Updated: 2:01 PM- Utah leads the nation in home-price appreciation, even as the much of the rest of the country ekes out some of the slowest gains in a decade.
    Just three years ago, Utah's home-price appreciation was the worst in the country, while states such as Arizona and Nevada were racking up some impressive gains.
    Today the equation is turned around, with home prices in Utah rising 17 percent from the first quarter of 2006 to the same quarter this year, while prices nationally were up only 4.3 percent. The latter number reflects a sharp downturn that has led to a rise in mortgage delinquencies and foreclosures in many parts of the country.
    In Utah, housing prices in all of Utah's metropolitan areas posted huge gains over the past year, according to a report released today by the Office of Federal Housing Enterprise Oversight, a government agency that tracks housing values.
    Provo-Orem had the second-highest appreciation in home values among 282 cities in the survey, with a 19.7 percent increase. It was edged out by Wenatchee, a small town in central Washington State, which posted gains of 25.6 percent.
    Salt Lake City was No. 3, with a 19.1 percent increase. Ogden-Clearfield was the top five, Logan was in the top 30 and St. George came in a No. 117, with appreciation of 4.7 percent. The southern Utah city saw rapid appreciation until last year, when its market cooled off in a big way.
    Home-price increases along the Wasatch Front have made it increasingly difficult to find houses - or condominiums - in the Salt Lake Valley that sell for less than $200,000.
    In Salt Lake County, the median selling price is $241,000, according to first-quarter data from the Salt Lake Board of Realtors. Utah County's median is $233,000, followed by Davis County at $218,000.
    The most affordable areas are Tooele County, where the median selling price is $192,000, and Weber County, where the median selling price is $150,757. 

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