During first quarter 2015, U.S. property sales were up nearly 50 percent year-over-year on volume of $114.7 billion, according to Real Capital Analytics, for transactions of $10 million or more.

New York City was far and away the most active market, at $17.7 billion in total transactions — a 92 percent increase compared with first quarter 2014. Other active markets were San Francisco, with $5.7 billion in volume, up a whopping 113 percent, and Washington, D.C., at $5.0 billion. The top three deals during the first quarter were all purchases by foreign investors in New York City, which is no surprise, as the Big Apple returned to its long-held slots as both the top global and top U.S. city for foreign investors in real estate, according to the 23rd annual Association of Foreign Investors in Real Estate survey.

The largest transaction in the first quarter was the purchase of part of 1095 Sixth Ave. for $2.2 billion, or $1.03 million per square foot. The buyers, Canadia