A young married couple -- two IT specialists -- sat out the pandemic homebuying frenzy. When they finally entered the market in pursuit of their first home, they were so terrified of overpaying -- or buying a lemon -- that they were extra diligent in their research.

“Like many young purchasers with strict income limits, this couple left no stone unturned when shopping for a property. My experience has taught me that young buyers are particularly keen on gathering information. That’s an excellent trend,” says Victoria Henderson, who helped the IT specialists find a reasonably priced property in good condition.

Only after they’d rejected other properties that were not structurally sound -- including one built on swampland -- did this couple commit to a purchase of a nearly new colonial-style house with space for two home offices.

High mortgage rates and steep home prices, as well as a shortage of inventory in coveted neighborhoods, have made some wannabe owners deeply skeptical about their prospects, according to a new survey by Zillow, the national real estate firm.

The survey’s findings “highlight the gap between Gen Z and millennials’ dream of owning a home and the ability to make it happen,” says Amanda Pendleton, a Zillow home trends analyst.

Indeed, outside of winning the lottery or taking on a second or third job, many young adults fear they’ll never be able to purchase a home, Pendleton says.

Of course, those lacking stable employment or a solid credit history may well be indefinitely precluded from a first home purchase. But even well-qualified buyers must be careful to avoid buyer’s remorse.

Henderson, who hosts a podcast on real estate for the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org), urges would-be buyers to be sure to obtain a home inspection on any property they’re seriously considering.

“Rather than waiving their right to an inspection in their contract offer, buyers engaged in a bidding war can opt to have a property inspected at their own expense before submitting a bid,” Henderson says.

Reid Guthrie, an inspector affiliated with the American Society of Home Inspectors (ashi.org), says novice buyers are especially likely to fall for a property that “shows well.” But disenchantment can soon follow.

“Homebuyers are alternately excited, nervous, terrified and hopeful. Those who’ve become emotionally involved with a place must be especially wary,” Guthrie says.

Although a new roof, a new HVAC system and new kitchen cabinets are very positive elements that should impress homebuyers, Henderson says too many young buyers are wowed by relatively superficial kitchen improvements.

“All too often, young buyers fall in love with a house solely because it has new white cabinets and white countertops in quartz or granite,” she says.

Here are a few pointers for first-time buyers:

-- Take as sharp-eyed a look at the property on your first tour.

Obviously, a buyer can learn much more from visiting a home than from simply seeing it on the internet. And resourceful purchasers take full advantage of a visit.

Guthrie, a veteran of the home inspection field, urges buyers to investigate when they see furniture or carpets positioned in unusual ways.

“Sometimes the seller will use throw rugs or pieces of furniture to try to conceal problems or defects,” he says.

In an older home, a peek under wall-to-wall carpeting will sometimes reveal the happy surprise that the carpet is masking hardwood floors in pristine condition. But in other instances, area rugs are used to conceal problems, like wood flooring scarred by pets or the overwatering of houseplants.

-- Seek to measure room sizes yourself.

To make homes look spacious, stagers sometimes clear away all but a few key pieces of furniture per room. And when creating a model home for a builder, they may even bring in scaled-down furniture to give the illusion of enhanced size. To guard against such practices, Sid Davis, a realty company owner in Utah, recommends that buyers bring along measuring devices when touring properties.

“For a fairly nominal price, you can now buy laser distance measuring devices,” says Davis, author of “A Survival Guide for Buying a Home.”

He also suggests you bring to your house tour the measurements of your largest pieces of furniture. This will provide you with a further sense of the scale of a home relative to your belongings.

-- Remember that flowering plants are short-lived.

During the warmer seasons of the year, home sellers have an easy time showing off colorful flowers outside. All year long, they can position flowers artfully throughout a home’s interior.

Color is a natural magnet for buyer interest, and many are swayed by blooming plants. Even so, Davis says would-be buyers should recognize that many of the plants displayed by home sellers will be ephemeral.

“Focus on the bones of the house, not its fleeting embellishments,” he says.

-- Avoid a home inspector with a superficial approach.

Guthrie acknowledges that some in his field are more interested in packing multiple inspections into a day than in doing in-depth checks.

“You’ve got to wonder about any inspector who doesn’t want his clients there when he’s going through the house because it will slow him down,” Guthrie says.

As Davis says, a quality inspector is enthusiastic about discovering the inner workings of a home and can prove invaluable to sharp buyers.

“Hiring a top-notch home inspector isn’t a waste of money. It’s a very prudent expenditure,” Davis says.

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

Real estate pros across America say wannabe homeowners are suffering from stress after failed attempts to consummate a deal and escape their rental.

“These are folks who went through agonizing bidding wars and still came up empty-handed. They’re jammed into little apartments, longing to be free of landlords. But despite high mortgage rates, they continue to struggle in hopes of bagging a house,” says Merrill Ottwein, a veteran real estate broker in Illinois.

Because of all the anguish homebuying now entails, Lora Cusumano, a Long Island broker, says that more purchasers are seeking to stay in their first property for years to come.

“People used to say they wanted to buy for three to five years. Now they’d like to remain for at least seven to 10 years,” says Cusumano, president-elect of the National Association of Exclusive Buyers Agents (naeba.org).

Another factor causing buyers to think long-term is the desire to put down roots.

“Due to the pandemic and years of living virtually through social media, more people now long for in-person engagement with their neighbors. They want to find a community where they can settle down for years ahead,” says Cusumano.

Of course, given high prices and a shortage of property in desirable areas, it’s still tough for most buyers to obtain a house where they’d enjoy living for years.

Here are a few pointers for buyers:

-- Itemize what you love and hate about your present housing.

During his four decades in real estate, Ottwein says he’s been struck by the intensity of peoples’ feelings about the place where they live.

An assessment of these feelings is a good jumping-off point for setting priorities.

“First, write down the good and bad in your present home. Then make a list of features you’ve got to have, would like to have or are willing to give up,” Ottwein says.

“When you have a strict affordability ceiling, you’ve got to be mindful about what’s imperative to you versus what you can surrender,” Ottwein says.

-- Seek to avoid a punishing commute.

Ottwein says some house hunters make trade-offs they later come to regret.

For example, budget-challenged buyers sometimes mistakenly accept a punishing commute to an outer suburb to obtain the ideal house they seek.

“We often hear buyers say they don’t care how far they have to commute to get that big house with all the bells and whistles. Then they call us back just a year or two later, complaining that they can’t take the long drive anymore,” he says.

“Any commute over 50 minutes each way gets old real fast,” says Ottwein, co-owner of a family-owned realty firm that caters to relocation clients.

“A lot of people rationalize that by accepting a long commute, they’re helping their families live better. But because they get home so late, their families actually suffer,” he says.

-- Pick features early when buying a brand-new home.

If you decide to buy in a new subdivision, you’re likely to be faced with lots of trade-offs before your contract is even written.

“Within the standard price, some builders give lump-sum allowances for anything ranging from lighting fixtures to appliances to landscaping to kitchen cabinets. Everything else over and above the allowance costs you extra money,” Ottwein says.

These choices should be made before the sales contract is written -- but not under pressure from a hurried homebuilder or salesperson.

“To make really valid selections, you probably need to dedicate a full day to looking over your alternatives,” Ottwein says.

Procrastinators may discover belatedly that they’ve gone over budget to fulfill a strong desire for, say, quartz countertops in the kitchen.

Money-constrained buyers who confront hard choices may wish to defer those items that can be readily installed later, such as upgraded landscaping.

-- Question your willingness to buy a fixer-upper.

Given your budget ceiling, you may think purchasing an older home in poor condition is a smart way to shoehorn yourself into a coveted community or to obtain the largest possible property with limited funds.

But Ottwein cautions that fixer-uppers often require vastly more money and effort to repair than would-be buyers believe.

“Where there are problems on the surface, there are frequently much bigger problems behind the walls,” he says.

Money-strapped purchasers can get reliable estimates on the cost of restoring a property to its former glory before committing to a purchase. For bids on the work, your real estate agent should be able to help arrange for contractors.

Planning to tackle the home improvement work yourself? If so, you may wish to canvass friends who know you well. Ask them if they think do-it-yourself work is a realistic option for you -- both from the point of view of your skill and available time.

“If you feel you must accept a ‘fixer’ to afford the kind of house you want, at least go in with your eyes wide open,” Ottwein says.

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

A married couple from the Chicago area made a lucky decision years ago when searching for a neighborhood with schools that take seriously the needs of students with learning differences. Their daughter -- then in fifth grade -- is autistic, and the parents found a school with excellent teachers who encouraged her passion for photography.

“Fast-forward, and the girl, now in her 20s, is thriving as a professional photographer. As it turned out, that school was life-changing for her,” says Rich Harty, the real estate broker who helped the couple locate the right school.

Harty says buyers are increasingly focused on school quality.

In fact, school quality is increasingly the key to appreciation, because these days buyers want to live in a home for a lengthy tenure, and they know communities with good schools appreciate more,” says Harty, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Schools can be evaluated using both objective and subjective measures, says Harty, who persuades clients to do both. He notes that real estate agents have easy access to comparative ratings, including test scores, for local schools. But he says such quantitative metrics are no substitute for in-person visits by parents.

“I recommend you call ahead and try for a meeting with the school principal or leader. Ideally, you’ll also duck into a classroom and interview teachers to get a feel for the school’s atmosphere,” Harty says.

In addition, parents can pick up clues about the school quality by taking a tour of the athletic facilities.

“Check to see if the gym is clean and well stocked or if all you see are a few dusty rubber balls in one corner,” he says.

Though important, school quality is just one factor to consider for young families seeking to make the best possible purchase decision.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of “Home Buying for Dummies,” says that due to high home prices and mortgage rates, many buyers are now resetting priorities when it comes to homebuying.

“What families want and what they can afford are often strikingly different. That means, for instance, that they might have to trade off a longer commute to get a premium school district,” Tyson says.

Here are a few pointers for buyers with young children:

-- Think through whether a large yard is truly key for your children.

Recalling their own carefree childhoods, some parents assume their kids need a similar setting to be happy. But what was important in your formative years isn’t necessarily vital for your children now.

“The reality is that kids just don’t have as many hours of free time for backyard play as we did when we were growing up,” Tyson says.

Rather than focusing solely on yard size, Tyson suggests you think about the outdoor features of the neighborhood as a whole, such as parks and open space.

-- Find a floor plan that works well for your family.

Tyson says it’s more important for families with young children to have a floor plan that encourages togetherness than to own a large house.

“Many people only use a formal dining room on major holidays, such as Thanksgiving. But a family room connected to an eat-in kitchen is used all year long,” he says.

Large, comfortable common rooms, often called “great rooms,” help draw children out of their bedrooms, thereby allowing parents to monitor their kids at homework time.

“It’s important to know if your kids are spending too much time playing computer games rather than doing their work,” Tyson says.

-- Seek a home with as many bedrooms as your budget allows.

Newly built houses with a wealth of living space typically feature spacious master bedroom suites. In such houses, secondary bedrooms, designed for children and guests, are usually much smaller.

But Tyson says it’s more important for families to have an adequate number of bedrooms than a luxurious master suite.

“Most buyers really want a separate bedroom for every kid, so all the children can get enough sleep, even if they have different school schedules,” he says.

-- Consider that a two-story house could give you more space for the money.

Many current homebuyers favor single-level living. Those who’ve hit middle age or beyond are especially likely to prefer a one-story house that won’t compel them to rely on stairs.

But Tyson says people with school-age children might wish to consider the advantages of living on two levels. That’s because it’s easier to contain the noise and mess of growing children if their bedrooms are separated from the family’s common living space. Also, young families can typically get more space for the money in a two-story house.

“In most areas, the key component of housing costs are land costs. Because two-story houses require less land, you usually get more house for the same price,” Tyson says.

-- Don’t let your kids rule your buying decisions.

It’s not uncommon for children to protest their parents’ plan for a housing move. Why? Because, as Tyson says, “children like constancy.”

To mollify their unhappy children, some parents let their kids influence which property they buy. But Tyson says most children adapt quickly to a move and that letting their feelings sway your planning could be a regrettable mistake.

“Maybe your children like one house better than another because it has purple bedrooms. But that’s no basis on which to make so major a financial decision,” he says. (To contact Ellen James Martin, email her at ellenjamesmartin@gmail.com.)