According to the latest DTZ Money into Property report, the worst of the global property slump is over. In the same report, DTZ also forecasts that by the end of 2011, China will overtake Japan to become the largest property market in Asia Pacific.

This scenario is in stark contrast to 2009 when real estate markets witnessed record falls in values.

Hans Vrensen, Global Head of Research at DTZ, commented, "2009 was a tough year for real estate markets worldwide and saw the value of global invested stock  decline by 6%. However, the global real estate market is over the worst and we expect to see a return to growth in invested stock value this year, in line with the consensus macro-economic forecasts for a sustainable economic recovery worldwide."

David Green-Morgan, Head of DTZ Research, Asia Pacific said, "Asia Pacific continued  its growth in invested stock due to the developing nature of the property market in the region, led by China and India, combined with the rapid reaction of governments to the global financial crisis. These factors helped restore both occupier and investor sentiment. Despite the slowdown in bank lending in China, we expect transactional volumes to increase in Asia Pacific in 2010 with investors looking to take advantage of improving economic conditions buoyed by strong intra regional trade."