Stereotypically, millennials in the process of buying their first homes are spoiled and entitled, expecting that homeownership will come their way with minimal effort. But statistics tell a different story.

“Young buyers are debunking the lazy millennial myth by working harder during the homebuying process,” says Manny Garcia, a senior population scientist for Zillow, the national real estate firm.

Nearly half of all first-time buyers are millennials -- people born between 1981 and 1996. As Garcia says, they are very proactive when it comes to homebuying.

“They’re more likely to contact at least three real estate agents, and they’re more likely to make at least two offers on homes,” he says. What’s more, if they’re denied a mortgage the first time, they typically reapply elsewhere until they’re approved.

Why are millennials so likely to persevere to reach homeownership? One factor is that they’re highly motivated to escape their rental units due to high rents and the desire to be independent of landlords. Also, they’re in their prime childbearing years, when “nesting” is a priority.

Garcia describes millennials as a “massive generation,” noting they now outnumber their baby boomer parents’ generation. But the path to first-time homeownership for millennials is now more arduous than it was for their parents.

“Affordability is the greatest hurdle for first-time homebuyers. It now takes nearly 12 years for a typical first-time buyer to save up for a down payment, compared to nine years prior to the pandemic. Meanwhile, the typical monthly home payment has more than doubled in that time,” Garcia says.

Young adults still on the hunt for a first home are often envious of peers who managed to land a property when mortgage rates were much lower during the worst of the pandemic.

“They’re jealous of friends who had more buying power when rates were much better a few years ago,” says Dorcas Helfant, a past president of the National Association of Realtors (nar.realtor).

Some wannabe owners are so frustrated by all the barriers to buying that they’ve given up in frustration. This is reflected in new numbers from the Mortgage Bankers Association (mba.org), which reports that demand for home loans has fallen to a 27-year low.

“Prospective buyers remain on the sidelines due to low housing inventory and elevated mortgage rates,” says Joel Kan, an MBA economist.

Still, there are plenty of young adults who’ve dedicated themselves to buying a first property, no matter the barriers. Take the case of a married couple of 35-year-olds who just purchased a modest bungalow with a newly renovated kitchen and a large backyard deck in Idaho.

“We hated having to take a 7% mortgage, but we project that in the future, after rates eventually fall, we can refinance. Meanwhile, we can enjoy the pleasures of a real house rather than being stuck in a shoebox apartment,” the wife says.

Helfant doesn’t know the Idaho couple in this example. But she encourages those highly motivated to buy a property to take the first step and arrange an in-person meeting with a mortgage banker.

“Your goal at this original meeting is to get a good feel for your borrowing capacity so you’ll know how much you could afford to spend at current mortgage rates. Lenders will chat with you by phone, email or text. But you’ll get taken a lot more seriously if you make an appointment and show up at their office,” she says.

Due to high mortgage rates, many first-time buyers must temper their expectations. For instance, buyers who have been hoping for a two-car garage might have to accept a one-car garage or no garage at all. Likewise, they might need to accept a kitchen with flooring and countertops that need replacement.

“You can accept a property that needs cosmetic work such as painting or carpeting. But if you’re a busy, two-career couple, you should be very cautious about taking on a ‘fixer’ that would require extensive remodeling,” says Helfant, who co-owns six Coldwell Banker realty offices in Virginia.

Here are a few other pointers for buyers in pursuit of a fair deal:

-- Consider seller clutter an opportunity.

It’s not unusual for a property to hit the market in a cluttered condition -- a definite turnoff to most potential buyers.

But Helfant says sharp home shoppers realize it’s possible to get a fair deal on a cluttered home, assuming they’re capable of looking beyond the accumulations to the property’s inherent structure and floor plan.

“The idea is to picture the house as if it were vacant and then decide if it has the ‘good bones’ you’re looking for,” Helfant says.

-- Keep an open mind about unusual decors.

“Of course, people are free to paint their entire interior Pepto-Bismol pink. But they shouldn’t expect buyers to want their house if they do something that eccentric,” Helfant says.

Just like the cluttered house, the flamboyantly decorated house offers opportunity for people with vision to obtain a property for a very favorable price.

“People with the ability to see the potential in this type of a house can really find a diamond in the rough,” Helfant says.

-- Don’t automatically reject a place based on online images.

Like some attractive people, some good-looking homes are simply not photogenic. Or possibly the photographers who take their pictures don’t know how to portray houses well.

Either way, you could be the winner if you’re willing to visit a home that others won’t tour because of unfavorable photos.

“A wonderful and well-priced surprise could await you when you open the door of a house others have missed,” Helfant says.

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

Since the pandemic started, countless homeowners have set aside a space in their property for a home office.

A Los Angeles couple -- a social worker married to a data management doctor -- put such a high priority on having a spacious home office that they converted their sizable master bedroom for this purpose, equipping it with desks, bookshelves, file cabinets and computer monitors. They also transformed a large closet in their living room into an additional space for private video calls.

As seniors, the pair are now building a custom home in Hawaii, where they intend to retire. That move will mean selling their L.A. property to streamline their lifestyles and finances. That’s why they’re now talking to real estate pros about how best to stage their home for sale.

Stacy Berman, who’s sold homes since 2002, doesn’t know the couple in this true story. But she says the owners would absolutely have to return the master bedroom to its original use to maximize their sale.

“Having a designated home office is appealing to buyers. But so is having a large master bedroom with its own private bathroom,” Berman says.

Granted, it’s important to buyers to have sufficient space for a dedicated home office. Still, most purchasers realize that a secondary bedroom can easily serve this purpose.

“Very few people have three or more kids anymore. So they’re happy to use a smaller bedroom as a home office,” Berman says.

Yet no matter the size of a dedicated home office, it must be staged as a clean and uncluttered space that can serve as a calm and efficient sanctuary, whether used for work, hobbies or online shopping.

“You want it to look like a well-organized executive office,” Berman says.

Here are a few pointers for home sellers:

-- Set aside ample time to declutter your home office.

“It’s very time-consuming to go through everything in a home office, so you must make it a priority,” says Laura Leist, author of “Eliminate Chaos: The 10-Step Process to Organize Your Home and Life.”

Despite our increasingly paperless society, Leist, who owns a professional organizing firm, says many sellers still face tremendous problems dealing with the stacks of paper, books and magazines that crowd their home offices.

“People don’t know how to make decisions about paper -- what to keep and what to toss out or put through the shredder,” says Leist, a former president of the National Association of Productivity and Organizing Professionals (napo.net).

Why bother to do a major purge of your home office before putting your place up for sale? Because, as professional organizers note, the untidy look of a typical home office makes a place unappealing to potential buyers.

“People can’t picture themselves living in your house if it’s filled with clutter in any room, let alone the home office,” says Susan Pinsky, a veteran organizer and author of books on the topic.

-- Get serious about sifting through papers.

Many who work from home are troubled with containers brimming with unsorted papers. These include business reports, computer printouts, junk mail, utility bills, credit card statements and clippings from magazines and newspapers.

As it happens, few of the papers people keep prove valuable to them, says Pierrette Ashcroft, who leads a productivity consulting firm called Smart Productivity Solutions.

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

What’s more, a room chosen to serve as a home office is often not the only area where papers mount up.

“Home offices creep outward. Any horizontal spaces are at risk for clutter. For example, I often see papers stacked up on kitchen counters, a dining room table or a couch in the living room,” Ashcroft says.

As those involved in the purging process soon realize, it can take much more brainpower to sift through papers than other kinds of clutter.

“With papers, it’s one micro decision at a time. ... That’s because the papers might contain valuable items like the deed to your house or your passport,” he says.

One way to make decision-making go faster is to give yourself guidelines on what to save and what to toss.

For instance, small business owners might choose to keep all their receipts for tax-deductible expenses, like office equipment and supplies, but throw out those for clothing and food purchases.

-- Digitize many papers rather than filing them.

Many who work from home struggle to stay organized. But Ashcroft says filing all but the most important papers is usually a waste of time and energy.

She advises those trying to declutter a home office to scan many documents into a 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.

-- Think through your book collections.

Many professionals, including those who don’t work from home, keep more reference books than they ever use, according to Ashcroft.

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

Ashcroft advises sellers to remember that many books can now be quickly and easily downloaded onto an e-reader such as the Kindle.

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

In the dozen years that Kate Foster-Bankey has been selling homes, she’s seen many properties that have been allowed to deteriorate.

“We see a ton of leaky roofs. If they’re slate or asphalt roofs that have gone through storms, often there are a lot of tiles or shingles missing that haven’t been replaced,” says Foster-Bankey, an agent with the Compass Realty company.

For run-down homes, other common problems include rot on exterior woodwork, along with peeling and chipping paint both on the interior and exterior.

Given the dearth of available properties in many popular neighborhoods, it’s logical to assume that prospective buyers would be willing to accept a fixer-upper. But Foster-Bankey says many purchasers are frightened of taking on the cost and responsibility of any place that needs extensive renovations.

“Fear is a huge driver of this reluctance. Buyers often overestimate the expense of home improvement work. Also, right now, there’s a severe shortage of contractors because so many homeowners -- people sitting on a lot of equity -- are doing home renovation work for their own enjoyment,” she says.

As wannabe sellers of a run-down house, you have two potential presale alternatives. Either you can sink your funds into needed improvements or you can attempt to market the place in “as is” condition.

“If you let your home decline, you’ve got to face the writing on the wall. You could take a beating on concessions when you sell,” says Sid Davis, a Utah real estate broker and author of “A Survival Guide to Selling a Home.”

Why are some sellers with a property in poor condition unwilling to do the work necessary to maximize their profits?

“Some folks are stubborn about spending money on a house that’s functioned OK for them. Besides seniors, it’s not uncommon for people getting a divorce to refuse to lift a finger to get their house ready for sale,” Davis says.

In addition, those confronting serious health issues are understandably more focused on their ailments than on keeping up their property. Moreover, cash-strapped owners of all ages who have to sell for financial reasons often lack the available cash to make a property show-worthy.

Ashley Richardson, a real estate agent affiliated with the Residential Real Estate Council (crs.com), says owners facing foreclosure sometimes become so disheartened they can’t muster the will to improve their home.

“When their finances fall apart, some people just give up hope and their coping skills decline. They default on an emotional level,” Richardson says.

In some cases, she contends that spending a significant sum to prep a house in poor condition for sale is a bad idea, especially for people who must make a quick exit.

“You should limit your spending to high-visibility projects that give you the best return on investment. These include minor upgrades to your front entrance, kitchen and bathrooms,” Richardson says.

Here are a few pointers for sellers:

-- Look to a seasoned listing agent for candid advice.

Are you stressed out by the prospect of overseeing all the work that must be done to get your home ready for sale? If so, you’d be wise to seek a listing agent willing to serve as a project manager, says Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of “House Selling for Dummies.”

“For fear of offending you, not all agents will tell you the truth about all the work needed to make your place look good. Yet that’s information you really need in order to make the right decisions,” Tyson says.

As Richardson says, a reputable agent shouldn’t only give you a list of tasks worth doing but also tell you which upgrades wouldn’t warrant the expense.

“For instance, it’s usually not smart to replace high-end cabinets in a run-down house. But you might want your current cabinets repainted,” she says.

As the preliminary step in the agent-selection process, Richardson recommends you interview three candidates. Ask each to analyze your property and tell you which cost-effective steps would make it more saleable.

“Look for an agent willing to give you the real story, no matter how hard it is to hear,” she says.

-- Seek help to hasten your decluttering process.

Sorting through clutter is an especially daunting prospect for seniors or those with health problems.

“People who aren’t in a position to undertake all this work themselves should try to recruit help from friends or family members,” Richardson says.

If no volunteers step forward, she suggests that sellers attempt to hire students or others seeking a temporary, part-time job.

Richardson recommends you give the person you hire a series of well-defined tasks.

“Ask them to pack up the contents of an overloaded bookshelf or a china closet. Once the boxes are packed, tell them to stack them neatly in your garage,” she says.

-- Help buyers envision your property’s potential.

Although many sellers of run-down homes can’t afford to do cost-effective improvements, Richardson says it’s still critical they make their property look at least minimally appealing.

“If (buyers) don’t like what they see on the internet, they’ll never go see your place in person,” she says.

She recommends that the owners of a run-down house give visitors mock-ups and contractors’ estimates for needed improvements.

“The best approach is to do the cosmetic upgrades yourself before the house goes on the market. But if that’s impossible, use any strategy you can to help buyers to at least realize the potential of your diamond in the rough,” Richardson says.

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