Snooping around: Rural, urban or renovation

Wreck of the week: Tamerton Foliot, near Plymouth, Devon. A four-bed Georgian house created from a trio of cottages. With an asking price of £249,500, the property is tidy but uncool. It’s in a conservation area with winsome raw ingredients such as exposed stone walls, beams and fireplaces. Unfortunately, the front garden belongs to a neighbour. Lang & Co, 01752 256000 Photograph: <a href="http://www.lang.co.uk/">Lang & Co</a>

In town: Harley Street, Bath, Somerset. A grade II-listed section of an old school tucked behind the Royal Crescent. A stone staircase curls up from a flagstoned reception hall. There are three double bedrooms, two receptions and a roomy kitchen. Pity there’s not a vestige of garden. It's yours for £395,000. Savills, 01225 474500 Photograph: <a href="http://www.savills.co.uk/residentialsearch/home.aspx">Savills</a>

In the country: Gazeley, near Newmarket, Suffolk. This house is the melding of two 18th-century cottages, with an inglenook, bread oven, beams and studwork. The rooms are large and a decent helping of lawn surrounds it. It’s a shame that the bath and shower rooms are downstairs. Cost: £365,000. Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01638 662231 Photograph: <a href="http://www.jackson-stops.co.uk">Jackson-Stops & Staff</a>

Over the Sea: Tortola, Virgin Islands. The view from the veranda is traditional paradise: pool, palm trees, exotic blossoms and a flash of bright blue sea scattered with islands. It’s an elegant two bedroom flat beside the communal swimming pool at Long Beach Bay in the British Virgin Islands. You can only use it for six weeks a year unless you pay extra rent. Rental income from all nine apartments is pooled. £217,000. Knight Frank, 020 7629 8171 Photograph: <a href="http://www.knightfrank.co.uk/">Knight Frank</a>

Dream Home: Pen Maes, near Pwllheli, Gwynedd. Behind the bumpy white-washed walls of this 16th-century farmstead is a magnificent dining hall, floored with slate, ribbed with beams and warmed by a huge stone inglenook. A Rayburn supplies the central heating and there are three bedrooms, a study and a living room. Next door is a converted self-contained barn with three bedrooms. Grandest of all are the views over your own 1.5 acres to the Snowdonia mountains. Cost: £495,000. Carter Jonas 01248 360410 Photograph: <a href="http://www.carterjonas.co.uk/">Carter Jonas</a>