Snooping around

Property of the week: Mudeford, Dorset. This is no ordinary beach hut - it sits away from its chums amid the sand dunes on the Mudeford spit. The commute is quaint - by train from the headland or ferry from the beach - and the views spectacular. It’s just a shame this is a day hut, which means you can’t lay your head here. In fact, you can do very little except sit out the rain in a space that is seven foot square. £40,000 and it's yours.
Denisons, 01202 484748. Photograph: Denisons

Wreck of the week: Westover Lane, Ringwood, Hants. This tiny, shabby, two-bed thatched cottage is perched prettily in a no-through lane on the edge of a market town with views over the Avon valley. It is close to the New Forest, the beaches at Bournemouth and sailing at Poole harbour, and boasts exposed beams and leaded windows. £25,000 would refresh it; £80,000 might run to an extension as well, but that's on top of the £270,000 asking price.
Woolley & Wallis, 01425 472421. Photograph: Woolley & Wallis

Take three: homes in France. This pretty and quiet barn is tucked down a private lane in a hamlet outside Carentoir, southern Brittany, and requires total rehabilitation. It has quaint virtues such as an original fireplace and arched doors, and there is the opportunity to supplement the 400m sq of garden and room to expand the house to one side. Rennes airport is 40 minutes away. A mere £24,557 would snap this up.
VEF, 020 7515 8660. Photograph: VEF

Take three: homes in France. This modern detached house near Hérault in the Languedoc boasts a kitchen/breakfast room, living room, four bedrooms, and two bathrooms, as well as wide, green views of vineyards from the private poolside. The rooms are large, beamed and recently renovated, and you get more of them for your money than in neighbouring Provence. Montpellier airport is 50 minutes away. It's yours for a very reasonable £338,586.
VEF, 020 7515 8660. Photograph: VEF

Take three: homes in France. This stone-built home in Le Bugue, south Dordogne, is done in the traditional Périgourdine style typical of the region. Inside are ancient tiled floors, an open fireplace and beams; there’s also a pool in the five acres of garden. Bergerac airport is 50 minutes away. A slight drawback is the camp site across the road, but that shouldn't detract too much from the £265,700 price tag.
Latitudes, 020 8951 5155. Photograph: Latitudes