As pandemic constraints gradually lessen, many seniors who’ve been vaccinated are exceedingly restless. Finally, they’re revisiting home-selling plans that were on hold for months due to COVID-19.

“There’s enormous pent-up demand to leave the big family manse for a more comfortable and economic lifestyle in a happier place,” says Mark Nash, a real estate broker and analyst.

Meanwhile, a severe shortage of available properties has brought major heartache for wannabe homebuyers who’ve been facing intense competition among rival bidders. Hence, any sign of greater supply is welcome news for buyers.

A new report from Coldwell Banker Real Estate is offering hope for buyers. A company survey of homeowners found that a remarkable 20% are considering a home sale in the next 12 months.

If even a fraction of those pondering a sale put their properties on the market, that could “take the edge out of the inventory disconnect,” says M. Ryan Gorman, Coldwell Banker’s CEO.

Why are more owners looking ahead to a possible sale in the post-COVID period? Gorman says the motivations are multiple. Some seek to move to another state to save on taxes or enjoy a better climate. Still others hope to take full advantage of the strong seller’s market for as long as it lasts.

Nash says some income-constrained seniors need the proceeds from the sale of their property to support themselves in their retirement years. Others choose to move to simplify their lifestyles and reduce upkeep obligations.

“The old story about the pleasures of downsizing still resonates for many elders,” says Nash, the author of “1001 Tips for Buying and Selling a Home.”

But in the post-pandemic period, numerous potential downsizing seniors are facing a barrier to their plans: grown children who moved back home during COVID after their schools or workplaces closed.

Arpita Chakravorty, an economist for Zillow, the national real estate company, calculates that the number of so-called “boomerang kids” living in their parents’ home plateaued last October. Yet more than 780,000 are still residing there.

Nash says many senior owners who have grown children living under the same roof have mixed feelings about downsizing.

“Of course, they’re sympathetic with their children’s legitimate housing needs. But at the same time, they’re anxious to move forward so their own housing game plan can play out. And this might involve downsizing to a retirement community where younger people aren’t welcome,” Nash says.

Here are a few pointers for senior sellers with adult children at home:

-- Don’t jeopardize your own moving plans.

Michael Crowley, who runs an independent real estate brokerage, says he’s observed how some clients have sacrificed their retirement dreams to maintain quarters for grown children.

Of course, many young adults living in the family home are unaware of their parents’ financial situation. Nor do they grasp the full cost of owning and maintaining a large property. That’s why Crowley suggests that an important first step toward your housing transition could involve a family meeting to go over these realities.

“Sit down and outline your situation with your children. Describe all the costs associated with ownership of your big house and why it’s important to reduce these expenses in retirement,” says Crowley, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Obviously, many young adults are well intentioned, and once they realize how important it is for their parents to downsize and reduce costs, they’re more motivated to find their own housing solutions, he says.

-- Consider the concept of offering a temporary rent subsidy.

Given how difficult it is for many young adults, including recent college graduates, to obtain a well-paying job, it can be a jarring transition if they’re jettisoned from the family home without sufficient funds to cover their own housing.

Should you help them pay to rent a place of their own? Crowley says that might be a reasonable way to proceed with your home sale without fear that your offspring could become homeless.

“Parents with the financial means might give their kids the equivalent of six to 12 months’ worth of rent for a modest apartment, along with money to cover their security deposit,” he says.

-- Stay focused on protecting your retirement assets.

By the time parents reach their late 50s or early 60s, many need to focus much more intensely on their own finances rather than on subsidizing their grown children.

“At a certain stage, people have to get on with their own lives,” says Donna Goings, a real estate broker affiliated with the Residential Real Estate Council (crs.com).

If you have a grown child or two living with you yet you wish to downsize, it might be feasible for the offspring to remain in your next household for a short while, assuming you’ll have a spare bedroom there. But in that case, Goings says you should charge them at least a minimal level of rent -- proportional to what income they can bring in.

Should you feel guilty about asserting your own need to downsize, even if that means your boomerang kids can’t go with you to the new place and must find alternative housing? Not at all, Goings says.

“The best thing you can do for your kids is to see that they get on their own two feet so they’ll develop the skills for independence,” she says.

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

As America emerges from the pandemic, which imposed severe restrictions on family gatherings, there’s greater appreciation for multigenerational lifestyles. That’s prompting more seniors who can afford to buy a domain near their grown children and grandkids to do so.

Take the case of a retired federal administrator and his homemaker wife. The pair sold their mid-century modern suburban Maryland house, using the proceeds for a brand-new place with double the space. Not by coincidence, they chose to live just two blocks from the home owned by their grown daughter, her husband and the couple’s 2-year-old daughter in North Carolina.

Sid Davis, a Utah real estate broker with seven nearby grandchildren of his own, isn’t surprised by the quest of so many seniors for closer contact with relatives.

“At this point in our history, people are hungry for family connections. All but a few seniors would love to engineer a way to see their kids more often,” Davis says.

As he notes, these post-COVID lifestyle changes come in many forms. But all involve closer family ties --especially to grandchildren. To illustrate the point, he cites the example of one senior, a retiring school principal and neighbor who lives across the cul-de-sac from his home.

“This lady gave $70,000 to her divorced son, a computer programmer, to help him buy a house on our same cul-de-sac. Her goal is to see more of the man’s 12-year-old son. Both the boy and his grandma share a love for hiking and biking,” Davis says.

Of course, not all seniors who aspire to live closer to offspring can afford to buy a nearby home or to assist their grown children financially to make a purchase possible. But an increasing number of retirees with discretionary funds are doing just that.

“In many instances, these are people who upsize to terrifically large houses where everyone in the extended family can enjoy holidays and vacation time together,” says Davis, the author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.”

Fred Meyer, who operates an independent realty firm in Massachusetts, says many retirees who buy property near family are pleased with their decision. But he cautions seniors against planning such a move without first making sure their grown children welcome the prospect.

“Ahead of a move, it’s important to have an in-depth family discussion with all involved,” Meyer says.

Here are a few pointers for seniors pondering a more family-oriented lifestyle:

-- Consider a place with genuine appeal to your family.

If the vision of a family mecca seems attractive to you, Davis says you’ll want a place that’s convenient for as many family members as possible.

“Take stock of your family and their future work plans,” he says.

Perhaps you have a grown daughter who’s made partner in an established law firm near where you wish to buy a home. Or maybe you have a son committed to his medical career in the same area. If so -- assuming good relations within the family -- you can be reasonably confident your grown kids and their families will visit often if you live close by.

But what if your children have careers in the military or foreign service and might even be moving overseas? Then you may want to delay a move until they settle down more permanently.

“You can’t chase your adult children all around the United States and the globe. Better to pick a spot that’s easily accessible for them to travel to you,” Davis says.

-- Select a setting that will attract family vacationers.

Perhaps you and your spouse would like to move to an age-restricted community. Yet you’d also like to see your kids and grandkids as frequently as possible. If so, you could well give a second thought to this plan.

“In reality, children aren’t going to find a whole lot of fun things to do in a retirement community. Rather than moving in with other seniors, pick an alternate area with more recreational attractions for the kids,” Davis says.

He suggests you consider buying a house near a neighborhood swimming pool in an area where lots of young families live. You might also look for an area well suited to fishing, horseback riding or hiking.

“Quiz the kids on the kinds of activities they really enjoy. Also, don’t forget to ask the teenagers what they think,” he says.

One advantage of buying a family-oriented home close to a vacation area is that it’s likely to be well served by a nearby airport.

-- Choose a property well suited to overnight family visits.

Do you intend to upsize to a location that will draw family members for extended stays? If so, you’ll want the right home features to accommodate everyone who comes by.

“Look for a house with at least three bedrooms and, even more important, as many bathrooms as possible. The kids can always double up in the bedrooms. But if you have only one bathroom, you’re bound to have bottlenecks,” Davis says.

Also, he recommends that those seeking to create a family mecca look for large common areas in their upsized property.

“Families love to hang out in a big kitchen with places to sit and talk. That’s why upsizers often go for a large eat-in kitchen connected to an even larger ‘great room’. This is also great for retirees who relish family fests,” Davis says.

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

Desperation is influencing the bids of homebuyers in many inventory-tight markets. Both novice buyers and those struggling to trade up to larger spaces are now unnerved by the hyper-competitive seller’s market.

Indeed, some buyers are so determined to beat out rival bidders that they’re tacking gifts onto their offers, says Stacy Berman, a real estate agent who’s sold property for more than two decades.

“People aren’t just going way over list price. They’re also promising sellers lots of tangible incentives. These include season passes to Disneyland and cases of exquisitely fine wine. For sellers with kids, they’re giving away prized video games,” Berman says.

What’s behind the current red-hot seller’s market? Art Godi, who’s headed a family-owned realty firm since 1961, says the historically high demand for larger housing started intensifying last year due to COVID restrictions.

“Suddenly in 2020, your house was no longer just a place to live. It also became an office, a schoolhouse and a restaurant for your family,” says Godi, a past president of the National Association of Realtors (www.nar.realtor).

But even as the yearning for more space has intensified, numerous homeowners have kept their selling plans on hold.

“Lots of would-be sellers are still scared that if buyers come in to see their property, they’ll bring the virus with them,” Godi says.

Predictably, the extreme imbalance between supply and demand has caused prices to ascend dramatically in recent months.

“The trend of accelerating prices that began in June 2020 has now reached its eighth month,” says Craig Lazzara, who tracks housing trends through the widely cited Case-Shiller home price indices.

Multiple bidding wars are now ubiquitous in many areas, and in the wake of a bidding war loss, some wannabe buyers feel so emotionally wounded that they back out of the market indefinitely. But instead, Godi encourages them to regroup and move forward.

“Sit down with your buyer’s agent and a trusted mortgage lender to discuss your options. You may need to be more flexible in terms of your financing or the target area of your search,” he says.

Here are a few other pointers for buyers:

-- Widen the scope of your search by talking to local residents.

Your agent should be helpful in sorting through property listings, making sure you identify the most promising homes available.

But once you have your eye on a particular area, it could be the time to talk to those who know the community best: residents.

“Believe me, most neighbors will bend your ear about their neighborhood. For example, they’ll tell you if they like or hate the local schools and the ages of kids who live in nearby homes,” says Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of “Home Buying for Dummies.”

-- Inform yourself on neighborhood property values.

If you’re uneasy about the price tag attached to a property you like, have your real estate agent show you several comparable homes that are also on the market, including those under contract.

Resourceful buyers might even go a step further by asking people who’ve recently bought into the community whether they would mind giving you a peek inside.

“Drop a little note in their mailbox telling them you’re interested in the neighborhood and leave your name and phone number in case they’ll let you come by,” Tyson says.

What’s the advantage of evaluating the price and quality of freshly sold homes? In areas where home prices are rising, the latest sales are the most telling, more so than transactions that occurred months ago.

-- Tour enough properties to make an informed comparison.

Even if the first place you see looks perfect, you’ll want to ponder alternatives to make sure you have a basis of comparison, says Tyson, who recommends that home shoppers look at a minimum of six properties before they buy.

Many sellers are now offering virtual tours, or you can go inside properties with the proper protective gear, including masks and gloves.

“Buyer’s remorse is much less likely if you’ve examined several options -- even if you must do so in a single day,” Tyson says.

-- Contain your emotions before shaping a bid.

Granted, buying a home is now a highly competitive activity in many neighborhoods. But every property should be evaluated on its merits, not on the number of people vying to own it.

Tyson suggests buyers set a ceiling on how much they’re willing to pay for a place before making an opening bid. This is especially important if one partner in a couple is likely to get carried away with a “must have” house they come across.

Jane Fairweather, who sells property through the Long & Foster realty firm, says would-be buyers who’ve lost houses to other bidders are sometimes prone to rush into a deal they might later regret.

“Buying on the rebound without a lot of forethought is not a good idea. Rather, I urge people to recenter themselves until they can create a strategic plan of action to determine their next moves,” Fairweather says.

“Maybe your best decision is to back off from the house-hunting struggle for a short while until you can reassess and decide what truly makes sense for your family,” Fairweather says.

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