Snooping around: Rural, urban or renovation

Wreck of the week: Belford, Northumberland. This petite, two-bed lodge was built to serve the Newlands estate. No one served it though – it is unloved. Around £15,000 should see it righted. It is delectably sited with its own half-acre of grounds, but connections and the A1 are just a few minutes away. There is only one reception room. Yours for £175,000.
George F White, 01665 603581 Photograph: George F White/George F White

In the country: Cublington, Buckinghamshire. There's no need to surrender urban pleasures with this £325,000, three-bedder – it's just six miles from Leighton Buzzard and a swift train ride to London Euston. You can soothe the day's office stresses in front of quaint brick fireplaces in both reception rooms, cram the odd guest into the third bedroom and dump your detritus in the barn outside. Beware the bathroom – it's a floor below the main bedrooms.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01525 290641 Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff/Jackson-Stops & Staff

In town: Tavistock, Devon. Perched above the tumbling waters of the Tavy, this three-bedder boasts a raised deck in the landscaped garden and has seductive views. Inside are exposed stone walls, beams, a living room, a dining room and a fitted kitchen. The third bedroom is en suite. It is but a short walk to the town centre. Cost: £249,950.
Mansbridge & Balment, 01822 612345 Photograph: Mansbridge & Balment/Mansbridge & Balment

Bargain of the week: Greater London. Gardeners with a first-time buyer budget should form a line here. This two-bed flat has french doors from the dining kitchen on to a 37-ft lawn with a patio. Both bedrooms are doubles and the living room expands into a bay window. It is in a side street in a villagey part of Kingston-upon- Thames, a few minutes' walk from train services to London Waterloo and Richmond Park. It has been reduced to £234,950.
Townends, 020 8547 1066 Photograph: Townends/Townends

Over the sea: Italy. This 12th-century castle, converted into flats, sits dizzily above the Tuscan countryside. Each resident will have their own loggia or garden, most with aerial views over the hills to the sea, and all get a share of the swimming pool and solarium. The medieval village of Campiglia Marittima is five minutes' walk through pine wooded parkland, it is 10 minutes to sandy beaches, and an hour to Pisa airport. The remaining studio is £283,400.
Chesterton International, 020 3040 8210 Photograph: Chesterton International/Chesterton International