Trading up, trading down

Trading up: Essex. The air of antiquity is an assumed one, for this £800,000 five-bed house is part of a recent development at one end of Epping high street. Although it looks like a rural market town surrounded by forest and farmland, the Central Line terminates here and the M25 and M11 run close by, so it’s a simple commute to London. The two receptions open on to the walled garden and you can step from the kitchen into the plunge pool. There’s a games room across the courtyard, a three-room master suite and a study area off the fourth bedroom.
Hetheringtons, 01992 815314 Photograph: Hetheringtons

Trading up: Devon. Compact Strawberry Hill Gothic between the beach and shops in the resort of Torquay. The rooms are large with period trimmings and aristocratic décor. All five bedrooms are en suites (it has been run as a guest house) and two look out as far as Dartmoor. The living room opens on to a terrace above a lawned and leafy garden. Yours for £525,000.
Fulfords, 01803 322555 Photograph: Fulfords

Trading down: Gloucestershire. This is the clichéd Cotswold fantasy: honeyed stone, beams and flagstones in spectacular countryside in Hidcote Boyce, near the ancient town of Chipping Campden. Progress has added some sinful extras such as underfloor heating and a concealed TV in the lavish bathroom. The second bedroom is in the eaves with restricted head height. On the market for £295,000.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01386 840224 Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff

Trading down: York. You can keep an eye on the action at York race course from this two-bed flat hewn out of the top floor an Edwardian villa just over a mile from the city centre. The views are from the large living room, the kitchen is in the smart Shaker style, and you and any visitors get allocated parking near the communal gardens. On the market for £245,000.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01904 625033 Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff

Bargain of the week: London. Fully spruced, this two-bed apartment in Whitechapel would be worth more than £310,000. But the owner is open to offers of around £250,000 because £30,000 needs to be spent on replacing the kitchen and bathroom, and renewing the décor. Its proximity to the new Royal London Hospital and a range of stations including the pending Cross Rail link to the Olympic site should mean seductive rental returns.
Winkworth, 020 7749 7650 Photograph: Winkworth