House prices in the Twin Cities haven't been rising at the same pace as the national average (3.1 percent in the Twin Cities during February versus 4.2 percent nationwide), but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Here's why: In some parts of the country house prices are increasing faster than the national average, fueling fears that price gains in those areas are outpacing wage increases. In Denver, for example, the index increased 10 percent and in Miami prices were up 9.2 percent, according to the latest S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price Index, which measures changes in the price of the same the house over time. Take a look at what happened nationwide:
