Luxury high-rise apartments are viewed across Central Park South near Columbus Circle in the Manhattan borough of New York. Robert Nickelsberg | Getty Images Manhattan residential real estate sales topped $7 billion in the first quarter, marking the strongest-ever start to a year as the market shows no signs of slowing, according to new sales data. There were 3,585 sales in the first quarter, the highest number ever for a first quarter, according to a report from Miller Samuel and Douglas Elliman. That’s up 46% from the first quarter of 2021. Total sales volume surged by 60% to over $7.3 billion, as falling inventory also led to continued growth in…