Home Prices Shoot Up

Up 7.3 percent for final quarter of 2012

The housing market recovery picked up steam in the final three months of last year - prices shot up 7.3%, according to S&P Case-Shiller.

The report covered home prices across 20 major housing markets and comes ahead of a government report on the sales of new homes due later Tuesday.

The home price increase marks the third straight quarter of year-over-year gains.