Snooping around: Rural, urban or renovation

In town: Kent. This handsome slice of a Cinque Ports town is yours for £249,500. Situated in the heart of Sandwich, with shops and the quay a short shuffle away, you get three bedrooms and a couple of fireplaces, an entrance hall, sitting room, kitchen and bathroom. It’s a shame that parking is a free-for-all down on the quay.
GW Finn & Sons, 01304 612147
Photograph: GW Finn & Sons

Wreck of the week: Northumberland. This two-bedder in North Broomhill, near Morpeth, is merely weary – £20,000 should improve the kitchen, bathroom and general decor. It’s a good launch pad for first-time buyers with gardens front and back. The coast and the A1 are also near. Yours for £95,000.
George F White, 01665 603231
Photograph: George F White

In the country: Hampshire. This grade II-listed 550-year-old three-bedder is on the market for £400,000. Set in the village of Denmead, near Portsmouth, it has a flagstoned vestibule, a sitting room and a dining room, but requires a thorough renovation. Outside is a glorious acreage of land with stables.
Jackson Stops & Staff, 01962 844299
Photograph: Jackson Stops & Staff

Dream home: Dorset. You’re not by the beach, you're more or less on it. And not just any old beach either, but Chesil Beach, the 18-mile pebble spit that tethers the Isle of Portland to Bridport and is a world heritage site. Close by, newly landed crabs and scallops are prepared in fishermen’s sheds, and there are distinguished seafood restaurants and an inn a shingly shuffle away. The house, currently used as a gallery, has two bedrooms with a dressing room, a large sitting room, a studio and a garden room. Yours for £425,000.
Jackson Stops & Staff, 01305 262123
Photograph: Jackson Stops & Staff

Over the sea: Italy. This slice of old stone terrace perches on a Tuscan hilltop in the medieval village of Vitiana. It opens on to a cobbled lane and behind, from its elevated terrace, are spectacular views over wooded summits. Recent renovations mean that the open-plan living area and three bedrooms, one of which is en suite, are ready to move in to. It is an hour’s drive from Pisa airport and is yours for £141,000.
Homes in Italy, 0845 229 7057
Photograph: Homes in Italy