Total transactions in Chicago, in 2006, increased 30% to $16.2 billion from $13 billion in 2005, according to the report. As to the increases in cross-border transactions in Chicago, the economy and "high quality" assets in Chicago are part of the reason for the increase, says a spokeswoman for the company.

Additionally, there has been a change in attitude of global investors from a few years ago, says Steve Collins, managing director of Jones Lang LaSalle's International Capital Group. "The interesting thing there is Chicago had been maligned for a long time in the capital markets," he says. Chicago was viewed as a town where "half the city seems to be on the market." But, attitude changed as "Chicago has always been one of the world class 24-hour cities in the international investors' eyes," Collins says.

Chicago played a prominent role in transactions from German funds. German funds had $2.8 billion of cross-border purchases in 2006, specifically in Chicago and Philadelphia. Chicago was also one of the towns where Germany sold $11.1 billion in assets nationally, according to the report. Of the largest 20 transactions in Chicago for 2006, Germany and global sources of capital each sold four properties and Germans and Israeli funds each purchased five properties in Chicago, the spokeswoman says.