loan interest payments.

Given the recent buoyancy of the overall housing market, Young acknowledges it can be embarrassing for the sellers of any home to have it languish on the market. To avoid that situation, she strongly advises all sellers -- and especially those seeking to market a high-end home -- to choose a knowledgeable listing agent who can recommend correct pricing from the outset.

Here are a few other pointers for luxury home sellers:

-- Consider hiring a professional home “stager.”

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.

Many real estate agents are convinced that hiring a talented stager can increase the odds of selling a property promptly. Working under a full-service contract, most stagers will provide an array of services. They 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.

Regrettably, the cost of hiring a professional stager can run $500 or more and exceed the amount many sellers can afford, says Michelle Minch, the owner of a staging company called Moving Mountains Design.

But Minch says cash-constrained sellers don’t necessarily need the full range of services available through a stager. For a much lower price -- perhaps around $100 to $200 -- they can obtain an abbreviated consultation and receive pointers they can execute themselves.

“Tell the stager you just want the 10 top tips for making your house look better. 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,” 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 review their websites for examples of their work before you contact them.

-- Consider holding a “home selling” fest 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.

But Lisa Atkinson, a veteran real estate agent, says traditional open houses rarely lead to a sale. 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.

A better way to ignite renewed interest in your place is to throw a “home-selling party,” inviting your close friends and relatives, who would be motivated to promote the sale of your home.

-- Request that your listing agent “talk up” your place.

In all types of markets, the skills of seasoned listing agents are valuable. One key skill involves promoting your place to other real estate agents who have home-buying clients of their own.

“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 fliers about your house to their professional meetings and hand them out,” Atkinson says.

Your listing agent may have done this kind of one-on-one marketing for your property when it was first listed. But if your house has been sitting unsold for longer than you’d like, it might be time to ask your agent to do another round of this informal promotion.

-- Take maximum advantage of springtime blooms.

It’s nice to have fresh-cut flowers on display throughout your home’s interior. But if average market times in your community are quite long, the cost of keeping fresh flowers in your home could mount up.

One less-expensive alternative -- that’s especially easy during the spring -- is to display flowering, potted plants indoors and to install such blooms in your outdoor gardens, particularly around the front of your house.

The color of bountiful, blooming plants is a great way to make any home more attractive, Minch says.

“When you put your house on the market, you’re entering into a beauty contest. Price is terribly important. But beyond price, prettier is always better,” she says.

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

Millennials -- born between 1980 and 1998 -- are America's most active generation of homebuyers. Within the past year, more than 36 percent of home purchases were made by people from this generation.

But Dale Robyn Siegel, a home loan broker and author of "The New Rules for Mortgages," says an increasing number of those in this age cohort are now delaying their purchase plans.

"It's easier to just rent for another year," says Siegel.

But she says inertia isn't the only factor causing wannabe buyers to defer. They're also troubled by gradually rising mortgage rates and increasing sticker prices for property. What's more, many in this generation continue to carry heavy student loan debt loads -- which count against them on their loan applications.

On the other hand, the widely expected loosening of financial regulations through revisions to the federal law known as the Dodd-Frank Act could make it slightly easier for income-tight buyers to qualify for home loans.

Even so, looser regulations will translate to fewer consumer protections for borrowers, according to Siegel.

"Changes to Dodd-Frank will make it easier to make bad mortgage choices," she says.

Siegel contends buyers are well served by doing some serious number-crunching in advance of property selection.

"Before they choose a property, I always tell clients to run the numbers and stay skinny on their overhead," Siegel says.

Your core living costs are expenses you must meet on a regular basis. They include outlays for food, transportation, child care and insurance coverage. They also include any financial commitments you've made to a religious institution or charity. Together, these expenses constitute what many in the financial field call your "nut."

"Before making any major financial decision, your first task is to ensure you'll have the funds to meet your nut every month. Otherwise, your stress level and quality of life could be greatly impaired," Siegel says.

How do you determine your nut? Arlen Olberding, a certified financial planner, urges would-be buyers to take a step-by-step approach.

As a first step, he says you should carefully review your checking and credit card statements to see where your money has gone during the past six to 12 months.

"When it comes to spending, people are creatures of habit. Because of that, looking back at your personal spending history should help you project your future spending," says Olberding, a fee-only adviser affiliated with the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors (napfa.org).

Once you've categorized your past spending, it's time to comb through the columns, determining which among your non-mandatory costs you'd be willing to trim to buy the sort of place you want.

"Establishing financial priorities is a very personal matter. There are no right or wrong answers. To create a spending plan, you need to think both about your necessary expenses and lifestyle choices, like an urge to travel," says Olberding.

After you calculate your living costs -- along with quality-of-life choices you consider essential -- it's time to compare this monthly total to the net income you're bringing in. The difference should be the funds available to cover your mortgage expenses and future home upkeep and utility costs.

Here are a few pointers for would-be buyers:

-- Realize it's still very possible to overborrow on a mortgage.

Siegel says many who can jump over lender approval hurdles continue to be able to borrow more than they reasonably should. Why? Because the full extent of their living costs isn't apparent to the lender who reviews their file.

"If an expense doesn't show up on your credit report, the bank doesn't know about it," Siegel says.

Because a lending institution has limited information on your living costs, she says it's critically important you do your own pre-purchase computation to determine the realistic scope of your monthly nut.

-- Consider inflation when estimating your living costs going forward.

Although the government's Consumer Price Index has shown little movement in recent months, inflation is still a major factor for many households. Especially hard-hit are families with young children who face hefty day care costs and those who've opted for private schooling after their kids reach kindergarten.

Along with education expenses, health care costs have risen dramatically, led by the cost of employee contributions to health plans and the premiums paid for the kind of individual policies used by those who lack access to insurance coverage through work.

Even core expenses that are normally immune from big price swings -- including food and utility costs -- can rise unpredictably.

In assessing future living costs, Olberding advises clients to factor in average price increases of as much as 5 percent per year for their core expenses.

"No one is immune from inflationary increases -- so it's always better to err on the high side when preparing a spending plan," he says.

-- Factor savings into your calculations.

Many younger adults -- including the offspring of baby boomers -- are increasingly attentive to the need to make regular contributions to their retirement savings funds, Olberding says.

"Savings should be one of those core costs you don't forget when figuring out how big a mortgage you can handle safely. Buying your dream house is great, but you want to do so without breaking your budget," Olberding says.

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

There are several times when it makes sense for home sellers to do a pre-sale rental. One is when they must move, but want to delay a sale for a better market or until they can do major upgrades.

But real estate experts say many owners are unhappy at the thought of renting out their house, however temporarily.

“Some people feel emotionally sad about someone else living in the family home. They’re also afraid the house will be damaged by tenants,” says David Roberson, author of “How to Legally Rent Out Your House: A Practical Guide to Managing Rental Property Risks.”

Roberson, a real estate attorney, says many hazards of renting can be minimized through careful screening of tenants. He and his wife own 22 rental properties, and they limit rentals to those who earn a gross income of at least three times the monthly rent. They also insist on high credit scores.

“We want a FICO score of at least 700 -- unless the person has been through a recent divorce that caused their credit to take a temporary hit,” he says.

The couple also make sure their properties are videotaped to record their condition prior to rental. That way they can justify any charges for damages when the tenants vacate.

To avert complications, he says it’s wise to hire a professional property manager.

“Every time I hear of a landlord-tenant nightmare, it’s when the owners are managing the rental themselves -- without a pro involved,” he says.

Mark Nash, a longtime real estate broker and author of “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home,” says it’s an especially good idea for novice landlords to opt for professional management.

“Being a landlord is like being a parent: You’re faced with demands you can’t push off onto someone else -- unless you have a property manager,” says Nash, who’s owned rental units for more than two decades.

Here are a few pointers:

-- Check the strength of your local rental market.

You may think it’s smart to rent out your home until you’re ready to sell. But this may not be the case if the supply of rental properties in your area outstrips demand, depressing the rental income landlords can collect.

As Nash notes, most large realty firms have rental departments that can help you assess the relative strength of your local market. Agents who routinely list rentals on the Multiple Listing Service should be able to quickly estimate how much rental income you can expect to receive.

Print or online advertising can also give you clues. Survey the ads to gauge availability and price for your type of property.

“You might even want to run a test ad to see what response you get,” Nash says.

-- Crunch the numbers on the financial impact of renting out your place.

Most owners considering a rental want to make sure that their rental income would more than cover their monthly mortgage payments, along with property tax and insurance charges.

When assessing the financial impact of converting your place to a rental, even a temporary one, Nash says you should be sure to factor in upkeep expenses.

As Nash says, you’ll also want to consider the tax implications of a rental. To do so, he recommends you call or visit an accountant for advice.

-- Attempt to damage-proof your home before tenants move in.

When they sell their home, most people cut the emotional cord and move on psychologically, Nash says. Not so when the owners are merely renting out the property.

“So long as they continue to own a place, most people are still territorial about it,” he says.

There are no absolute guarantees your home won’t sustain serious damage while it’s rented. But Nash advises you to take several steps to minimize your risks. Repaint walls covered with flat latex paint with an easy-to-clean semi-gloss finish. Seal your hardwood floors with two or more coats of protective coating. And replace valuable light fixtures with inexpensive ones from a home center store.

-- Plan to empty your home of renters before you seek to sell.

As real estate agents will underscore, it can be tough to sell a home while tenants are living there.

“As a rule, tenants don’t care if you sell. They might even become annoyed” and cause trouble, Nash says.

To avoid this potential problem, he recommends you plan to have the property vacated of tenants for at least a month before it goes on the market. With the tenants gone, you can ensure that any remaining cosmetic or repair issues will be quickly resolved.

“That final interior painting and carpet cleaning can make a world of difference to your bottom line,” Nash says.

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