Finding a move-in ready home at just right the price in a desirable area has been a near impossible feat over the past couple of years. But as higher mortgage rates have lately made purchasing real estate significantly more expensive, homes aren’t selling nearly as quickly. Instead, they’re sitting on the market longer and many sellers are even having to cut prices to attract buyers. That’s led the number of homes for sale to pile up a bit, with about 26.9% nationally more for sale year over year in September.

Yup, buying a home may be more expensive for today’s buyers—but at least there are way more to choose from. Right?

Well, not everywhere, it turns out.

Some metropolitan areas are bucking this national trend. These are cities where homes are selling briskly, competition remains fierce, and available homes are scarcer than peak COVID-19-era toilet paper. The Realtor.com® team found these metros where housing inventory is falling instead of piling up. (Metros include the main city and surrounding towns, suburbs, and smaller urban areas.)

It’s especially prominent in some vacation areas and cheaper metros in the Midwest and Northeast. These are the kinds of places where buyers are looking for scenic views or more affordable real estate and investors are looking for short-term and year-round rentals they can profit from. All but one on our list have median home list prices below the national median of $435,000.

This means there are still deals available.

“Some housing markets [are] still seeing double-digit declines in the number of newly listed homes,” says Realtor.com Senior Economist George Ratiu. “With the market peak clearly behind us and prices pulling back from record highs, many homeowners are worried they missed the top of the market and are choosing to postpone listing their properties until they have more clarity about the market’s direction.”

The fewer homes there are for sale, the more the market is likely to remain in the seller’s favor. Buyers will have a harder time negotiating deals when there is more competition for a very limited number of properties for sale.

“Buyers are still pursuing affordability,” says Ratiu. “At the same time, sellers who are worried about a slowing housing market, are pulling back from the market at a faster clip.”

To come up with our list, the Realtor.com data team looked at the 100 largest metros to figure out where the number of homes for sale was down the most in August compared with a year ago.

1. Honolulu, HI

Median home list price: $832,500*
Change in inventory from August 2021 to August 2022: -44.7%

In the early stages of the pandemic—the peak period of the “gotta get far away” mindset—single-family homes in Honolulu were selling like crazy, even with major price increases. But those continuing price hikes, along with new legislation curbing illegal, short-term rentals, have led to a condo renaissance in places like Waikiki where they are permitted. The oceanfront, central resort district in Honolulu is where most legal short-term rentals are located.

Second-home buyers from the U.S. mainland, Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Australia, along with investors from California and elsewhere, have been snapping up short-term rentals to get in on the island’s post-COVID-19 travel boom.

“Hawaii tourism staged a remarkable recovery,” says George Krischke, the principal broker at Hawaii Living. “Legal short-term rental properties, aka ‘condotels,’ are hot because of the cash-flow potential from strong tourism.”

Buyers can check out this $419,000 renovated one-bedroom condo and this $190,000 studio condo in a building with a sauna, steam room, and pool.

2. Hartford, CT

Median home list price: $372,400
Change in inventory: -24.4%

Despite higher mortgage rates, buyers are still flocking to Hartford, just over two hours northeast of New York City. The “Insurance Capital of the World”—where Aetna, Travelers, and Cigna all have headquarters—offers more affordable home prices for the region, which is a big draw for cash-strapped buyers.

Since prices are cheaper here, buyers who take out mortgages aren’t going to feel the same financial impact as those buying pricier properties in nearby Boston and New York City because their loans will often be smaller. Therefore, they’re paying interest on a smaller sum.

However, sellers are listing fewer properties. New listings fell 15.7% for single-family homes and 17.4% for condos in August compared with a year earlier, according to Greater Hartford Association of Realtors® data. And that’s caused inventory to nosedive.

Buyers looking to find a more reasonably priced home can check out this two-bedroom condo near downtown for $109,900. Those looking for a more luxury abode can snap up this two-bedroom unit in a high-rise with killer views for $319,000.

3. Syracuse, NY

Median home list price: $219,900
Change in inventory: -16.2%

Syracuse, home to its eponymous university, has the distinction of having the cheapest real estate of all of the metros on this list. That’s led buyers to keep buying at a time when fewer sellers are putting their homes up for sale.

The number of new listings in this Rust Belt metro, about four hours northwest of New York City, was down 15.6% year over year in September, according to Realtor.com. That’s putting a crunch on inventory.

However, single-family homes, including this three-bedroom ranch on the market for $195,00 and this four-bedroom split-level asking for $239,900, are still in high demand.

4. Milwaukee, WI

Median home list price: $354,950
Change in inventory: – 11.8%

Like just about everywhere else in the country, Milwaukee, a Rust Belt city on the shores of Lake Michigan, saw home prices rise during the pandemic. However, even with the rising costs, homes in this city known for its breweries are still far more affordable than in many other parts of the country.

That’s kept buyer demand strong and shielded the market from feeling quite the same impacts of rising interest rates and inflation.

Read more: realtor.com