Months into the pandemic, a middle-aged couple with two teenagers became fed up with their city condo. With everyone home, it felt way too crowded. So they vowed to move up to a much more spacious suburban place with a yard.

“Sure, it was convenient. But to heck with downsized living. We needed liberation,” recalls the wife, a government consultant.

Given that homebuyers now greatly outnumber sellers in most popular suburbs, the family knew they’d have to scramble to compete for a trade-up property. But they vowed to take on the competition.

“We were determined to win the kind of forever house we’d been fantasizing about,” the consultant says.

It took several weeks for the family to locate the sort of place they were seeking. To beat out rival bidders, they added an escalator clause to their offer, promising to pay $1,000 over the highest bid that came in. Also, the consultant composed a persuasive letter to the elderly seller, telling her how much the family appreciated her place.

“That letter made all the difference because the owner had babied that house for many years, keeping it in exquisite condition,” the consultant says.

Mark Nash, a veteran real estate analyst, doesn’t know the family in this true story. But he empathizes with those now seeking larger quarters.

“These days, trading up to a big suburban place can be nearly as hard as buying a first home,” says Mark Nash, a longtime real estate analyst and author of “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home.”

Steadily rising home prices, combined with higher mortgage rates, are now doubly disadvantaging buyers, says Lawrence Yun, chief economist for the National Association of Realtors (nar.realtor).

“Housing affordability is weakening. Various stimulus packages are expected, and they will indeed help. But an increase in inventory is the best way to address surging home costs,” Yun says.

Here are pointers for move-up buyers:

-- Disconnect emotionally from your current place.

Surprisingly, many who want to sell their property in favor of a better one have a tough time letting go of their current domain, says Sid Davis, the author of several real estate books. The problem is that many who are emotionally attached to their property find it difficult to price realistically -- especially now, when sellers rule in many areas.

“Subconsciously, many sellers think they’re entitled to a higher-than-market price because they love their house and think it’s better than any other place for miles around,” says Davis, a veteran real estate broker.

But given the psychology of buyers, most so resent an overpriced property that they’ll refuse to bid on it. Therefore, a beloved house with too rich a price tag can sit unsold for a period of time, creating a serious snag in the plans of owners who wish to trade up.

“Even now, people who get greedy reduce their odds for an expeditious sale,” Davis says.

How can you loosen ties to your current property so as to be emotionally free to move on to a larger or more luxurious home?

Davis recommends that before setting your list price, you do a brief tour of the trade-up properties available in your price range in the area where you wish to live.

“Looking around at other options can flip the switch in your brain and cause you to get excited about buying that better house,” he says.

-- Always remember resale potential when buying a home.

If you’re trading up to a better property for the second or third time, you may assume your next property will be your last. But statistics show that many owners sell sooner than expected, says Dorcas Helfant, the co-owner of several Coldwell Banker realty offices.

“Your plans are one thing, but what happens in real life is another,” says Helfant, who cites financial and health issues as reasons why many sell sooner than they anticipate.

Regardless of how long you stay, you’ll want a place that not only holds its value but appreciates. That’s why it’s wise to look for features that will gain in value over time, such as those that help keep utility bills to a minimum.

Helfant says good bets for future appreciation are energy savers -- including extra attic insulation, double-paned windows and high-efficiency appliances. In addition, look for an open floor plan that should retain its popularity over time.

“People do want home offices with doors they can close for privacy. But other than that, they dislike chopped-up floor plans with lots of small, self-contained rooms. They favor a kitchen that flows directly into a spacious ‘great room,’” she says.

-- Consider choosing a brand-new home.

All available homes are in short supply in coveted communities, including in new subdivisions. Builders are facing rising costs related to both land and materials. Even so, Davis says buyers who are attempting to acquire a more spacious place can sometimes get a better deal on new construction than on a resale property.

“Look at pricing on a square footage basis. You could be surprised at how far your money will go on a brand-new place when it’s a really large house you’re chasing,” he says.

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

This spring, there’s rising optimism among renters exhausted by COVID restrictions and yearning for liberation from tight apartments. At long last, they hope to actualize their homeownership aspirations.

Renters’ desire to buy intensifies when they crunch numbers on comparative housing costs, says George Ratiu, a senior economist at Realtor.com, the national home listing service.

“There’s a tilt against rentals in an increasing number of metro areas where the cost of owning is within 5% of the median rental cost,” Ratiu says.

All this is not to say buyers are free of challenges in the frenzied spring market. Prices are still rising, and the inventory of available homes is still dropping.

“Under the circumstances, you’d think many potential owners would get discouraged -- they’d cut and run. But that’s simply not the case,” says Michael Crowley, an independent real estate broker.

To persevere in the highly competitive sellers’ market, he says many buyers are facing tough tradeoffs on location and home features.

“For nearly all buyers, there’s a widening gap between their wish list and what they can afford. One big gulf relates to location. During COVID, they were willing to live way out in near-rural areas, but now they’re not so sure,” says Crowley, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Obviously, the pandemic has allowed many to live anywhere and telework. But there are now more employers expecting remote workers to come into the office at least one or two days per week.

“Do I really want to live a terrible commute away from my employer going forward? That’s what more people are now asking themselves,” says Crowley.

Besides locational compromises, many would-be buyers are compelled to set priorities on the home features they most favor, says Amanda Pendleton, a home trends expert for Zillow, the data-driven real estate firm.

“The life changes triggered by the pandemic have caused everyone to reconsider what’s most important about their homes,” Pendleton says.

Through its extensive surveys, Zillow has identified the home features current buyers most want in the post-COVID period. At the top of most buyers’ priority lists: extraordinary kitchens.

“Consumers are always looking for ways to make the kitchen more functional, more organized, easy to clean and, of course, more beautiful,” says Kerrie Kelly, a Zillow home design specialist.

Many buyers now hanker for a kitchen with professional-level appliances, including steam ovens, as well as quartz countertops, Kelly says. They also aspire to “a spa vibe” in the master bath with such luxury amenities as heated floors and a free-standing bathtub.

But given home price increases, many buyers must lower their expectations to compete in multiple bidding situations, according to Ashley Richardson, a veteran real estate agent affiliated with the Residential Real Estate Council (crs.com).

“With inventory so tight, buyers will take what they can get if they are not in a position to wait for what they really want,” says Richardson, who sells property through the Long & Foster realty firm.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Take note of the commuting penalties often linked to a large property.

Alan Pisarski, author of the book “Commuting in America,” says the time people spend driving back and forth to their jobs will likely increase substantially in the near future.

“In high-cost housing areas, some people are moving farther out to afford any kind of house. But others are doing the same to get that ‘estate house’ surrounded by more land,” Pisarski says.

When analyzing the true costs of commuting from the hinterlands, Pisarski encourages prospective buyers to look beyond the dollars associated with gas and car maintenance expenses.

“To get a larger property or a lower mortgage payment, are you really willing to trade the time you’ll spend in traffic backups -- time you could spend with your family?” he asks.

-- Consider the labor costs for upkeep.

Those attracted to ownership of a large property in a bucolic setting often assume they could easily delegate their yardwork to a landscape or lawn service company.

“Delegating such work doesn’t always save as many hours as people assume. Finding people you can trust to do the work correctly without much supervision isn’t always easy,” Crowley says.

-- Take a realistic look at your children’s needs for a big yard.

Do you have memories of an idyllic childhood spent playing on a large lawn or in nearby wooded areas? Do you dream of owning a place where your children can enjoy the same freedom to frolic outdoors?

Such dreams are totally understandable. But you could be kidding yourself about the realities of your kids’ lives versus your own childhood years. Were there two working parents in the home where you grew up? Were you involved in as many organized athletic teams as are your children?

When they think through the issues, Crowley says, many buyers realize that the purchase of a home with a large yard is not warranted, given the limited time their children will play outside going forward.

“After COVID-19 goes into the history books, life will likely revert to a lot of the old patterns for your children as well as your work life,” he says.

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

Mortgage rates have become volatile in recent days, adding another element of uncertainty for buyers already in battle with rising home prices and tight-as-a-drum inventories of available homes. No one -- not even Nobel Prize-winning economists -- can know for certain the future trajectory of rates. But most wannabe homeowners have no intention of retreat.

“The small increase in mortgage rates has had zero impact on buyers so far. Rates are still historically low, and they’re still keeping buyers in the market,” says Ben Stanfield, a real estate agent for Redfin.

To date, would-be buyers have been much more focused on the severe scarcity of available property in popular neighborhoods than on mortgage rate ups and downs.

“It’s true that rates have come off the pandemic period lows they hit this winter, when they were absolutely rock bottom. Since then, rates did firm up a little bit. But the change has been nothing spectacular,” says Keith Gumbinger, a mortgage industry analyst for HSH Associates since 1984.

A recent pickup in rates caused many planning to refinance their mortgages to back off. But those in the millennial age group -- born between 1981 and 1996 -- remain highly motivated.

Granted, higher home financing costs mean that purchasers must raise more money to cover down payment and closing costs. But, so far, that’s affected relatively few buyers.

“It’s only people close to the margin who must go back to the drawing board when mortgage rates rise slightly. Most purchasers are not that close to the line,” Gumbinger says.

As a consumer advocate for homebuyers, he urges them to shop carefully for the type of mortgage that most closely fits their future housing plans.

“The vast majority of buyers will jump in and grab a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage. But if you’re absolutely sure your tenure in the house will be only a few years, you might consider one of the new adjustable mortgages that guarantee low rates for five years or longer before they adjust,” Gumbinger says.

Here are a few other pointers for buyers:

-- Seek a lender willing to get you started with tutorials.

Gerri Detweiler, a consumer credit expert and author of “The Ultimate Credit Handbook” and several other books on debt issues, encourages first-time buyers to seek out a mortgage lender who will instruct them on the intricacies of home loans.

“A good lender won’t think it unreasonable to spend a couple of hours teaching you the basics and helping you deal with potential flaws on your credit reports,” says Detweiler, who offers free credit pointers on her website: gerridetweiler.com.

But how do you find a sympathetic lender willing to tutor you through your first or second attempt at home finance?

Gumbinger says real estate agents are usually a good bet for sound advice on finding a qualified lender. But he says you should look well beyond the suggestions of agents.

“For referrals, I recommend you use what I call the 'Satisfied Customer Index,’ also known as friends and family,” he says.

-- Arrive at your lender’s office fully prepared.

To maximize the use of your time and that of the lender you’ve chosen for your preliminary tutorials, there’s no substitute for gathering key documents in advance of your meeting. Ideally, these should include recent pay stubs, your latest W-2, a couple of years’ worth of federal tax returns, and bank account statements.

“Anything germane to your financial situation can help the lender help you,” according to Gumbinger.

By providing these documents at the front end of the process, your lender should be able to quickly calculate your top borrowing limit and also assess your eligibility for various lending programs.

“Well before you’re ready to apply for a loan, you can bring the whole mortgage picture into much clearer focus by supplying basic documents related to your financial life,” Gumbinger says.

-- Research your credit standing to ensure you get the best possible rate.

Under federal law, you're entitled to one free credit report each year from the three largest credit bureaus: Equifax, Experian and TransUnion. You can easily request these online, at annualcreditreport.com.

Besides your credit reports, you'll want to access your "credit scores." Such scores, which draw on data from the credit bureaus, seek to provide lenders with a quantitative measure of a person's credit risk. Most lenders still use FICO scores, pioneered by the Fair Isaac Corp.

In most cases, you'll need to pay a fee to obtain your credit scores. One way to get them is through the Fair Isaac website: myfico.com. You can also receive credit scores through the three large credit bureaus. FICO scores range from 300 to 850, and the higher the score, the more likely you are to get the best available rate on your mortgage.

Once you’ve chosen a property you want to buy, it’s time to get serious about making your mortgage application. And with your credit scores in hand, you can readily begin the process of comparison shopping on rates.

You may wish to start the rate-shopping process with the lender who tutored you in the basics of home finance. But Gumbinger strongly suggests you extend your rate hunt well beyond the first lender you consulted. And he recommends you include community banks and credit unions in your search.

“It sounds like overkill. But it’s smart to take the time to make enough extra phone calls to collect at least a dozen rate quotes before going forward with a formal mortgage application,” he says.

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