Snooping around: Rural, urban or renovation

Wreck of the week: Dordogne. This three-bed stone manor house near Sarlat has a roof in need of major surgery and decor which needs to be rescued from the 1960s. Then there are the unrenovated outbuildings … It could be a pricey project unless you are DIY-confident, but you get 17 acres close to a pretty bastide village. Cost: €486,000 (£403,000).
Savills, 020 7016 3811 Photograph: Savills

In town: Paris. You couldn’t be more central than this €164,000 (£136,000) studio in Le Marais, just around the corner from the Pompidou Centre. Inside it is surprisingly spacious with exposed stone walls and ceiling beams.
Sextant, 020 7428 4910 Photograph: Sextant

In the country: Gascony. An hour from Tarbes airport near Aignan, West Gers, this is a recently restored farmhouse with pool, hot tub, tennis court and gardens sweeping down to an ancient oak wood. It’s a shame there are only three bedrooms. Yours for €335,000 (£277,700).
Purslows Gascony, 00 33 562 67 61 50 Photograph: Purslows Gascony

Dream home: Gloucestershire. This is a Cotswold fantasy a mile from Northleach: weathered, honey-coloured stone, terraced gardens, beamed ceilings and pastoral walks from the front door. It is Homes & Gardens chic inside with stripped wooden floors, exposed stonework, a roll top bath and tastefully cheerful paint colours. All three receptions have a working fireplace and the largest of the three bedrooms has an en suite shower room. Cost: £575,000.
Jackson Stops & Staff, 01993 822661 Photograph: Jackson Stops & Staff

Bargain of the week: Lincolnshire. The humble exterior is a tease. This is a small estate in the village of Norton Disney, 12 miles from Lincoln, with stables and tack room within the 1.33 acres and five bedrooms sharing three bathrooms in the opulently renovated inside. It came on to the market at £449,000 but the owner wants to move quickly, so it’s now £410,000 and open to negotiation. A utility room swells the kitchen/breakfast room and there are two further receptions. The village is the family seat of Walt Disney’s ancestors and is set deep in arable land.
Chesterton Humberts, 01636 701401 Photograph: Chesterton Humberts