For all the rattle and hum about the Asian continent and its emerging real estate markets, the Americas are proving no slouch. Sales of significant commercial properties (those priced at $10 million or higher) totaled $267.4 billion during 2012, a 19 percent increase above the previous year. The good news is documented in the 2012 Global Capital Trendsreport from Real Capital Analytics (RCA).

The United States, the region’s big dog, accounted for 90 percent of total transaction volume in the Americas during 2012, according to RCA, and its $240 billion in commercial transactions represented a 23 percent year-over-year increase. Fourth quarter volume, up 49 percent, was near record levels, as sellers rushed to close deals before 2013 tax-rate increases.

The most robust sector during 2012 was apartments, with sales dollar