Snooping around: Homes in new towns

Property of the week: Belford Hall, Northumberland. A tight budget need not bar you from this £175,000 one-bedroom slice of grade-I Palladian mansion set in five acres of gardens and 26 acres of parkland. The vendor has made a stately job of the restoration. There is a library on the mezzanine, a spiral staircase and a triple aspect bedroom. Magnificent beaches and a golf course are nearby. It’s a shame the kitchen is only a galley.
Buccleuch Town & Country, 0131 220 7920 Photograph: Buccleuch Town & Country/Buccleuch Town & Country

Wreck of the week: Leatherhead, Surrey. The previous inhabitant lived in this two-bed Victorian cottage for 92 years and last updated it in the 60s. There are damp issues but otherwise it just needs updating - £50,000 should do it, plus the £349,950 asking price. It’s a rural idyll in the heart of town. There are three reception rooms and potential to expand, but you do have to walk down a shared footpath to reach the front door.
Patrick Gardner & Co, 01372 360 078 Photograph: Patrick Gardner & Co/Patrick Gardner & Co

Take three: homes in new towns. This £199,950 three-bedder in Peterlee, County Durham, is on the coast with easy links to Durham and Newcastle. There is an Adams-style fireplace in the living room, the kitchen is Shaker-style and there is a new bathroom suite. The only downside is the architecture.
County Durham Properties, 0191 375 0111 Photograph: County Durham Properties/County Durham Properties

Take three: homes in new towns. A double reception room, a dining room, a kitchen, three bedrooms, a utility room, a bathroom, a detached office and garage is what £584,950 buys in Ilfield, West Sussex. The town manages a rustic feel despite being swallowed whole by postwar planners, so you get beams, an inglenook fireplace and shuttered windows three miles from the town centre. Then downside is the premium price.
King & Chasemore, 01293 539 952 Photograph: King & Chasemore/King & Chasemore

Take three: homes in new towns. You get a lot for £185,000 in Skelmersdale, Lancashire: three receptions, a kitchen, a store room, a cloakroom, four bedrooms and two bath/shower rooms. Double-glazed bay windows in the sitting room, french doors from the dining room and off-street parking are pros, but sadly the area is dominated by unlovely-looking housing estates. But then the town is a 1960s overflow for nearby Liverpool.
Your Move, 01695 723 334 Photograph: Your Move/Your Move