A man in his 60s who retired from a sales job for a building supplies firm figures he’s cracked the code on an idyllic lifestyle. His secret? He acquired two small houses -- one in sunny Arizona for the winter and another in Washington state, where the summertime climate is more comfortable.

“This guy has two big passions: golf and Harley Davidsons. Every June he bikes north to escape the torrid Arizona heat. ... Then come each fall, he’s back to Arizona where he can play the rest of the year,” says Michael Crowley, a real estate broker who assisted the man with several transactions.

The golf enthusiast in this true story is thrilled with his two-house solution. Yet Crowley says it’s rare for retirees to sell a large home in favor of two retirement properties. Many simply downsize from one large place to a smaller one in a different area. Still, he says a two-house scenario is plausible for those with adequate retirement resources.

“The key is to avoid overspending on either of the two homes you buy,” says Crowley, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

One major advantage of the two-home strategy is that it allows retirees the potential to enjoy two different climates at advantageous times. Avoiding wintertime cold weather in favor of life in a balmy recreational area helps them stay healthier by letting them maintain their outdoor exercise routines.

“Lots of people in colder parts of the country talk about buying a home in a warmer recreational area where they can spend the winter. But after doing the math, they can’t make the numbers work. Instead of buying, they decide to rent a wintertime retreat in a warm area,” Crowley says.

Margie Casey, an experienced real estate broker based in the Florida Keys, says that wherever they choose to live, most retirees want low maintenance. Ideally, they like all exterior upkeep to be provided through a condo or homeowners’ association.

“People want the total freedom of ‘lock and leave’ homes,” says Casey, the author of “Relocate at Retirement or Not?”

Here are a few pointers for those pondering a two-home retirement:

-- First, think through the financial implications of your plan.

Casey, who reviews retirement communities on her website, realestatescorecard.com, says anyone considering two-home ownership should first discuss the financial implications with a professional adviser.

“A planner can help you calculate what you can afford and give you a second opinion on your plan,” she says.

Property taxes are also a big factor, especially if the local jurisdictions are running budgetary shortfalls and may have to raise taxes.

“Once you investigate the taxes, you may decide to live one state away from your grandchildren, assuming that lowers your cost of living,” Casey says.

-- Think through whether living in a condo would suit you.

Crowley says buyers considering the purchase of a condo should exercise caution before making this choice.

“Going from a house to a condo is a big change. It’s just personal taste, but some people always feel uncomfortable in a condo,” says Crowley, who’s worked with homebuyers since 1993.

To illustrate, he tells of a married couple he advised on the purchase of retirement property in Hawaii. The couple chose a condo development that seemed attractive. Before they concluded a purchase there, however, they rented a unit as a trial run.

“After a brief time renting, they realized they hated condo living. It felt way too crowded to them,” Crowley recalls.

Those contemplating a dual-home retirement plan should be doubly cautious about buying two condos at once.

“For Pete’s sake, don’t buy two condos if you’ve never ever tried living in an apartment. There’s too big a risk of disappointment,” Crowley says.

-- Look into your transportation options before deciding where to relocate.

Many a retiree has selected an ideal setting without taking into account airport access, which Casey considers a major mistake.

Relying on an out-of-the-way airport makes it harder to travel to distant locations for vacation or to see your children. It can also add to your air transportation bills.

“Try to live near an airport that’s a hub for one of the major carriers. That can save you a ton on air travel costs,” Casey says.

Another transportation factor to consider is proximity to major interstate roadways.

“Most retired people want to live within a two-hour drive of their grandchildren,” Casey says.

-- Temper your expectations for visits with your offspring.

Living near grandchildren is the No. 1 priority for many retirees. But Casey cautions those choosing a retirement habitat to be realistic about their expectations for how often they’ll see family, no matter how close they live.

“Your kids have busy lives. Sure, you can hope to see them often. But don’t focus your whole retirement lifestyle on seeing family. First and foremost, choose the lifestyle that works for you,” Casey says.

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

Tom Early, a veteran real estate broker, has a cautionary note for those seeking to sell their property in coming weeks: Make sure the place is clutter-free or expect it to languish unsold for an indefinite period.

“These days, buyers are much fussier than before,” says Early, who works solely with buyers and takes no listings.

Though all real estate trends are local, he urges sellers to take notice of the big picture, as reflected in current economic statistics. Across the nation, home sales dipped slightly in April, the latest month for which numbers are available. Meanwhile, inventories of unsold homes are increasing, especially at the upper end of the price spectrum.

At the National Association of Realtors (realtor.org), chief economist Lawrence Yun warns sellers against excessively high expectations.

“When placing their home on the market, home sellers need to be very realistic and aware of the current conditions,” Yun says.

It costs relatively little to declutter a property. But professional organizers report that many homeowners struggle with the critical need to reduce their accumulations to prep for a sale.

“One key problem is that as Americans, we’re a nation of addicted shoppers,” says Barbara Hemphill, a past president of the National Association of Productivity & Organizing Professionals (napo.net).

Ironically, many people embark on an anti-clutter campaign with a shopping spree involving the purchase of many storage containers. But all those big plastic bins prove more of a hindrance than a help, according to Hemphill, who’s worked in the organizational field for more than three decades.

“Almost inevitably, those containers just get in your way,” she says.

Judith Rough, a professional organizer who runs a small firm called Carefree Transitions, urges people planning to sell their homes to halt all but the most necessary shopping.

“Remember that you’re not in the accumulating stage. You’re clearing out. That’s an entirely different frame of mind,” Rough says.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Try to assemble a team to help with the clearing process.

To fully declutter an average-sized house typically takes at least four weeks of concentrated effort. And to avoid getting bogged down with the feelings the process arouses, many people need help, Rough says.

To gain momentum, people often turn to relatives. But Rough says you’re better off with an objective third party -- ideally a professional organizer. One source for referrals is the real estate agent who will list your property.

Unfortunately, many sellers can’t afford to pay a professional organizer for numerous hours of assistance. If this is true for you, Rough suggests you limit the organizer’s help to just a few hours of planning time. Then also pay the person for a few one-hour “check-ins” on a weekly basis, during which you’ll receive a “homework” assignment for the following week.

-- Query family members on which items they wish to claim.

Many parents of grown children hang onto things they believe their offspring will wish to claim in the future. But as Rough says, “your kids will want far less of your stuff than you expect.” She suggests you ask them directly what they want to keep.

For example, she tells the true story of a client who’d retained her wedding gown for decades on the assumption that her teenage daughter would one day want to use it.

“But when the mom asked the girl if she ever planned to wear the gown, she replied that she ‘wouldn’t be caught dead in it’,” Rough recalls.

-- Take photos of valuable items that are too large or awkward to keep.

When working with clients, Hemphill often photographs entire rooms in a house she’s helping declutter -- thereby creating compact memories of these spaces.

Besides taking photos, she also recommends you retain a small box of special items from your children’s early lives --- such as clothing and toys. Still other mementos, including drawings or small pieces of sculpture, were framed or placed on display in shadow boxes.

Converting some symbolic items from your kids’ early years into art or photographs allows you to integrate them more easily into your new environment, Hemphill says.

-- Safeguard keepsakes and valuable documents.

Those who embark on a clutter control campaign are often relieved to encounter items so valuable that they cannot -- and should not -- discard them. These include birth certificates, passports and high school diplomas.

Rough suggests you encase such valuables in clear plastic sheet protectors and place them in a three-ring binder. Alternatively, you may wish to buy a storage item designed for vital records.

-- Give away extra items that are useful.

As you sift through memorabilia from your children’s lives as well as your own mementos, you’re bound to encounter many items you no longer want or need. Do you truly wish to haul all those books, toys and pieces of sports gear to the new house?

Whenever possible, Hemphill encourages you to donate serviceable items to a reputable charity you want to help. Through the years, for example, she’s taken many of her own discards to a shelter for battered women.

“There’s a lot of satisfaction in knowing that your excess inventory will be put to good use by people who really need it,” Hemphill says.

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

A few days ago, when Ashley Richardson staged an open house to market a 1930s stucco colonial with 3,000 square feet of living space, the event attracted an unusual number of prospects. The lure? The place features six bedrooms plus a den -- all rooms suitable for a home office.

One family especially interested in the property is contemplating its use for three home offices: one for the husband, one for the wife and one for their 10-year-old daughter.

“During the open house, I overheard the little girl declaring she needs her own office. She wants a quiet room where she can get her homework done quickly, and her parents like the idea,” says Richardson, a seasoned agent for the Long & Foster realty company in suburban Maryland.

According to Gallup Inc., a data analytics company, more than 40 percent of U.S. employees now work from home at least one day per week, and that percentage is growing.

“Having at least one home-office space is now huge, huge, huge with buyers,” she says.

But Richardson cautions sellers that it’s not enough to simply offer would-be purchasers an extra room or two for use as a home office. These spaces must be light, bright and clutter-free.

“Before any house goes on the market, you have to clean up the home office so buyers can envision themselves working comfortably there. This can take many hours of decluttering,” says Richardson, who’s affiliated with the Residential Real Estate Council (crs.com).

Professional organizers, such as Susan Pinsky, author of “The Fast and Furious 5 Step Organizing Solution,” say many sellers who operate a home-based business find the chore of decluttering especially intimidating.

“They have to figure out how to keep the company running while the house is on the market, which is extremely hard,” Pinsky says.

If you're a prospective seller who occasionally works from home, these few pointers could prove helpful:

-- Elevate paper culling to a priority.

Many people who have home offices are plagued with boxes and bags filled with unsorted papers. These include business reports, computer print-outs, junk mail, utility bills, credit card statements and clippings from magazines and newspapers.

Ironically, very few of the papers that people keep have value to their business ventures or careers, says Pierrette Ashcroft, a productivity consultant who operates her own home-based business.

“More than 80 percent of the papers people save are never referred to again,” she says.

The problem for home sellers is that any kind of clutter, including papers, makes a home look untidy. That can cause visitors to conclude that the house has more problems than meet the eye, says Mark Nash, a longtime real estate broker and author of “1001 Tips for Buying & Selling a Home.”

“Less is always more when it comes to selling your home,” Nash says.

Unfortunately, it can take more time and energy to go through papers than just about any other kind of clutter, he says.

“You have to go through papers one at a time and make decisions. You can’t just throw it all out, because that box filled with junk mail might also hold your passport or the deed to your house,” he says.

-- Use a scanner to store papers, rather than filing cabinets.

Ashcroft urges those trying to declutter a home office to scan many of their documents into their computer rather than trying to store them in filing cabinets.

“I’m practically paper-free in my own home office. I use a rapid scanner and can scan up to 200 papers in two minutes,” Ashcroft says.

-- Drastically reduce the size of your book collections.

Many people from all types of professional backgrounds maintain bigger libraries than they ever need or use for reference.

“People have an emotional attachment to books,” Ashcroft says, noting that overflowing bookshelves are often found throughout a home, not only in the office area.

The problem for bibliophiles preparing to sell their home is that shelves crammed with books make a property seem smaller than it truly is. What’s more, it can be costly to pay a moving company to transport your books -- especially if you’re making a long-distance move.

Ashcroft says sellers with substantial book collections are wise to sort through them before their property goes on the market -- dispensing with any books they no longer use. Remember, too, that many books can now be quickly and easily accessed from an e-reader such as the Kindle sold by Amazon.

“Anymore, you don’t have to cling to conventional books to keep many volumes you value. Let technology spare you,” she says.

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