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Tight housing inventory has led to rising home prices and stiff competition among house hunters in much of the country. But in some cities, homebuyers still have the advantage in negotiations.

"With reduced inventory and appreciating home prices an issue in much of the country, real estate market conditions are challenging. Many markets have become overheated, but there are still markets where smart buyers can find more affordable homes," Phil Karp, senior manager of brokerage services at Owners.com, said in a press release.

To rank the housing markets with the best deals for buyers, the online real estate brokerage's research team recently examined regional averages of each of the following categories, weighing them in importance: the difference in the prices homes are listed and sold at (30%), homeowner equity levels (25%), outstanding inventory (20%), the number of days on the market (15%) and the change in monthly rental cost compared to the previous year (10%).

On average, the price of homes in these 10 areas is $297,794, which is $35,330 below the national average and $16,375 lower than what the houses originally listed for. And in all of these markets, the average monthly payment needed to rent a home is rising, making homeownership look more attractive.

Owners.com, a division of Altisource, compiled the data used to rank the 10 regions from public and private sources, including the U.S. Census and aggregated information from First American. Only metropolitan areas with more than 1 million people living in them were included in the ranking.
Houston
Houston, Texas, USA downtown city park and skyline.
SeanPavonePhoto - stock.adobe.com

No. 10: Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land, Texas

Sale/listing price difference: -$15,982
LTV: -7.83%
Listed inventory: 1,523
Days on market: 98
Rental cost change: $31
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Downtown Birmingham, Alabama, from Vulcan Park.
Rob Hainer/Robert Hainer - stock.adobe.com

No. 9: Birmingham-Hoover, Ala.

Sale/listing price difference: -$13,058
LTV: -10.42%
Listed inventory: 935
Days on market: 107
Rental cost change: $20
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Exterior view of the historic Alamo shortly after sunrise
Dean Fikar/dfikar - Fotolia

No. 8: San Antonio-New Braunfels, Texas

Sale/listing price difference: -$11,794
LTV: -9.93%
Listed inventory: 1,742
Days on market: 93
Rental cost change: $28
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littleny - Fotolia

No. 7: Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm, Fla.

Sale/listing price difference: -$26,998
LTV: -6.49%
Listed inventory: 9,961
Days on market: 115
Rental cost change: $41
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New York City, NYC, USA
TTstudio - stock.adobe.com

No. 6: New York-Newark-Jersey City, N.Y.-N.J.-Pa.

Sale/listing price difference: -$26,568
LTV: -5.84%
Listed inventory: 10,728
Days on market: 142
Rental cost change: $38
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Hartford, Connecticut, USA downtown skyline on the Connecticut River.
SeanPavonePhoto - stock.adobe.com

No. 5: Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, Conn.

Sale/listing price difference: -$12,105
LTV: -13.35%
Listed inventory: 559
Days on market: 116
Rental cost change: $7
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Earl Robbins - stock.adobe.com

No. 4: Jacksonville, Fla.

Sale/listing price difference: -$15,229
LTV: -12.84%
Listed inventory: 2,085
Days on market: 102
Rental cost change: $13
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Independence Hall National Historic Park Philadelphia Pennsylvania with sunset sky.
trekandphoto - stock.adobe.com

No. 3: Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, Pa.-N.J.-Del.-Md.

Sale/listing price difference: -$13,973
LTV: -9.17%
Listed inventory: 5,952
Days on market: 115
Rental cost change: $11
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Buildings at Virginia Beach, Virginia.
Christian Hinkle - stock.adobe.com

No. 2: Virginia Beach-Norfolk-Newport News, Va.-N.C.

Sale/listing price difference: -$11,959
LTV: -15.01%
Listed inventory: 2,703
Days on market: 104
Rental cost change: $11
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Cityscape of Chicago in a summer day
Sergiy Nykonenko/SergiyN - Fotolia

No. 1: Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, Ill.-Ind.-Wis.

Sale/listing price difference: -$16,015
LTV: -10.07%
Listed inventory: 9,683
Days on market: 108
Rental cost change: $38
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