The United States was supposed to be heading toward a buyer’s market for real estate in 2019. But many would-be homeowners are still confronting sticker shock, especially in popular metro areas.

“Only in deep suburban and rural areas are prices starting to drop, particularly in towns where factories are closing,” says Fred Meyer, a longtime Massachusetts-based real estate appraiser and broker.

Given the overall strength of the American economy and the continuing shortage of residential construction, home price gains continue to outpace wage increases in a number of coveted communities, according to Todd Teta, a senior official at Attom Data Solutions, a California-based firm that tracks housing markets throughout the country.

“Despite falling mortgage rates and rising wages, the cost of owning the typical home remains out of reach or a significant financial stretch for the nation’s average wage earners,” according to Teta.

An analysis of housing affordability by Attom (attomdata.com) found that median home prices are not affordable for average wage earners in 353 of the 480 counties analyzed in its report. Even so, a minority of counties posted better affordability than a year ago.

Meyer urges wannabe purchasers to avoid despair about their odds of attaining homeownership, even if their target area is a pricey one. Rather than backing away, he recommends they take a strategic approach to finding a fair deal.

“Consider lowering your expectations in terms of home size and features,” Meyer says.

For example, you might consider a property with smaller bathrooms and a more diminutive kitchen than your ideal vision. Or you might accept a home without a garage.

Here are a few other pointers for income-tight buyers:

-- Focus on overpriced houses.

Merrill Ottwein, an Illinois-based broker with a long track record working with novice buyers, says some first-timers overlook an important reality in real estate. This is that buyers sometimes get the best deals on property that was priced too high in the beginning.

The trick is to be sure you’re among the first to know when the owners of a favorite property in your neighborhood of choice decide to take a significant price cut. Ottwein says buyers should tell their real estate agent to alert them immediately when this happens.

“That way you can swoop in before others do to try to negotiate a favorable deal, when the sellers are most willing to bargain,” Ottwein says.

-- Consider a dated-looking place.

The cash-flow-conscious buyer may want to consider a category of properties a notch above the fixer-upper. These are essentially well-kept houses; the electricity, plumbing and other systems work. But their owners, though conscientious in some respects, have neglected the interior decor. Hence, they may be forced to sell at a price that’s well below market value.

But Ottwein cautions against mistaking an out-of-fashion house for one with serious underlying issues -- what might better be termed a true fixer-upper.

He recommends a thorough inspection to determine whether a home has fundamental flaws, such as a failing air conditioning system or a bad roof. These are far more costly to fix than is an uninspiring decor.

-- Search for sellers who are highly motivated to deal with you.

In real estate, as in many transactions, time is money. Sellers who must move quickly, perhaps due to a marital breakup, job relocation or financial reversal, are obviously more likely to let their property go for a bargain price.

You needn’t pry or do anything sneaky to find out more about the motivations of owners of homes you are interested in. Often, sellers telegraph their intentions through online or print ads placed by their listing agent. Perhaps their ads will read: “Seller Motivated” or “Must Move Quickly.”

If the ads don’t reveal the sellers’ motivation, a few casual inquiries placed by your real estate agent to the listing agent could do so.

“It’s amazing how often listing agents will reveal the real motivations of their clients, even when it’s against their clients’ interest to do so,” Ottwein says.

Once you grasp the sellers’ motivation and their timing, you can customize your contract offer in keeping with their specific needs. As Ottwein notes, flexible buyers -- who’ve also been fully preapproved for a mortgage and have the necessary documentation in order -- are the most likely to command the sellers’ attention.

“The obvious truth is that highly motivated sellers are much more open to both offers and counteroffers. Often, it’s just a simple matter of timing,” he says.

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

She was a medical researcher for a Maryland hospital who hankered to finally leave the noisy apartment building where she and her husband had lived for more than five years. Once they hit their early 30s, she figured it was time for them to buy their first home.

Ashley Richardson, the real estate agent the couple had engaged to help them find their first home, showed the pair 15 townhouses that met their search criteria. The last one they toured -- a fully renovated property in a historic city neighborhood -- was a thrilling find for the researcher.

But in the end, the researcher’s husband refused to go forward with any home purchase, and the couple decided to stay in their rental unit indefinitely.

“He was afraid of the commitment involved in buying a home,” says Richardson, who’s sold property since 1993 and works for the Long & Foster realty firm.

Nowadays, she says it’s surprisingly common for would-be first-time buyers to back away from a purchase, though in many cases their withdrawal occurs at a later stage than it did for the researcher and her husband. Often, people back out after a home inspector checks out a house they plan to buy and finds faults.

There are, of course, many reasons why those who intend to buy their first home exit the process prematurely. In some cases, they fear the financial commitment, recalling how many Americans lost their homes to foreclosure during the Great Recession.

Here are a few common fears that afflict buyers and how to overcome them:

-- Fear of exposing a blemished credit history to a mortgage lender.

Sid Davis, a real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Buying a Home,” says many wannabe homeowners worry how their credit histories will be viewed by mortgage lenders. But he says most such anxieties are usually baseless.

Mortgage pre-approval, which lets buyers assess their borrowing capability before they head out to shop for a property -- is now easily obtained over the phone. Even so, Davis says some first-timers prefer to go to the lender’s office for pre-approval.

“If it makes you more comfortable, go see the lender in person, and ask your agent to go with you,” he says.

Also, to ensure they’re being quoted a competitive rate for their mortgage, he encourages all buyers to shop lenders before submitting a formal loan application.

-- Fear that family members will judge your buying choices negatively.

Most first-time buyers are in their 20s or 30s. On financial matters, many still look to parents for guidance. But sometimes, the intervention of elders can backfire.

“You don’t necessarily want to get your parents involved in your transaction. In many instances, in the name of protecting you from overpaying, they can blow up an otherwise good deal,” Davis says.

There’s nothing inherently wrong with seeking help from your parents. But Davis says it’s wise to involve them early on -- not after you’ve picked out the property and are about to seal the purchase.

If you’re afraid to go forward without your parents’ help, Davis suggests you bring them along on your house-hunting trips. That way they can compare various alternatives and will likely give you more objective advice.

-- Fear of making a mistaken property selection.

Because they realize that the home-buying decision is a major one, Davis says many wannabe homebuyers become risk averse, worrying they’ll select the wrong property.

He says it’s not uncommon for young buyers seeking emotional safety to keep researching the market rather than making a decision. But even in neighborhoods where buyers now have the upper hand, purchasers can forfeit the chance to buy a home they love simply because they obsessed too long over the details.

“There’s often a downside to delaying. It’s not impossible that someone else will come in and snap up that home you adore,” Davis says.

Also, he says some sellers become so put off by indecisive purchasers that they refuse to deal with them.

Davis says the best remedy for home-selection anxiety is solid information. Work with a real estate agent who can accurately advise on the true market value of any property you’re considering, thereby reducing your chances of overpaying.

“It’s a good thing for young buyers to get a lot of hand-holding from a reputable agent, ideally one who enjoys helping first-timers,” Davis says.

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

Michael Crowley still speaks fondly of the tiny, pale yellow cottage he bought in Spokane, Washington, in 1993. He was just 29 at the time, and both he and his black chow dog were excited to escape the cramped apartment where they’d been living. Plus, the cottage was a quick walk to a lush park where both could romp.

Crowley, a longtime real estate broker, paid just $57,500 for the house -- a fraction of its current value. But even decades ago, the house sold for less than SIMILAR properties in the same upmarket area. Why? Because it faced a heavily traveled road.

“When you buy a house that fronts to a busy roadway, you’d better get a discount. Don’t forget that when it’s your time to sell, you’ll also have to swallow a discount due to location,” says Crowley, who’s affiliated with the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

The reason that selling a home on a busy artery is problematic is that many buyers fear heavy traffic will translate to noise and fumes. They also fear their pets or children will run into the roadway.

Despite buyer objections, it’s very possible for the owners of a property on a busy roadway to receive full market value of their place when they sell, so long as they take a realistic approach, says Sid Davis, a Utah-based broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home.”

“One obvious step is to bite the bullet on price to some extent. ... Usually about a 5 percent price break is enough in a strong market,” Davis says.

Here are a few other pointers for sellers:

-- Stress road access as a positive.

Granted, most buyers wouldn’t relish living near the noisy entrance ramp to a major highway. But a location just a mile from that ramp could be a plus to purchasers who are fed up with their time-consuming commutes, says James W. Hughes, a housing expert at Rutgers University in New Jersey.

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

“Walkability is of growing importance, especially to baby boomers. They’re less fond of driving than when they were younger, and more eager to exercise. They like to walk to restaurants and movie theaters,” Hughes says.

Though most Americans still prefer green suburban living to an in-town setting, Davis says recent immigrants are often less resistant to life on a bustling street than those who’ve always lived in the United States.

-- Underscore the benefits of strong neighborhood schools.

Is the community where you’re selling served by a network of outstanding schools? And are most would-be buyers people with young children who need extra space for their growing families?

If so, Davis says it would be a smart idea to promote the purchase of your home as a way to gain entry to top-notch schools at a relatively low cost.

“[Buyers] need to see how inexpensively they could break into a prime family neighborhood if they buy your place,” Davis says.

To stress the point that your home is a better value for the money, he recommends you ask your listing agent to give prospects a list of similar properties on sale in the area, along with the relative prices shown on a per-square-foot basis.

“This is a graphic way to underline how buyers could get a bigger house for less money, along with excellent schools,” Davis says.

-- Look into the cost of fencing your yard.

Some heavily trafficked roadways seem particularly risky to children and animals. These include avenues with multiple lanes and freeways used by large trucks and other commercial vehicles. If you’re living along this sort of roadway, Davis says you may wish to fence your yard in hopes of lessening the fears of potential buyers.

Your listing agent can advise you on whether the fencing of your yard would constitute a warranted pre-sale expenditure. As one money-saving option, the agent might recommend 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.

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

Suppose your roadside home went on the market months ago at a price slightly below that of comparable homes in more tranquil areas of the same neighborhood. But while the other places are selling, your home continues to languish unsold.

In this case, Davis says one of your few remaining options is to cut your price more steeply, reducing it to 10 percent or more below what’s being asked for comparable properties on calmer streets nearby.

“Getting nailed on price isn’t fun. But sometimes that’s your only choice if you really want to sell that house on a busy street,” Davis says.

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