CHICAGO- China and other Asian countries have attracted lots of interest, but DTZ researchers say that North America remains the most attractive market. The Chicago-based firm has just released their study “Money into Property 2013 North America,” the first such edition produced on the region. They found that global investment transaction values of commercial real estate in 2012 increased 3.5% to $475 billion US with North America seeing a 15% increase, making it the fastest growing region.

“US markets are classified as the most attractive region, ensuing future volume growth,” the report states. “Considering the high level of market liquidity, we would expect more international investors to focus on the U.S. going forward.”

John Wickes, the head of the North American research division, says their Fair Value Index for the U.S. has hit its highest level since 2005, making it the world's most attractive region. Out of 201 global markets analyzed by DTZ, more than two-thirds were classified as attractive, or “hot,” while others were “warm” or “cold.” In the U.S. 26 out of 35 were classified “hot,” and the rest were tagged as “warm.”