By Dan Weil Home prices soared 19.8% in the 12 months through February, according to the Case-Shiller Home Price Index. The past two years haven’t been kind to Americans who are looking to buy a home or who are renting places to live, as home prices and rents have exploded. But it’s been a great time to be a homeowner. Over the past two years, people in that category have seen their wealth rise $6 trillion excluding rental properties, according to The New York Times, citing a Federal Reserve study. That increase, of course, stems from the surge in home prices. Home prices soared 19.8% in the 1…