It's a seller's market in many parts of the United States, with homeowners enjoying strong growth in home values in recent years as well as healthy demand from buyers. But a recent survey by the down payment insurer ValueInsured finds that many homeowners are reluctant to put their home on the market, since they are worried about how difficult it will be to buy their next residence.

In its quarterly Modern Homebuyer Survey, ValueInsured found that 72 percent of homeowners interested in either downsizing or moving up to a larger home were concerned about the timing of the real estate market. Almost two-thirds of these respondents—65 percent—said they believed that they might be buying at too high a price if they were to purchase a home today.

Sixty-three percent said they considered it a good time to sell, but not a good time to buy due to market prices. Sixty-one percent said they were waiting until prices were better for buying before selling their home and moving.

"Homeowners in many cases are eager to sell but don't want to become buyers," said Joe Melendez, CEO of ValueInsured. "These homeowners have experienced a lot of home value volatility and see more uncertainties looming – tax reform, for example. By hesitating, these homeowners are actually controlling the market on both sides. Reassuring these individuals is the key to unlocking inventory."

Twenty-six percent of homeowners said they have questioned whether listing their home is a good idea because of concerns that their buying power might be weakened by costs associated with a sale, including closing costs and capital gains taxes. Eighteen percent said they haven't tried selling their home yet because they don't want to give up their current low mortgage payment.

Despite concerns about the market conditions they will face when buying a home, most respondents in the survey were optimistic about the conditions for selling a home. Seventy-nine percent of homeowners said they think it is a good time to sell a home. Fifty-seven percent said they are interested in selling and think they will move from their current residence within the next three years.

Among millennial homeowners, more than one-third—35 percent—said they are likely to change jobs soon. These owners were waiting to see where they might have to move for their new employment before deciding whether they will sell.

"Eventually, younger people move for jobs and empty nesters need to leave their five-bedroom homes," said Melendez. "Selling and buying are always fraught with worry about timing the market, and life events don't always cooperate. In any market, it's wise to explore all your options for protecting your hard-earned equity."

ValueInsured also noted how increased competition among buyers has caused many to eliminate contingencies or take other steps to strengthen their offer. Asked which of these trends homebuyers will be likely to regret, 58 percent said buyers will probably kick themselves for skipping a home inspection. Making an offer sight unseen was close behind, with 57 percent believing that buyers would likely regret doing so.

Fifty-four percent of homebuyers said a person would probably come to regret co-buying with a stranger. Thirty-seven percent thought buyers would regret cashing out some of their retirement savings to help with buying a home, while 36 percent expected that buyers taking part in the "tiny home" movement would grow dissatisfied.

The ValueInsured Modern Homebuyer Survey was conducted by Equation Research in October. It polled a nationally representative sample of 1,019 American adults.