South East Asia is an exciting area to work in, whichever way you look at it. In countries where coups are “just part of life” and the property markets are constantly changing, the job of a journalist is never going to be boring. OPP speaks to Andrew Batt of PropertyGuru about the past, present and future of the region

This month I have been talking to Andrew Batt, regional group editor of the PropertyGuru Group. Property Guru run a series of impressive property websites relating to Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand but they also keep a close eye on other developing areas in the region such as Vietnam and Cambodia.

Andrew Batt is regional group editor of the PropertyGuru websites. In Singapore: PropertyGuru.com.sg and CommercialGuru.com.sg In Malaysia: PropertyGuru.com.my In Thailand: DDproperty.com In Indonesia: Rumah.com Email: andrew@allproperty.com.sg Tel: +65 9896 6331

From French churches to pyramids to India, our globetrotting environmentalist tells us how to save energy and cost in our property world – all without getting out of his chair or earning a single air mile.

Passive is cool Air-conditioning is problematic for those concerned about the environment and involved in delivering sustainability. It is a huge user of energy. But it is also a necessary aspect of modern life. In some cases it’s vital to our very existence, for example in hospitals. How can we manage the apparent oxymoron?

Gordon Miller is the Co-founder and Sustainability & Communications Director of business alliance Sustain Worldwide (www.sustainworldwide.com). He is a licensed BREEAM International Assessor and consults on sustainability and environmental management systems. Gordon contributes to national newspapers including the Financial Times and The Guardian. Gordon@sustainworldwide.com

The time has come for the overseas property industry to make some important choices. What sort of industry do we want? How can we get it? How can we protect our businesses? What standards should the industry apply? Can a trade association help us? Which one? What do we want it to do?

You might think that these questions are academic: that you can’t influence such things. Yet, right now, we have an unprecedented chance to make a real difference.

Despite the troubles in many economies, the exceedingly rich still have cash to burn. What better to spend it on than an incredible house? OPP takes a look at some ‘super homes’ at both ends of the luxury property price spectrum – from the ‘crown jewel’ Versace mansion to a more modest (but still very decadent) apartment.

Whatever the economic climate, the rich remain rich. In fact, not only do they remain rich but, in difficult times, they tend to get richer!

The India Homes Fair, now in its fifth year, caters to a market that didn’t really exist a decade ago. Indians living in the UK (and elsewhere around the globe) are increasingly going back to their homeland. Given the fast-growing Indian economy, changes in immigration rules and a large group of developers willing to travel half way around the world to sell, this is hardly surprising.