Competition is fierce among house hunters. For buyers in San Jose, Calif., San Francisco, and Raleigh, N.C., they should be ready to face the most competition in the nation, according to new research by LendingTree.

LendingTree ranked the 50 largest metro areas in the U.S. based on the competitiveness of their housing markets. They factored in the average down payment percentage, the share of home buyers who have credit scores above 720, and the share of home buyers who shop around for a mortgage before looking for a house. All of these categories—down payment, credit scores, and being mortgage ready—can help home buyers be in a stronger position to succeed in the heated housing market, too, the study notes.

For example, the average down payment percentage in the top 11 most competitive metros is 21%—showing that buyers are coming ready to make their offers stand out.

Source: The 50 Most Competitive Housing Markets REALTOR® Magazine (April 8, 2021)