The preionization level and other initial conditions necessary for the formation of spatially homogeneous pulsed avalanche discharges at high gas pressures are examined. Assuming properly shaped electrodes with no strong edge effects, the minimum preionization level required for homogeneous discharge initiation is found to depend on the voltage rise time across the electrodes as well as on the total pressure and various electrochemical properties of the gas mixture which govern the net rate of change of the first Townsend coefficient with respect to the local electric field strength. Our predictive results are found to be consistent with experimental observations.