Off the wall

The Georgian experts: GeorgianProperty.com is an oxymoron - a charitable estate agent. It donates a percentage of its commission fees to a group to help preserve Britain’s Georgian heritage. Set in Pinchbeck, Lincolnshire, it has three receptions, five bedrooms, an annexe, garage and workshop, as well as lavish helpings of Georgian glamour. An extra loo downstairs, however, would be relieving. Cost: £599,950. Photograph: GeorgianProperty.com/GeorgianProperty.com

For garden lovers: Plant-loving househunters can search for their ideal garden through Shootgardening.co.uk, which profiles the backyards of properties for sale. This pad, in Brondesbury Road, north London, has three bedrooms and a summerhouse. The garden, as you'd expect, is a marvel - 80ft of expertly planted lawn, decking and patio. It's just a shame it’s a leasehold, lower-groundfloor flat. Cost: £899,950. Photograph: Foxtons/Foxtons

The barn pros: Barnsetc.co.uk lists barns - converted and unconverted - plus other agricultural buildings with domestic potential, including windmills and the odd silo. This one near Penzance, Cornwall, has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. But only on an architect’s blueprint - it’s a big project and you’ll need to spend at least £150,000 on top of the £360,000 asking price. Photograph: Barnsetc.co.uk/Barnsetc.co.uk

Fancy a good water view? Only properties fronting on to the Thames, including houseboats, make it on to Waterview.co.uk. The website also links to affiliated firms offering seafront properties in the south of England and abroad. This is a two-bedroomer in Shepperton, Surrey, which also has 37ft of river frontage including mooring and a slipway. Mind you, the interior could do with refreshing. Cost: £550,000. Photograph: Waterview.co.uk/Waterview.co.uk

The build-your-own gurus: Potton.co.uk supplies complete kits to build your own two- or three-bedroom house. The one here purports to be so carbon flattering it can be run on £31 a year. Photovoltaic panels generate electricity, while water harvested from guttering is warmed by solar panels. Such eco wizardry makes it pricey, however, and you need to buy a plot. Cost: £175,000, excluding land. Photograph: Potton/Potton

The eco agency: Myplace wants to become the UK’s first independent eco estate agency. It will advise on green mortgages and how to make the home more energy efficient. It's currently advertising this two-bed Edwardian terrace in south-east London that also boasts two bath/shower rooms, a loft room and fitted kitchen. Shame it has no garden. Cost: £315,000. Photograph: Myplace /Myplace