House prices in the Twin Cities continue their moderate, but steady ascent. According to the latest S & P Case-Shiller house price index, home values in the metro are rose faster than the national average during April, but are still far from peak. The report said that during April the Twin Cities index was 6.3 percent higher than last year, but 7.1 percent behind the previous peak. That's compared with a national index that was 5.5 percent ahead of last year, but 4.5 percent behind the previous peak. The report is closely watched because it tracks repeat sales of the same house rather than the median price of all sales during a particular period.
