By ELLEN JAMES MARTIN Special to The Times

     They were a retired couple in their 70s with a ranch-style stucco

house in Covina.


     They wanted to sell and knew it was a fast-moving market. Yet they

were stunned when a full-price offer materialized a few hours after the

house was put up for sale.


     They accepted the bid but soon panicked. They had expected more time

to plan. Instead, they were faced with leaving their cherished home much

sooner than expected. When the moving van arrived, they were stressed,

unprepared and behind schedule.


     "For nearly an entire day, I just sat there waiting for them to move.

There was no possible way to bring furniture into the house until they

left," recalls Monte Helme, who bought the house.


     If you're planning to leave a neighborhood where houses are selling

quickly, you should be ready to accept a bid as soon as your house is

posted on the multiple listing service, said Helme, co-owner of Creative

Resources, a north San Diego County company providing content for real

estate Web sites.


     "In a hot market, you have to have a plan for where you're going to go

before you sell," said Helme.


     The traditional advice to sellers is to postpone shopping until they