Feeling hot and frazzled? Want to know what's happening at your favourite beach? There’s a webcam just for you.

Here's some of Perth's best and most popular beachside destinations.  Most of them have a live feed.

Cottesloe. one of my favourite beaches ever.  This cam scans from the beach in front of the Indiana Teahouse back down towards Fremantle.  Watch everything from swimmers to cargo ships from your desk.

City Beach. This one’s at the City Beach Surf Life Saving Club. It’s a fixed camera that takes a still shot about once every second.

Scarborough. Complete with a surf report. This camera is a live feed. Watch people surfing while you work.

Hillarys Boat Harbour. Captured from a web cam located on the Harbour Manager's office. It has a North Westerly field of view and updates automatically every minute.

Trigg. Located on the tower at the Trigg Surf Life Saving Club. Updated every minute.

Trigg South.  From the same location as the Trigg Point cam but facing South West.

Swanbourne. This cam faces South West back down towards Cottesloe. There’s a live stream cam here.

Fremantle Fishing Boat Harbour.  The view from the top of Marine House, Essex Street, Fremantle.

Sorrento. Live stream.  Beautiful part of the world.

If you want to dodge the traffic check out these webcams before heading off. There are lots to choose from courtesy of Main Roads WA. Each is refreshed every 15 minutes.

Here are a few of Perth’s traffic hotspots.

Kwinana Freeway near the Mount Henry Bridge. This is a real bottleneck so it’s worth watching.

Mitchell Freeway near Karrinyup Road. If you’re ever going to get stuck in traffic it’s here.

Corner of Barrack Street and Riverside Drive. Check this just before home time. It’s one of the keys to escaping the City quickly.

Mitchell Freeway near the James Street off ramp. If this looks scary consider exiting the Freeway at Grantham.

Don't forget, if you find a cool webcam leave a comment with the web address. We'll add it in.  

Renovating, it's not the bane of my existence. But it comes close. Make no mistake, I love the end result. The comments and compliments from friends and family, the sense of satisfaction. They all come together in a pleasant rush that melts away the hours of dust soaked toil.

Not that I like to get my hands too dirty. I'm the kind of guy that calls in the help. When I paint I follow the maxim that it's OK to go over the lines. They still teach that in kindy right?

Some of my friends are the exact opposite. They get renovating. Big time. It's in their blood. As a family they scrape and paint and get all messy and dirty. They stop to eat dinner with dusty hair and paint-spattered clothes. Then they start all over again. Late into the night they patch and paint and saw and chisel while their kids are sleeping and I'm happily enjoying a nice drop of red.

These friends amaze me. Their tenacity and grit are borne of the ANZAC spirit of courage, mateship and endurance. Maybe I've gone too far there but they are heartily committed.

But some people take renovating to a whole new level. They make even my friends look like amateurs.

These are the renovating masters, grand champions of the hammer and paintbrush. They're close to professionals. To these select few, renovation projects are tackled with the passion of an artist and the business acumen of a tycoon. They see opportunity where others see mess and beauty in bland.

They make makeovers look, well, easy, as if just anyone could do it.

Take Sasha deBretton-Gordon of Million Dollar Makeovers. Sasha started renovating homes at the ripe old age of 21. She has an uncanny knack of knowing what to do and when to do it. So good is Sasha she now makes a living out of organising other people's renovation. She's even started her own internet TV show! It's kind of like Renovation Rescue only more real.

Knowing that Sasha knows her stuff I just had to interview her. I wanted to get inside her head. To know what she knows. I wanted to know if I could become a renovation Grand Master, just like her.

I asked Sasha for her tips on preparing a home for sale. That's one of her specialities. She turns "tired and run down" into "sexy and cool". It takes her no time at all. It would take me a month of Sundays to do what she does in hours!

Here are Sasha's top tips.

• Create a point of difference. Appeal to the masses but use a feature wall or an amazing wallpaper to create some wow factor. 
• Females make the decisions. Be prepared to spend a bit more to create a stunning kitchen and bathroom. 
• Know your area. Don't do a cheap make-over in an upmarket area. 
• Watch your budget. Most people spend more than they need. There are lots of finishes that create visual impact without breaking the bank.  

Where was Sasha when we did our last renovation?!

Seriously though, I love renovating. Well I love the idea of it. But I know I'll never be a renovation guru of the ilk of Sasha deBretton-Gordon.

What I also know is this: if I were to sell my home I'd call a Sasha. Sasha and those other hammer-wielding Bunnings dwellers know their job. I build web sites, they renovate homes. They know what the market wants and they know how to get it done.

Something else I figured talking to Sasha and a myriad of agents over the years. Sometimes we're too close to our beloved family home to see things with clear eyes. The years of renovation and landscaping create an emotional investment that works against us when it's time to sell.

And that's the benefit of fresh eyes. Someone who can tell us that plum is to the nineties as mission brown was to the seventies. Or that clotted cream really is more than safe. It's boring.

Mount Hawthorn offers Perth's best housing lifestyle. That's the word from Leederville agent Barry Litten.

Barry didn't come down in the last shower. His career spans a couple of decades so he knows a thing or two - make that a lot - about Perth property. As auctioneer-in-residence at Property People, a boutique agency in Oxford Street, Barry has a canny feel for the subtlties of the Perth real estate market.

Here's what Barry had to say on the Property People fan page on Facebook: 

As reported in the Sunday Times this week, we can throw away the statistics because the people of Perth have spoken and a new list of golden suburbs has emerged!

West Australians have rated their favourite suburbs on Australia’s biggest property website and surprisingly it is not the exclusive pocket between the Swan River and Indian Ocean they love.

According to data compiled from thousands of votes across the nation on realetsate.com.au Local Voices, Dianella is the best suburb to live in, with a ranking of 99.423 out of 100, this was closely followed by Mount Hawthorn, Atwell, Stirling and Booragoon- all with rankings of 97 or more.

Mount Hawthorn was voted number 2 in Perth's Best Place to Live! ranked 98.516/100 with a score of 5/5 for Resale/Rental Value, 5/5 for Parks and Recreation, 5/5 For Eating out and highly recommended for families and kids.

He believes this vote of confidence should come as no surprise to those who own properties in Mount Hawthorn.

Over the last 20 years the transformation from a multicultural suburban backwater into a prestigious and sought after inner-city location has been impressive. 

Just 5 kilometers north of the CBD, professional couples and young families love the proximity to the city and freeway system as well as the popular cafe strips in Scarborough Beach Road and Oxford Street.

Zoned predominantly single residential, Mount Hawthorn is not over-developed like many inner-city precincts. It therefore offers a quieter lifestyle that attracts consistent interest from buyers.

 I share Barry's enthusiasm for the Mount Hawthorn. It's quiet, well-maintained streets and abundance of attractive character homes give it a charm that's hard to match. And the parks and amenities, including an abundance of nearby cafes and restaurants, make it an easy place to live.

Since Barry's post on Facebook the landscape has shifted. As of writing this Duncraig has taken the top spot. Dianella has slipped to second and Mount Hawthorn sits in fifth.

What do you think? What would you rate as Perth's best lifestyle suburb?  

Property Prices are on the move and, reviewing the recent media attention, interest rate rises appear to be heading our way soon and the banks are lining up with new products to secure your business.
 
" BankWest Mortgage Could Spark Price War.  A NEW price war is set to erupt across Australia’s $860 billion home lending market, with Commonwealth Bank owned – BankWest to launch a new mortgage product that will have an interest rate cap until late 2012." The Australian, September 2009
 
So the question that is on the mind of many investors appears to be...“To Fix or Not To Fix?”
 
This doesn’t have to be a tough decision; this exclusive Mortgage Bite is here to help you through the mortgage maze.
 
Do you:
        Want predictable repayments?
        Foresee major changes to your family arrangements, job or business?
        Believe rates will rise in the near future?
        Fully understand exit penalty costs with early repayment?
 
If you answered YES to most or all of these questions, a fixed rate loan may suit. It could be time to lock it in now.
 
Why should you choose a fixed rate loan?

        It will help you budget to manage your cash flow, stress free.
        You’re looking for certainty in your monthly loan repayments to the bank.
        Property owners who have a number of financial responsibilities can feel secure knowing that their repayments will be consistent, and that their interest rate is protected from further increases during the term of the fixed period.

Is a variable loan is the way to go?
 
        You will benefit if the interest rates increase.
        Minimal exit costs on early repayment (check with your lender).
 
A Variable housing loan gives flexibility.  Any surplus cash each month can help to pay the loan off faster.  Extra repayments made to the loan can also be redrawn should the funds be required elsewhere.

To Fix or Not To Fix - what would your answer be at this moment?

With our premium property lifestyle blog now 3 months old, we will be inviting guest bloggers to contribute posts, and also putting up our latest TV show episodes for comment.

We produce WA's (Australia's) only local real estate TV show, and are now up to episode 5 in the series (8 more are in production).

In the latest episode:

1. Harry Bozin, Mortgage Perth, talks about things you may not know in cutting down your mortgage, whether the time is right to lock in low interest rates, and other advice

2. Phil Knight, in his regular spot, 'Things I wish I Knew at 20', talks about good habits. Phil has 3 sons in their 20s, and what he talks about he really wished he knew at 20!

3. Every episode, we interview a real estate agent ("The Insider"), and ask them the same 11 questions - what were you doing before real estate, why did you get into it, what was your first sale, what advice would you give buyers/sellers...? This episode, it's William Porteous, a household name in Perth real estate.

4. REIWA - The Real Estate Institute of WA - what does it do? We talk with its current CEO, Anne Arnold, and President, Rob Druitt.

5. We profile Fremantle, by walking down its streets and also talking with a local boy and real estate rep, Xavier Teague.

And then, because we never take ourselves too seriously, we include some out takes after the final credits.

We've love to hear from you about this episode and our TV show in general - what bits do you like, or not? what would you like to see in future episodes? If you've missed any shows, the beauty of internet TV is not only is it free, but you can go back and watch previous episodes whenever you like, as often as you like.

In the latest Economist Intelligence Unit report, Australian cities have fared pretty well, with 4 coming in the Top 11. The 'livable city' survey ranks according to health care, stability, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Harare was the worst city, Vancouver the best. An index score compares the cities, with the maximum 100 being "ideal".

1. Vancouver (98.0)
2. Vienna (97.9)
3. Melbourne (97.5)
4. Toronto (97.2) 
5. Perth / Calgary (96.6)

Sydney came in 9th, and Adelaide 11th.

So is Melbourne better than Perth? (Dare we mention swine flu?) Perth better than Sydney? What do you reckon? aussiehome.com (being based in Perth) has a distinct passion for Perth, and can't understand why 4 cities are above it to be honest!

Last Tuesday saw the RBA cut a further 25 basis points (or 0.25%) from the central interest (cash) rate, bringing Aussie rates to a 49 year low of just 3%. Almost immediately, the main retail banks either took the cut for themselves (NAB) or only passed on a 0.1% cut.

With banks going bust overseas, being nationalised or amalgamated, is this evidence that our 'strong' banks (4 of the most secure 11 banks globally are our 4 Pillars) are protecting themselves? Fair enough? If the 'cost' of the global financial crisis ('GFC') is we don't get much of the rate cut, is that better than have our banks fall over?

Or is this just greedy banks taking what's rightfully ours?

Click Comments to have your say!

Don't discuss religion or politics if you want to keep a quiet life. Attend any barbecue or adult gathering these days and the question of daylight saving pops up.

So with the daylight saving in WA now over for a 3rd (trial) year, what do you reckon? Should we keep it? No? Will the May 16th vote say yes or no? What do you think? Do you want more summer sunlight in the morning or the evening? (that's really what it comes down to).

Interested in your views - have your say...!

(Click 'Comments' to see what others have commented, and add your own)