To most homeowners, the housing market crisis of a decade ago seems like ancient history. Interest rates are low and property values are still rising, albeit at a slower pace compared to recent years. So, there’s little fear of foreclosure.

But if you’re struggling to meet your house payments, perhaps due to a job loss or major medical issue, it’s cold comfort that foreclosure rates across America have fallen to a 10-year low.

“There’s no panic like the panic that hits a family scared the bank will soon take their house away,” says Tom Early, a consumer advocate and longtime real estate broker in Ohio.

If you can’t make your payments, you’ll likely have to move. Yet if you can avert foreclosure by selling your property before it’s taken away, you may be able to cut your losses and protect your credit standing.

“People who are proactive against the threat of foreclosure -- rather than going into denial -- are almost always ahead of the game,” says Early, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

He encourages hurried sellers to hire a seasoned listing agent. Ideally, this would be someone with special training in pre-foreclosure work. Such training is now available through a number of realty firms.

“It’s imperative you interview agents and find someone responsive to your timing needs, who is also skilled at negotiating with buyers,” Early says.

Here are a few pointers for those seeking to sell quickly for any reason:

-- Start by focusing on how your place appears from the street.

When you’re in a hurry to sell, making your home marketable from the exterior is especially important, says Ashley Richardson, an experienced agent for the Long and Foster realty firm in Maryland.

“It’s a cliche, but curb appeal is key because the outside photo of your place will be plastered all over newspaper ads and internet sites. Only if your house looks good in those pictures will people want to see it in person,” she says.

Richardson urges sellers to focus on their front lawn and the greenery that surrounds their home.

-- Cull through clutter, clearing away as much as possible.

Not all home upgrades are expensive. In fact, two of the most powerful steps you can take, cleaning and decluttering, are virtually free.

During the purging process, she recommends sellers remove family photos and other personal mementos, especially those attached to the front of the refrigerator with magnets.

“(I)n the course of less than one week, you can go through a lot of stuff, storing away your extra items in boxes. Anyone looking at your house will understand if you’ve stashed your stuff in the garage in neatly stacked boxes,” Richardson says.

-- Tackle as many paint jobs as possible in your place.

If you’ve lost your job and fear you’ll be unable to meet your house payments in coming months, the odds are you’ve already depleted most of your savings. Even so, you shouldn’t scrimp on paint, one of the lowest-cost home improvement tools available.

“You can get paint by the gallon very inexpensively at a home center store,” says Richardson, adding that most owners are sufficiently skilled to do their own painting.

The first priority for your painting, she says, should be the front door of your place, which is highly visible. Once that’s done, quickly move to the first room inside the front door. Then proceed through the home, painting as many areas as time allows.

“Make sure to focus on the bathrooms and kitchen. Buyers are very insistent these rooms look fresh and clean,” Richardson says.

-- Give yourself a deadline by scheduling an open house.

If you’re like many people, you need a well-defined deadline to complete a project in a timely way. Assuming that’s the case, Richardson recommends you give yourself a hard deadline by scheduling a “broker’s open house” right after your home goes up for sale.

A “broker’s open,” as it’s known, is an event to which real estate agents throughout your area are invited. It’s an effective tool for marketing an attractive property to those most likely to be working with serious buyers. It could be particularly successful if your place is located in a popular neighborhood and has ample parking.

“Once your agent has scheduled a date for your open house and ordered lunch, you’ll have that deadline you need to get focused,” Richardson says.

-- Get sensitive to pricing nuances.

Even if you live in a neighborhood where For Sale signs are numerous, Richardson says a swift and successful sale is possible if your place is in good condition and priced a notch below rival homes.

“These days, most buyers are internet-savvy. Because they roam around the web constantly, buyers can estimate very closely the true worth of any given property. Hence, people who list their place slightly under market value might even prompt multiple bids, which could yield you a better and faster outcome,” she says.

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

Upon retirement, many Americans move to a distant locale with a warmer climate. But that could prove a lonely mistake if it means they’re far away from friends and family.

“When you retire, you won’t want to be 10 states away from the people you love or the activities you most enjoy,” says Jen Lara, a seasoned life coach in Maryland who counts many retirees among her clientele.

Before they buy a property in a faraway state or country, she urges retirees to carefully think through their priorities for what’s likely to be the final active chapter of their lives.

“Retirement is the time to do new things you’ve always wanted to do,” says Lara, who’s affiliated with the International Coach Federation (coachfederation.org).

The advantage of working with a trained life coach is that such a person can help you knock down psychological barriers that could needlessly limit your options to shape a rewarding and fulfilling retirement.

“A good life coach can help (people) get beyond these emotional limitations so they can pivot to new ways of living,” Lara says.

Here are a few other pointers for retirees who intend to move:

-- Think about airport access.

Ronald Phipps, a longtime real estate broker in Rhode Island, urges retirees planning a move to factor airport access into their selection of a community. Living within a 50- to 60-mile radius of a major airport typically means cheaper flights and greater ease of travel -- important factors for many retired people.

“Also, your friends and family will probably visit more often if you have good air service,” says Phipps, a former president of the National Association of Realtors (realtor.org).

-- Factor finances into your planning.

Jeffrey Wuorio, a personal finance specialist and author, says many older people underestimate their expected life spans, as well as the financial wherewithal they’ll need to cover their expenses for all the years they’re likely to live.

“Research shows that if you and your spouse have already lived to age 60, at least one of you can expect to live to at least 90. That means you will need substantial savings for a comfortable lifestyle going forward,” says Wuorio, author of “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Retirement Planning.”

To address the financial element of their retirement planning, he suggests that empty nesters consider selling a large family house to reduce their energy costs, as well as their property tax and upkeep burdens. He says many retirees discover that living in a smaller place is surprisingly pleasant.

-- Plan a lengthy stay in any distant location where you might move.

As Wuorio says, people considering moving to a distant area are wise to spend some time there before buying property in the community. That could help you avoid a costly mistake.

“It’s a great idea to take a vacation to any town where you might buy a home. Or consider taking a temporary rental there before buying,” he says.

One helpful way to learn about a new area is to strike up conversations with local residents, asking about opportunities to pursue your personal interests in the community -- such as boating, hiking or volunteering. You may also want to ask about local educational options, including the chance to take classes or attend lectures at a local college or university.

“Planning your personal activities for retirement is just as important as saving enough money to make your lifestyle viable,” Wuorio says.

-- Consider available health care resources.

In terms of quality medical facilities, Wuorio stresses that most retirees make many more medical visits than do younger adults.

“Make sure there are good clinics and hospitals in your area,” he says.

To whom can you turn to help familiarize you with medical facilities in a distant community where you might move? Clearly, friends or family members already living in the new area could help. But Wuorio suggests you might also wish to connect with area residents who happen to be alumni of the same schools or universities you attended.

-- Don’t rule out buying a smaller place in the same area where you now live.

One potential option for retirement-age homebuyers is to downsize within the same metro area where they have established friendships.

With more time on their hands, many retirees find that friendships have a deeper meaning than before, Wuorio says. And many older people who move to a distant locale for retirement find it hard to make new friends.

“Unless you’re a person who has a knack for making new friends quickly, you could be better off moving within the same area where you now live rather than moving far away -- no matter how good the climate in some dream destination,” he says.

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

A couple in their late 60s adored the colonial-style house they’d owned for more than 30 years. But after the husband developed muscular dystrophy, they were compelled to move to a condo, selling their beloved property to fund their retirement.

Like many boomers forced to downsize, this couple would have greatly preferred to age in place. In fact, they dragged out the selling process for months, rebuffing potential purchasers who didn’t suit their fancy until they grudgingly accepted an offer from an especially tenacious pair.

Why do many older people let go of a family home only when it’s absolutely imperative?

Many housing experts believe that America -- long known for a high level of geographic mobility -- is fast becoming a nation of nesters. Statistics seem to bear that out. Data from the National Association of Realtors (realtor.org) show that average owners now stay in their homes for more than nine years, a jump from six years before the real estate downturn of 2008.

Todd Teta, a senior official at Attom Data Solutions (attomdata.com), which tracks real estate markets across the country, doesn’t know the couple in this true story. But he says their resistance to moving is understandable.

Teta, who has a background in mortgage lending, says one factor causing ambivalence about moving for boomers is that many older people still have exceptionally low-cost home loans.

“Mortgage rates are on the rise. So why move when your home is almost paid off?” he says.

The reluctance of older home sellers can make it hard for younger purchasers to negotiate their way to ownership of their place, says Tom Early, a longtime real estate broker who works solely with buyers.

“Some older sellers ... assume their property is worth more than it is and only consent to an offer when forced to,” says Early, the former president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Here are a few pointers for buyers on dealing with difficult sellers from any generation:

-- Determine how eager the owners are to sell.

How can you find out what’s spurred sellers to put their place on the market? Often, your agent can get answers by simply asking the sellers’ agent direct questions.

There are several reasons some owners may resist selling immediately. Perhaps they want their teenagers to finish high school before moving. Or maybe their custom-built house won’t be done for another seven or eight months.

How can you get less-than-eager sellers to bargain? As Early says, one strategy is to volunteer a late closing date in exchange for a slight price reduction.

-- Consider using a delaying tactic to deal with defiant sellers.

As Early notes, many sellers have their egos tied up with the sale of their property. That can cause them to overplay their hand, even when they have a pressing need to sell. For example, they might make a counterproposal to your first offer with a 24-hour “take it or leave it” provision.

Should you reply to such a challenge on their terms? Not necessarily, says Early. In fact, failing to answer immediately could be an effective way to bring them down to earth on price. He calls this tactic the “walk-away.”

Disappearing from negotiations won’t cause unmotivated sellers to yield on price. But it could prompt motivated sellers to take a serious second look at your latest offer, especially if their property has languished unsold for a lengthy time and they’ve gotten no other bids.

“Psychologically, by taking away their candy for just five or 10 hours longer than they expected, you make them sweat enough to stop taking your interest for granted,” Early says.

-- Realize that some sellers will simply never compromise.

Early, who’s been in the real estate business for several decades, says he can tell immediately when his clients fall in love with a home.

“As soon as they walk into the right house, their eyes light up. They become excited. ... For most people, home selection is a highly emotional thing,” he says.

But what should you do if the owners of a home demand a price you know to be excessive, and all attempts to negotiate seem futile? Then Early recommends you let go of the property and begin seeking another immediately.

“Climb back into the saddle. The odds are that eventually you’ll find an even better house for a fair price,” Early says.

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