Although the worst financial crisis in decades rocked Asia, hitting global demand for its exports, the forces of population growth, mass urbanization, and wealth accumulated over decades are helping to bolster domestic demand. The trend can be seen everywhere in cities brimming with activity, through increased car ownership, Internet and telecommunications usage, rising consumer sales – and a relatively new trend – mass home ownership.

Whether it’s the neon splendour of Tokyo, or French colonial styled Hanoi, author Tim Murphy takes a top-down, numbers-approach to property investment. Backed by statistics, colourful anecdotes and real-life investment successes, he examines how the different Asian macro-economic landscapes can yield opportunity for every type of investor – from the risk-taker to the prudent-minded. And his “10 steps to buying off-plan” property in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore and other countries where he has personally invested, serves as a methodical checklist for both first-time, and seasoned property buyers.

When the world shook on its financial foundations in 1929, the phrase “when America sneezes, the world catches a cold” seized public imagination – but now, a continent is turning that adage on its head in the wake of the sub-prime fallout. In Turning Crisis into Profit: How to Make Money in Asian Property, Murphy delivers a candid, revealing read on why Asia can be the promised land for a properly prepared real estate investor.