Snooping around: Rural, urban or renovation

In the country: Oxfordshire. Its petite appearance is deceptive. Inside this property in Epwell, near Banbury, there’s a huge drawing room opening into a dining room, a banqueting-sized kitchen, playroom, four bedrooms and an attic room. But at £575,000, you’re paying a big supplement for its quaintness.
Strutt & Parker, 01295 273592
Photograph: Strutt & Parker

In town: Somerset. You can gaze across the town park from the drawing room of this four-bed Taunton home, while the kitchen/breakfast room opens on to the garden. The property boasts a study and a garage, but one of the bedrooms has restricted head height. Cost: £400,000.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01823 325144
Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff

Wreck of the Week: Northumberland. This two-bedroom terraced cottage is a short walk from the harbour and beach of the fetching resort of Seahouses – and if you prefer to use four wheels, there's a driveway big enough for your car. It's very aged, with no kitchen to speak of: budget around £20,000 to resurrect it, on top of the £129,500 price tag. Sadly, there's only a patio garden.
George F White, 01665 603231
Photograph: George F White

Dream home: East Anglia. If your fantasies involve horses this £295,000 two-bedroom flat in Newmarket will realise them. The windows look out over the Warren Hill training ground where race horses are put through their paces. The National Stud, the National horse Racing Museum, Tattersalls and the Jockey Club are all in town and some of the world's best racing takes place on the doorstep. You share communal grounds with the neighbours.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01638 662231
Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff

Over the sea: Greece. The beach is 300m from this sugar confection on the Greek island of Leros and it's a 10-minute drive to the harbour and centre of Lakki. Inside the bungalow are two bedrooms and an open-plan living area, all fully furnished, centrally-heated and air-conditioned. A terrace surrounds it and there's a garden planted with fruit trees. Leros has escaped the mass tourism that has blighted some of its Dodecanese neighbours and has dramatic scenery and pristine beaches. Yours for £127,000.
Hellenic Realty, 00 33 450 427198
Photograph: Hellenic Realty