The countries of central and eastern Europe have come along apace since the heady days of the late 1980s, and were a magnet for international real estate investors in the 1990s and 2000s. Then came the 2008 financial crisis and the 2009 recession, and everything seemingly came to a halt. Senior editor Sheila Hopkins spoke recently with Kevin Turpin, a director and head of research for central and eastern Europe at Jones Lang LaSalle, based in Prague, about how the region has withstood the impact of the economic downturn, such that it is now expected to once again be at the forefront of international real estate investor activity during the 2010s.

Can you give us a quick overview of what is happening in central and eastern Europe?