It’s a tough time for Americans to buy a home.
US housing supply remains low and prices keep rising, making the competition among buyers the fiercest it has been in years.
Over-demand is ruling the market in many cities. In San Francisco, a home sold for nearly $1 million over its asking price last October in order to pre-empt a bidding war.
In a recent report, LendingTree identified the most competitive markets for buyers right now based on 2017 mortgage loan data. LendingTree looked at 1.5 million mortgage requests for new home purchases across the 100 largest US cities and then ranked each city based on three criteria:
- The share of buyers who shop for a mortgage before they find the house they want. It’s more appealing to sellers when a buyer is pre-approved for financing well before making an offer.
- The average down payment as a percentage of the purchase price. A high down payment can help buyers qualify for an even larger mortgage amount or a lower interest rate on the loan.
- The percentage of buyers who have a credit score above 680. Someone with a prime credit score has more financing options available to them.
The cities where the most buyers have financing in place, a down payment above 15% of the purchase price, and a prime credit score were ranked by LendingTree as the most competitive.
Below, check out the 15 most competitive places to buy a home in the US right now:
15. Las Vegas, Nevada
Ethan Miller/Getty Images
Average down payment: 14%
Buyers with prime credit: 49%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 62%
14. Madison, Wisconsin
Average down payment: 15%
Buyers with prime credit: 54%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 58%
13. Phoenix, Arizona
Average down payment: 15%
Buyers with prime credit: 50%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 60%
12. Boise, Idaho
Average down payment: 15%
Buyers with prime credit: 49%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 61%
11. Boston, Massachusetts
Average down payment: 16%
Buyers with prime credit: 57%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 57%
10. Sacramento, California
Average down payment: 15%
Buyers with prime credit: 49%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 63%
9. Portland, Oregon
Average down payment: 14%
Buyers with prime credit: 54%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 63%
8. Honolulu, Hawaii
Honolulu, Hawaii.Shutterstock/Filip Carmen
Average down payment: 16%
Buyers with prime credit: 59%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 58%
7. Seattle, Washington
kan_khampanya/Shutterstock
Average down payment: 15%
Buyers with prime credit: 55%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 62%
6. Los Angeles, California
trekandshoot/Shutterstock
Average down payment: 17%
Buyers with prime credit: 52%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 62%
5. Ventura, California
Average down payment: 16%
Buyers with prime credit: 57%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 60%
4. San Diego, California
Average down payment: 16%
Buyers with prime credit: 57%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 61%
3. Denver, Colorado
Average down payment: 16%
Buyers with prime credit: 56%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 65%
2. San Jose, California
Sundry Photography/Shutterstock
Average down payment: 19%
Buyers with prime credit: 64%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 59%
1. San Francisco, California
Yulia Mayorova/Shutterstock
Average down payment: 18%
Buyers with prime credit: 63%
Buyers pre-shopping for a mortgage: 60%
Loudenbeck, Tanza “The 15 American cities where competition to buy a home is fiercest” Business Insider, Business Insider 23 Jan. 2018 http://www.businessinsider.com/hardest-places-to-buy-a-home-san-francisco-2018-1/#12-boise-idaho-4