Snooping around: Homes with a concierge

Property of the week: Penzance, Cornwall. From the terrace at the top of the garden of this three-bedder there are views across meadows to the sea and St Michael’s Mount. The farmhouse has been in the same family since it was built in 1898, and has large rooms, a galleried landing, a modern kitchen with Aga and characterful quantities of pine, stone and brickwork. Several neighbours have right of way over parts of your driveway. Cost: £425,000.
Lillicrap Chilcott, 01872 273473 Photograph: Lillicrap Chilcott/Lillicrap Chilcott

Wreck of the week: Leyburn, North Yorkshire. This two-bed cottage is seductively set in a Dales hamlet close to a lake with wild, rolling views. The garden is large with panoramas beyond the dry-stone walls. Inside it’s less inviting: the vinyl flooring is thoroughly unlovable, the electrics need checking, and the decor and fittings updating. That could mean anything from a £5,000 tweaking to a full-scale makeover. That’s on top of the £210,000 price tag.
JR Hopper, 01969 622936 Photograph: JR Hopper/JR Hopper

Take three: homes with a concierge. Pampering on a budget is available at this high-rise two-bedder in Eastbourne, East Sussex. For £235,000 you get a reception, a sunroom, a kitchen, two bathrooms and parking. And a porter who will water your plants, help lug shopping and find you a plumber while you recline on the balcony, gazing out to sea. There are communal gardens and it’s just a short walk to the town centre. No pets or subletting.
Reid & Dean, 01323 412550 Photograph: Reid & Dean/Reid & Dean

Take three: homes with a concierge. This two-bedroom apartment at the Belvedere, Cambridge, is available for £369,950. You get an open-plan living/kitchen area, two bedrooms, two bath/shower rooms and secure parking. For an extra outlay the concierge will find you a fitness trainer, book tickets and take deliveries. Better still, there’s an on-site pool, Jacuzzi and gym. It’s a shame about the dreary half-hour walk into the city centre.
Price £369,950. Savills, 01223 347147 Photograph: Savills/Savills

Take three: homes with a concierge. At Riverside Quarter, London SW18, there’s a 24-hour concierge, a shuttle bus to ferry you to and from the tube and a nearby river taxi. Resulting flab can be battled in the in-house gym and pool, or around the waterside gardens. But you pay for it: £675,000 for the two-bed flat, and an annual service charge of £3,400.
Riverhomes.co.uk, 020 8788 6000 Photograph: Riverhomes.co.uk/Riverhomes.co.uk