Version: BM, CN IQI, the global real estate agency network with more than 65,000 agents and offices in over 35 countries, has launched two new offices in Indonesia's lifestyle paradises of Bali and Lombok. Announced in August 2026, the launch is delivered with local partner Homes in Asia and deepens a footprint IQI has been building since it opened its first Bali office in 2024. Both islands have moved well past their reputation as holiday destinations. They are now long-term homes for expatriates, remote workers and investors. Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group CEO Kashif Ansari said the ambition runs deeper than selling Indonesian property to foreigners. "Both destinations are attracting increasing international attention, but our vision goes beyond bringing foreign buyers into the market. We want to establish a strong local presence, work alongside Indonesian developers and property professionals, and contribute our international network, technology and expertise to the continued development of the local real estate sector. Our new offices will serve as a bridge between Indonesia and the international property market, helping quality Indonesian projects reach buyers and investors around the world. Kashif Ansari, Co-Founder and Group CEO, Juwai IQI On the choice of partner, Ansari pointed to a relationship that already existed. "As our local partner, we have chosen Homes in Asia because the principals have been part of IQI for years. We know they have the industry experience and local expertise they need to succeed." Why Bali and Lombok? Nearly 7 million foreign tourists arrived in Bali and about half as many total visitors landed in Lombok in 2025. But these islands have transformed from just tourist hot spots into popular long-term homes for expats from around the world. Foreign demand for property has exploded since Covid. In 2021, about 110,000 foreigners were resident in Bali alone, and we believe the number has more than tripled since then. The source markets explain the strategy. No single country dominates beyond Australia, and the top ten spans four continents. RankSource marketShare of Bali's foreign arrivals1Australia34.1%2China12.9%3India12.1%4South Korea7.7%5United Kingdom6.9%6Russia6.1%7United States5.9%8Malaysia5.4%9France4.7%10Singapore4.2% Source: Airport arrivals, IQI, bali.live, Kantor Imigrasi Kelas. Malaysia sits eighth, ahead of France and Singapore. It is exactly the kind of cross-border flow the network was built to serve, and the same logic behind IQI's Philippines expansion earlier this year. Juwai IQI Co-Founder and Group Managing Director Daniel Ho explained the power of IQI's international network. By combining the local presence and expertise of IQI Bali and IQI Lombok with the IQI network's global reach and technology, we can build a much stronger two-way bridge between Indonesia and property markets around the world. We also offer scale. Our global reach and our technological platforms make it easy for buyers from all over the world to discover and purchase property in Bali and Lombok. And our agent super app will help ensure our agents are productive and effective. That is the same playbook IQI Indonesia has run from Jakarta, where the team has since moved into exclusive project marketing agreements with Indonesian developers. Local Expertise, Global Scale Taco Heidinga will serve as Director and Regional Head at Homes in Asia, overseeing IQI Bali and IQI Lombok, while Liv Heidinga-Baggen will also serve as Director. Homes in Asia has spent the past two years establishing its position in the Bali and Lombok property markets, particularly among European investors. Heidinga said joining IQI creates an opportunity to take that foundation further. “We’ve closed some record-breaking transactions, but our vision with IQI Bali and IQI Lombok is much bigger than simply selling Indonesian property internationally.” We are building a long-term business. We want to create opportunities locally, work closely with developers and property professionals, develop local talent, and bring IQI’s technology, training, and international expertise into the Indonesian market. Taco Heidinga, Director and Regional Head, Homes in Asia Together, Taco and Liv bring around three and a half decades of international property experience. Liv also brings experience from the arts and luxury sectors, including Versace and Sotheby’s Auctions. Liv Heidinga-Baggen said IQI’s network gives local developers much broader international exposure. A developer in Bali or Lombok can instantly gain exposure to buyers across multiple international markets through our network.” Liv Heidinga-Baggen, Director, Homes in Asia The team will work with developers to introduce projects to buyers across Europe, Asia, the GCC and other international markets. Through IQI, the Bali and Lombok offices also gain access to international buyers, property professionals, marketing infrastructure, training and technology, including the Atlas SuperApp. Heidinga-Baggen said the objective is to combine these global capabilities with strong local relationships. “Our goal is to combine those global capabilities with strong local knowledge and relationships to build something that creates long-term value for buyers, developers, property professionals and the wider market.” The launch of IQI Bali and IQI Lombok strengthens IQI’s Southeast Asian footprint while creating a stronger two-way connection between Indonesian property opportunities and global markets. Excited about investing in Bali or Lombok property? Get expert advice from our professional real estate negotiators and discover the right opportunities with local insights and global expertise! 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Haze season is here again and this time, the smoke is not just outside your window. It is already inside your living room. Look outside today and you will probably see it: that flat grey wash where the skyline used to be. Dozens of Department of Environment monitoring stations across Malaysia have been sitting in the "Unhealthy" band for days now, and Johor's stations. Larkin, Pasir Gudang, Batu Pahat, Segamat, Tangkak are usually among the first on the Peninsula to climb when the smoke arrives. Most haze advice tells you the same two things. Wear a mask. Stay indoors. But here is the part nobody mentions: staying indoors only works if indoors is actually clean. And in most Malaysian homes, it is not. So instead of asking which mask to buy, ask a better question one that is actually about your property: How well does my home hold air out? That is something you can inspect, and something you can fix. Here is your checklist1. Seal the Envelope First (The Step Everyone Skips)2. Your Aircon Is Not an Air Purifier3. Size Your Air Purifier Properly (Most People Get This Wrong)4. Build One Clean Room5. Stop Adding Particles Indoors6. Small Routine Changes, Real Difference7. Check the Numbers, Not the ViewWhat About Air-Purifying Plants?Buying or Renting This Season? Use the HazeFAQ 1. Seal the Envelope First (The Step Everyone Skips) This is the highest-impact, lowest-cost thing you can do and almost nobody does it. Think about it this way: running an air purifier in a leaky house is like running your aircon with the front door wide open. You are paying to filter air that keeps getting replaced. Walk through your home and check these, in order of how badly they usually leak: The gap under your main door — Terrace and landed homes very often have a gap wide enough to see daylight through. A stick-on door sweep costs under RM30 at any hardware shop. Biggest win in most homes. Grille doors and air wells — Many households leave the main door open with the grille door shut for ventilation. During haze, that is simply an open window. Window seals — Rubber gaskets on casement and sliding windows harden and shrink over the years. Run your hand along the frame. If you feel air moving, foam weatherstripping tape solves it in an afternoon. Louvre windows — Common in older Johor homes and bathrooms. They do not seal, by design. Treat those rooms as semi-outdoor and do not waste a purifier on them. Aircon pipe penetrations — That hole drilled through your wall for the refrigerant and drain pipes? Often left with crumbling putty, or nothing at all. Check every unit in the house. Exhaust fans — Kitchen and bathroom fans without backdraft dampers let air flow both ways when switched off. Total cost to fix most of these: under RM200. Total time: one weekend. 2. Your Aircon Is Not an Air Purifier Let us clear up the biggest misconception first. Many homeowners assume that running the aircon cleans the air. It does not but the reason why is actually reassuring. The standard wall-mounted split unit in most Malaysian homes recirculates indoor air. It does not pull air in from outside. That is genuinely good news during haze: switching on your aircon is not dragging smoke into your bedroom. But the mesh filter behind the front panel? That is designed to catch dust and protect the coil. Against PM2.5 the fine particulate that makes haze harmful it does very little. What to do: Keep the aircon running and windows shut during high-API hours. Recirculation works in your favour. Wash the mesh filters more often than usual. They clog faster during haze and your cooling suffers. Got a ducted or centralised system with a fresh-air intake? Find out how to switch it to recirculate. Ask your building management. In a newer development with MVHR or fresh-air ventilation? Ask what filter grade is fitted, and when it was last changed. The simple version: your aircon gives you a sealed, cool, recirculating room. A purifier is what actually removes the particles. You want both working together. 3. Size Your Air Purifier Properly (Most People Get This Wrong) Here is why so many people believe purifiers "do not work": they bought one that was far too small for the room, ran it for a week, and gave up. The number that matters is CADR - Clean Air Delivery Rate, measured in m³/h. Ignore the "suitable for up to X sq ft" claim printed on the box. Those figures are calculated on generous assumptions and rarely deliver the five air changes per hour you actually want during haze. A workable rule for Malaysian ceiling heights (around 2.7m): CADR needed ≈ room area in m² × 13 SpaceApprox. sizeTarget CADRSmall bedroom12 m² (130 sq ft)~160 m³/hMaster bedroom18 m² (195 sq ft)~240 m³/hLiving + dining, open plan35 m² (375 sq ft)~460 m³/hWhole open-plan condo70 m² (750 sq ft)~900 m³/h Before you check out that shopping cart: Look for True HEPA, ideally H13 or above. "HEPA-type", "HEPA-like" and "99% filtration" with no particle size stated are marketing terms, not specifications. Open-plan layouts count as one room. Most newer Malaysian condos have a combined living-dining-kitchen. You cannot size for the sofa corner alone. Check filter price and local availability first. Replacement filters for grey-import models can cost a third of the machine and take weeks to ship. Ask the seller before you buy, not after. Running cost is lower than you think. A typical unit draws 30–60W on medium, roughly RM5 to RM15 a month running continuously, depending on your tariff band. Check current TNB tarrif here Noise matters. A purifier too loud to sleep next to is a purifier that gets switched off at 11pm. 4. Build One Clean Room Trying to filter your entire home is expensive, and it usually fails. The strategy that actually works and this is what building scientists recommend is simple: pick one room and make it excellent. The master bedroom is the natural choice. You spend eight hours a night there, it is small enough to filter properly, and it is easy to seal. Keep the door closed Run a correctly sized purifier together with the aircon Seal that room's window gaps and aircon penetration properly, even if you skip the rest of the house Got young children or elderly parents at home? Their room comes first, not yours One properly sealed, properly filtered room beats four half-measures every time. 5. Stop Adding Particles Indoors During a haze episode, your indoor PM2.5 baseline is already elevated. Anything you burn or fry inside stacks right on top of it. Wok cooking and deep frying — Significant fine particulate. Hood on high, and consider simpler cooking on the worst days if your kitchen is open-plan. Incense, joss sticks and joss paper — Burn outdoors and away from windows and air intakes where you can. Worth noting that late August through September often overlaps with prayer periods when household burning increases. Mosquito coils — A major indoor PM source. Switch to a plug-in vaporiser or a net during haze weeks. Scented candles and diffusers — These do not clean anything. Fragrance masks the smell of smoke while the particles stay exactly where they were. 6. Small Routine Changes, Real Difference Things you can start doing today, at zero cost: Bring the laundry indoors. Clothes dried on the balcony or in the drying yard come back smelling of smoke and carrying deposited particulate. Mop, do not sweep. Sweeping lifts settled particles back into the air. Damp mopping and a HEPA vacuum remove them. Shoes off at the door. Already standard in most Malaysian homes it matters more than usual right now. Wipe down window sills, grilles and gate rails. This is where deposition is heaviest. Change your car cabin filter. Not a home item, but same logic and most people have never replaced theirs. 7. Check the Numbers, Not the View Here is something most people get wrong: visibility is a poor guide to air quality. Humidity, lighting and time of day all change how hazy the air looks compared to how much PM2.5 is actually in it. Some of the worst readings come on days that look deceptively clear. Use the real data instead: APIMS / MyEQMS portal — the Department of Environment's hourly readings, station by station. Check the station nearest you, not the state average. DOE APIMS portal MyIPU app — the same DOE data on your phone, updated hourly. The API bands: ReadingCategory0–50Good51–100Moderate101–200Unhealthy201–300Very Unhealthy300+Hazardous Schools close at 200. One important detail: the API is calculated on a 24-hour running average of the dominant pollutant. That means it lags. When conditions worsen sharply in the afternoon, the number has not caught up yet — and after rain clears the air, the reading stays high for a while. Read the trend, not just today's figure. For health guidance during high-API days, follow the Ministry of Health's advisories. What About Air-Purifying Plants? Every haze season, the same list makes the rounds on WhatsApp. Snake plant. Peace lily. Spider plant. "NASA-approved air purifying plants." We are going to be direct here, because it matters: houseplants do essentially nothing against haze. The study everyone quotes is a NASA experiment from 1989. It measured the removal of volatile organic compounds inside small sealed laboratory chambers not fine particulate, and nothing like a real room. When later researchers scaled those findings to actual buildings, they calculated you would need somewhere between 10 and 1,000 plants per square metre to match the air exchange one open window already provides. Haze is PM2.5. Plants do not filter it. There is a second reason to be careful in our climate: Malaysian indoor humidity is already high. Cluster a lot of plants and damp soil indoors and you may push it higher trading one indoor air problem for a mold problem. Keep your plants. They are good for the room and good for you. Just do not count them as air quality equipment. Read the research made by NASA about Plant Buying or Renting This Season? Use the Haze Here is an angle most buyers never think of: haze season is one of the best times to view a property. Why? Because the building's weaknesses are on full display. Check during the viewing: Gap under the main door and around the frame Window type and seal condition intact casements and sliders beat louvres Whether aircon wall penetrations are properly sealed Ceiling height and layout high ceilings and open-plan mean more volume to filter Orientation and exposure to prevailing wind Condo: does the building have a fresh-air system? What filtration grade? How often does management change it? Landed: air well design, rear kitchen enclosure, and how the house was meant to ventilate Ask the agent or management: Has this unit or block had haze-related complaints before? Which DOE station is nearest, and what does it typically read in August and September? Any peatland or known open-burning hotspots nearby? Johor's DOE has focused enforcement patrols on peatland areas including Muar, and industrial zones around Pengerang and Pasir Gudang. And here is the bonus: a well-sealed home is cheaper to cool, quieter, and easier to keep clean. Haze performance is really just a visible symptom of overall build quality which makes it a surprisingly good proxy for how carefully the unit was put together. FAQ Does closing all the windows really help during haze? Yes, substantially but only if the rest of the home is reasonably sealed. Closed windows in a house with a big gap under the main door still let air in steadily. Seal the leaks first, then closing windows does real work. Is it safe to run the aircon during haze? Yes. Standard wall-mounted split units recirculate indoor air rather than drawing it from outside, so running them does not bring smoke in. Just wash the filters more often. If you have a centralised system with a fresh-air intake, switch it to recirculate. How much does an air purifier cost to run in Malaysia? Most household units draw 30–60W on medium. Running continuously, that is roughly RM10 to RM25 a month depending on your tariff band. Filter replacement is usually the bigger recurring cost check filter prices and local availability before buying the machine. Do air-purifying plants work against haze? No. The research behind that claim tested VOC removal in sealed lab chambers, not fine particulate in real rooms, and it does not scale to household conditions. Haze is PM2.5, which plants do not filter. If I can only afford one purifier, which room? The bedroom of the most vulnerable person in the household young children, elderly parents, or anyone with asthma or a respiratory condition. Otherwise, the master bedroom, where you spend the most continuous hours. Condo or landed which handles haze better? Neither wins automatically. Condos are smaller and easier to seal and filter, but building-level fresh-air systems can work against you if unfiltered. Landed homes have more volume and more openings, but you control every one of them. Build quality matters more than property type. The Bottom Line Haze in Malaysia is seasonal and reasonably predictable. It follows the Southwest Monsoon window, and July to September is the reliable peak. That predictability is an advantage. It means haze readiness belongs on your annual home maintenance calendar right next to servicing the aircon and checking the water tank instead of being treated as an emergency every single year. Start with the seals. They cost the least and do the most. Add one correctly sized purifier for a room you can genuinely keep clean. Skip the plants. Watch the API numbers, not the view outside your window. And if you are house-hunting this season? Use the conditions to your advantage. How a home handles haze tells you a great deal about how it was built. Looking for a home that is built properly not just priced attractively? Speak to one of our real estate professionals about what to look for in your area. 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On 22 August 2026, IQI Youth Connect 2026 brought young Malaysians together at IQI Headquarters in Millerz Square, Kuala Lumpur, for a full day focused on one question: how can the next generation stay relevant as AI changes the way people work, create, and build businesses? Powered by Juwai IQI under the IQI Youth initiative, the event centered on artificial intelligence, content marketing, and entrepreneurship, with practical sessions designed for young Malaysians aged 18 to 35. 1. What Was IQI Youth Connect 2026 About? IQI Youth Connect 2026 was designed as a practical learning and networking platform for young Malaysians who want to build skills for an increasingly digital economy. Instead of relying on motivational speeches alone, the program featured live demonstrations, keynote sessions, panel discussions, and practical frameworks that participants could apply to their careers, businesses, and personal brands. The event focused on three closely connected areas: AI skills, content marketing, and modern entrepreneurship. Together, these themes reflected how career development is changing as technology gives individuals new ways to work, create content, build audiences, and explore business opportunities. 2. How Did Youth Connect Prepare Young Malaysians for the AI Era? The core message behind Youth Connect was simple: young people should not only understand AI skills but also learn how to use AI effectively in real-world work. Daniel Ho, Co-Founder and Managing Director of IQI Global, opened the program with a keynote on why the next generation needs to move quickly as technology reshapes industries and career paths. Throughout the day, participants were exposed to future-ready skills such as AI-assisted content creation, digital audience growth, productivity systems, personal branding and entrepreneurship. The program also encouraged participants to see AI as more than a tool for generating text or ideas. Sessions explored how AI can be integrated into everyday workflows, helping young professionals organize tasks, create content, and improve individual productivity. 3. What Did Participants Learn at Youth Connect 2026? The program combined practical workshops with real-world examples from practitioners working across AI, content creation, marketing, and entrepreneurship. a. AI and Content Growth Aaron Siow, Group Vice President at IQI, led a live session titled 2,000 Followers in 30 Days: The Claude System You Can Copy. The session demonstrated how AI tools such as Claude could be incorporated into a repeatable content and audience-growth system, giving participants a clearer view of how AI can support content planning and execution. Participants were also provided with practical materials including an AI prompt library, content creation blueprints, and a 21-day growth framework. b. Agentic AI and the Future of Work Dave Chong, CEO of DJC AI Sdn Bhd and Group Vice President at IQI, introduced participants to agentic AI in his session, "One Person, One AI Team: How Agentic AI Changes the Way We Work." The session explored multi-agent workflows and how AI systems can support individuals across connected tasks and processes. The focus was on using technology to increase output and build smarter ways of working rather than simply automating isolated tasks. c. Personal Branding and Entrepreneurship Bryan Low, Co-Founder of Content Creation Academy, led the anchor keynote on personal branding, drawing from his experience building an audience of more than 1.55 million followers and generating over 150 million views across digital platforms. His session explored how young professionals can position themselves online, grow an audience, and understand different content monetization models. As the creator economy continues to give individuals more ways to build visibility and income online, the session encouraged participants to view a personal brand as a long-term career asset rather than just a social media presence. 4. Who Shared Their Insights at IQI Youth Connect 2026? Youth Connect brought together leaders, creators, marketers and technology practitioners who offered different perspectives on career development in an AI-driven environment. Alongside Daniel Ho, Bryan Low, Dave Chong and Aaron Siow, the event featured LeAnn Lai (second from left), a full-time freelancer and content creator who has trained more than 300 entrepreneurs and built a community of over 150,000 followers. Hannah Teh (Third from left), Social Media Team Lead at IQI Global, shared perspectives from campaigns that have reached more than 2.3 million viewers, while Jasmine Yap (first from left), Digital Marketing Manager and Content Creator at IQI Global, moderated discussions around audience engagement and digital growth. Together, the speaker lineup gave participants exposure to different sides of digital entrepreneurship, from AI systems and content creation to audience growth and personal positioning. 5. Why Was Networking an Important Part of Youth Connect? Youth Connect was not built only around what happened on stage. Networking opportunities were also an important part of the program. Participants had time to connect during lunch, an interactive AI trivia session, and the closing networking and high tea session. These sessions created opportunities for attendees to meet mentors, agency leaders, and other young people who were also exploring new career and business paths. For young professionals and aspiring entrepreneurs, these conversations can be just as valuable as the sessions themselves. New ideas often become more useful when there is someone to challenge them, improve them, or help turn them into action. 6. How Is IQI Youth Supporting Future Malaysian Leaders? Through IQI Youth, Juwai IQI is building a platform to help young Malaysians strengthen their skills, expand their networks, and better understand how technology is reshaping careers and entrepreneurship. Youth Connect reflected this approach by combining AI, marketing, entrepreneurship, content creation, and networking into a single program. Rather than treating these areas separately, the event showed how they increasingly work together in the modern economy. For youth leadership development, that combination matters. Technical knowledge alone is not enough. Young people also need confidence, communication skills, adaptability, digital visibility, and the ability to turn ideas into opportunities. By bringing these elements together, IQI Youth Connect created a space where participants could learn from practitioners, experiment with new tools, and connect with others who are also preparing for the next stage of work and business. IQI Youth Connect 2026 delivered a clear message to young Malaysians: preparing for the future means more than learning to use AI. It means combining technology with creativity, entrepreneurship, personal branding, and strong networks. Through practical sessions and direct access to industry practitioners, IQI Youth Connect gave participants a platform to start building those skills now. Ready to build your future with IQI? Join a global community that values growth, innovation and opportunity, and discover how IQI can help you turn ambition into real career success. 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