Snooping around: Rural, urban or renovation

In town: Newcastle upon Tyne. This three-storey four-bedder in Highbury, Jesmond, is in the most favoured part of town. Yours for £449,950, it will effortlessly absorb a large family with its four receptions, kitchen/breakfast room and bathrooms. It’s a shame that only a small yard serves as the garden.
Sanderson Young, 0191 213 0033
Photograph: Sanderson Young

In the country: Suffolk. Sheltered by a third of an acre of gardens, and perched at the end of a no-through lane in Thwaite, this is a riot of beams, wall studs, inglenooks and quaintness. It has four bedrooms and two receptions, but the staircase to one bedroom leads out of another. Yours for £425,000.
Strutt & Parker, 01473 220444
Photograph: Strutt & Parker

Wreck of the week: Warwickshire. This tiny semi-detached cottage in Avon Dassett is yours for £150,000. Untouched by progress, at least £25,000 will be required to strip and renew it; £80,000 if the council agrees to a two-storey extension. It’s in a Cotswolds conservation village and enjoys gardens on three sides. At the moment it only has one bedroom and a compact living area.
Strutt & Parker, 01295 273592
Photograph: Strutt & Parker

Dream home: Stirlingshire. Although this sturdy five-bed house at Callender looks like it has sat amid rolling hills for centuries, it was in fact built just 12 years ago. It might not have the romance of a Scottish castle, but nor does it have the draughts. Just as well because the central heating is oil-fuelled. The kitchen and living rooms are enormous, while the garage could house a fleet of cars. It sits in 31 acres of pasture land suitable for horses, cows or sheep, and overlooks its own fly fishing pond. Offers in excess of £720,000.
CKD Galbraith, 0141 953 3089
Photograph: CKD Galbraith

Overseas: South Africa. This elegant family home in the affluent district of Constantia, in the southern suburbs of Cape Town, looks a bit like the legendary South Fork ranch in TV series Dallas. It’s no coincidence that Mark Thatcher used to live in this area (before his misdemeanours over Equitorial Guinea). The immaculately presented house has four bedrooms, four bathrooms, three large receptions, a wine cellar (this is Cape Town after all) and the obligatory swimming pool. The garden also has computerised irrigation to save time with the hose pipe. Yours for £1.4m.
Savills, 020 7016 3740
Photograph: Savills