By Dan Weil Mortgage rates hit an almost three-year high this week, and home prices have soared during the pandemic. Rising home prices have made it difficult to buy a house almost since the Covid pandemic began in March 2020. Home prices soared 18.8% in 2021, according to the S&P CoreLogic Case-Shiller U.S. National Home Price Index. In addition to strong demand, a lack of inventory has boosted home prices amid local-government building restrictions. At February’s sales rate, it would take a near-record low 1.7 months to clear off the current inventory of existing homes, according to the Nati…