Married math teachers have been plotting a starter home purchase ever since they met at a college graduation dance five years ago. But they’re still stuck in a one-bedroom rental.

“We have secure jobs and make decent money teaching. But for all our math skills, we can’t make the numbers work to buy one of those traditional single-family houses with a big backyard and a two-car garage,” the husband says.

The teachers have no plans to raise children. But they love their three English springer spaniels and would be delighted to own a large parcel of fenced space where the dogs could frolic freely. Still, they’ve concluded that due to stubbornly high mortgage rates, a traditional house in their favored area is currently beyond their reach.

“At this point we’ve compromised our goal and started looking at townhouses near the school where we teach. We’re especially focused on one new community called King Farm. It’s located in Rockville, Maryland, and it’s very walkable. It’s also close to where our parents live,” the wife says.

Townhouses in King Farm are hardly cheap. But as the couple have observed, they typically sell for at least $200,000 less than detached properties in the same area. And due to their budget constraints, that price differential makes all the difference.

The math teachers are both in their 20s -- members of the Gen Z generation, born between 1997 and 2012. Many older members of this cohort are struggling to buy their first home. And they’re intensely frustrated by the high cost of housing, both rental and purchase. With regret, many such buyers must compromise their goals.

Marc Angelo, a Re/Max broker in Portland, Oregon, doesn’t know the Gen Z couple in this true story. But he says most such young buyers would rather acquire a diminutive townhouse in a walkable neighborhood than an equally priced but much larger detached property in an exurban area.

“Young buyers want to live around people with energy and ideas -- a place where they can walk to a grocery store and restaurants. To get all that at an affordable price, a townhouse can be the perfect solution,” Angelo says.

Here are a few pointers for those focused on a townhouse purchase:

-- Look for a place with an expansive interior.

Nowadays, most buyers strongly favor an open, airy, and bright home. But many townhouses, especially older ones, have relatively few windows and are narrow from side to side and deep from front to back, says Tom Early, a veteran Ohio real estate broker.

“To get a more open feeling, try to find a townhouse that’s wider than average. Also, look for one where the rooms are square rather than rectangular and one with larger-than-average windows. However, remember that big windows typically translate to higher energy costs,” says Early, a past president of the National Association of Exclusive Buyer Agents (naeba.org).

Another way to obtain a more open, airy feeling in a townhouse is to buy one with high ceilings.

“Fortunately, lots of the new townhouses have ceilings that are at least 10 feet or higher. That way the rooms seem larger, and people don’t feel as cramped,” Early says.

-- Remember that ample parking is important.

Newer townhouses are often built to give each unit a garage. But what about the visitor parking?

“It’s important for townhouse owners to feel confident that their friends and family members will not face lots of hassles when they come over to visit,” Early says.

He recommends that the best way to scope out the parking situation near a townhouse is to ask people already living there about their experience with parking.

“You should get unvarnished opinions about all the pros and cons of life in the community through informal conversations with the neighbors there. It can be particularly helpful to go back to the area without your real estate agent at your side,” Early says.

-- Search for a friendly townhouse community.

In nearly all townhouse communities, residents are bound together through membership in a residents' association. As Early says, the quality of leadership in that group can make a major difference for residents there.

"The point is to search for a community where people can reach consensus harmoniously, rather than through arguments and petty disagreements,” Early says.

Those who bond together in a well-functioning association set aside money for major expenses, like the replacement of a roof or renovation of a pool house. Otherwise, everyone living in the community could be hit with a special assessment, which can mean a large addition to your monthly homeowners’ fees.

To investigate the operations of a townhouse association, Early suggests you ask for minutes of its last three meetings to see if major disputes are brewing within the organization.

-- Always focus on a strong location.

What constitutes a location where you can reasonably expect strong or rising property values? Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of “Home Buying for Dummies,” urges you to look for a neighborhood served by high-quality public schools, even if you have no plans for children.

Even those who would prefer a detached house might consider buying a townhouse in a coveted urban community if that’s all they can afford in their favorite area. That’s because over time, as Tyson says, you can anticipate that the townhouse in the premier area will be a better investment than a traditional single-family home in a weaker area.

“For real estate, one reality remains constant through time and economic cycles. That is that location tops all other factors in defining value,” Tyson says.

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

Much has been made of the “rate lock effect” that’s supposedly keeping many senior homeowners from selling their property. The theory is that longtime owners in their retirement years can’t afford to sell because they’d have to give up a low-rate mortgage for one twice as costly on their next property.

But not all seniors are reluctant to sell because of higher rates, according to Karen Kuchins, a longtime real estate agent for the Long & Foster realty firm. To underscore her point, she cites a suburban couple in their late 70s who can’t wait to let go of their large center-hall colonial.

“This couple -- a former federal official married to a retired schoolteacher -- are extremely tired of owning their big house. They can’t do stairs anymore. They’re also sick of all the yardwork,” Kuchins says.

Why is this couple unconcerned about high mortgage rates? Because they’re moving to a retirement community where they’ll rent rather than buy an apartment. Several friends have already moved to this swanky community, and they’re excited to join them.

More seniors from the baby-boom generation, born between 1946 and 1964, are finally agreeing to sell their big family homes -- a plus for young families eager to trade up from their starter homes. A large number have sizeable equity to liquidate. Moreover, many own their properties free and clear, having paid off their mortgage.

Ralph McLaughlin, an economist for the home listing company Realtor.com, notes the substantial recent increase in inventory of available homes. Within the last 12 months, he says, active inventory of for-sale homes has increased 36.5%.

Of course, many seniors are counting on the proceeds from a home sale to help fund their living expenses in retirement. Hence, they want to minimize any outlays. The good news is that many presale upgrades are low in cost.

“Clean, paint and stage your house before the sale. Spending $10,000 on presale improvements will give you a strong return on investment,” says Kuchins, who heads her own residential construction company. But she rarely advises older clients to embark on major remodeling projects ahead of a sale.

“It’s way too stressful for most seniors to remodel their kitchen or bathrooms before putting their property on the market,” she says.

Here are a few pointers for older owners intent on selling:

-- Realize the crucial role of fresh paint.

Sid Davis, author of “Adding Value to Your Home,” says sellers can recoup at least $3 for every dollar spent on paint and supplies for an interior redo. What’s more, a freshly painted property will change hands more quickly than one without such a cosmetic uplift.

Obviously, you can always hire a painting firm to do the work. But Davis contends that most owners -- including many seniors -- can become competent painters with a little effort.

Davis recommends that novice painters seek out guidance from a local home center store or paint company retailer. Also, the websites of major paint companies can be helpful, such as benjaminmoore.com and sherwin-williams.com.

-- Seek out charities for your excess belongings.

“Decluttering is absolutely vital, because buyers can’t picture themselves living in a crowded house and most will automatically reject such a place,” Davis says.

But the reality is that many owners have great difficulty ridding themselves of items they no longer use. For such sellers, the clearing-out process is easier if they’re assured their surplus items will be put to good use.

Besides giving your extra belongings to charities, you can now find willing recipients through The Freecycle Network (freecycle.org), a service for those seeking to give items to others in the same area. (Membership is free and also allows you to pick up items from others who live nearby.)

-- Eliminate bulky furniture.

“I don’t mind selling a house that’s completely vacant. But if you’re still living there, make sure you take away as much furniture as possible so people can see how large your rooms are,” says Davis, a real estate broker since 1984.

To make a dining room seem larger, he suggests sellers remove china closets, along with extra leaves from the dining room table. Also, eliminate all but four dining room chairs.

In the living room, a few basics are sufficient for home showings: one sofa, one love seat, a couple of end tables and lighting. Ideally, you’ll also remove a television with an exceptionally large screen, at least temporarily.

“One of those huge TVs can really overwhelm a living room or den. The same goes for a giant TV or king-sized bed in the primary bedroom,” Davis says.

Keeping furniture to a minimum makes it easier for would-be buyers to picture how their own furnishings would look in your space.

-- Look into the track record of any listing agent you’re considering.

“It’s surprising how a few statistical measures can tell you a lot about any agent you might hire,” Davis says.

Ask the agent for a printout or email showing his or her sales performance over the past six to 12 months. Each entry should show the number of days it took the agent to sell the property (“days on market”) and how well the sellers did at closing (“list-to-sale price”).

“Also, be sure that the listing agent you select is thoroughly familiar with your neighborhood and has actively sold homes there for at least two years,” Davis says.

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

Last January, a married couple in their 60s made a New Year’s resolution. They’d sell their big white stucco house and move to a university-based retirement community where they could enroll in classes in their fields of strong interest: medieval history and the arts.

“We’re in dread fear of boredom in one of those retirement communities where all people do is play pickleball or bingo. We need intellectual stimulation to stay alive and thrive,” the wife says.

As it turned out, this couple found what they consider the ideal destination for their retirement dreams. They bought a small unit in a nearly new community run by a state college near White Plains, New York.

“We don’t know if we’re brave or foolish to make this huge move. But we’re charging ahead anyway,” the wife says.

The couple, who now live in a popular suburban enclave with strong neighborhood schools, aren’t worried about finding buyers for their five-bedroom house. Home values in their area are still rising and demand is strong. But their listing agent says the property must be cleared of clutter before it goes on the market. And that decluttering project seems overwhelming.

“Picking through our accumulations of nearly 30 years feels exhausting. After every few hours of work, we have to take a nap,” the husband says.

Eric Tyson, a personal finance expert and co-author of “Selling Your House for Dummies,” doesn’t know the couple in this true story. But he agrees it’s wise for them to hasten their transition while property prices are still climbing.

Across the nation, prices are gaining due to an overall shortage of available homes. Indeed, prices hit an all-time high in March, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller home price index.

Tyson says homeowners who wish to move promptly can hasten the decluttering process by holding a yard sale or offering to sell belongings through social media posts.

For instance, the retired couple with the white stucco house, who are now clearing through kitchen cabinets, have just posted an ad to sell a pasta machine from Italy, a Toastmaster waffle baker and a Cuisinart ice cream maker.

Though the downsizing process can be arduous for many seniors, others find satisfaction by raising some cash through the sale of their excess items.

“Selling a few things at the beginning can lighten your stress load and help you build momentum for your move,” Tyson says.

Here are a few other pointers for seniors serious about downsizing:

-- Realize the advantages of a more materially constrained lifestyle.

Duane Elgin, who’s authored several books on voluntary simplicity, estimates that perhaps 20% of U.S. adults are now challenging the commonly held view that a bigger house is always better. But he also allows that the dreams of downsizers are quite varied.

“There isn’t one right lifestyle for simplicity; it’s all individual. ... To create your dream, focus on what gives your life juice,” Elgin says.

Though many view downsizing as a form of sacrifice, he says it can lead to greater richness.

“We live in such a frenetic, driven society. To evaluate our lifestyles, we need to step back and get clear. We need to ask whether the pressure of payments on a big house is worth it,” he says.

-- Begin with small victories in your quest to live more compactly.

Even before you put your current property up for sale and begin searching for a smaller place, Dave Bruno, the author of “The 100 Thing Challenge: How I Got Rid of Almost Everything, Remade My Life, and Regained My Soul,” advises you to start by eliminating extra clothing.

Bruno pared his personal possessions down from 300 to just 100 and has remained at that level for several years. To cut back, he hauled out dozens of shirts, 10 pairs of shoes, eight jackets and multiple watches. After that, he was left with a lean wardrobe, one watch, two computers and a single mechanical pencil.

Due to downsizing, Bruno says he’s been able to sharpen his focus on higher priorities, including his family, friends and writing. He recommends the benefits of downsizing for people of all ages, not only seniors.

“Start in your bedroom closet. We all have too many clothes, and this is one area where you can score an early victory against clutter,” Bruno says.

He found it relatively easy to reduce the size of his wardrobe without consequences and says others could experience this as well.

“As you go through your clothes, select a unique outfit for every day in a two-week period. Put your extra clothes in storage for two months and see if you even miss them,” Bruno says.

After that, look for other satisfying victories by sifting through your “junk drawers” one at a time. Next, head to your garage for a purging.

-- Pace yourself in making the transition.

Bruno cautions homeowners that the process of downsizing, from the day you make the decision to move to the day you acquire a smaller property, can be time-consuming.

“You need to allow yourself plenty of time to make this transition and especially to sort through all your things. It took years to accumulate all that stuff, so you’re not going to clear through all of it overnight,” he says.

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