Trading up, trading down – in pictures

Trading up: Sussex. The fact an enormous, expertly landscaped garden sweeps out from the rear is almost an irrelevance – your preferred playground should be the Worthing's beach, pier and lido a few streets away, plus a large park which lies beyond the balcony of the master bedroom. Period graces abound through the four bedrooms and two receptions in the form of original fireplaces and elaborate cornicing, and the whole place has been given an elegant cosmetic overhaul. You might expect slightly bigger rooms for the price – £550,000 – but the family hub is supposed to be the large kitchen/dining room which opens into the patio and, presumably, the equally hospitably sized master bedroom.
Winkworth, 01903 216219
Photograph: Winkworth

Trading up: Devon. At first glance the most staggering thing about this is the Tudor hall with panelling, moulded trusswork and stone fireplace. But even more extraordinary is the price: £350,000 for a four-bed former priory house in Pilton – one of the finest Tudor houses in the region. Throughout the two grand halls, the two more modest receptions and the four bedrooms are painted ceilings, ornate wooden screens, stone mullioned windows and chamfered stone doorways. Usually, only millionaires need apply for such a pile but there are two issues: one is the antiquity of the building, which extends to the fittings – there's no central heating, the wiring needs replacing and the kitchen and bathroom refitted, and its Grade I listing means you'll have English Heritage breathing down your neck./ The other is parking space – there isn't any on the property or on the road outside.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01392 214222
Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff

Trading down: Devon. So long as you rejoice in stairs – the living room is up one flight and the second bedroom and the bathroom up another – this dainty townhouse just a walk from the centre of Kingsbridge makes for comfortable shrinkage. The kitchen/diner melds into a conservatory which opens onto the courtyard garden, the bathroom is a Hollywoodian affair and there are views across town from the upper windows. Cost: £255,000.
Marchand Petit, 01548 857588
Photograph: Marchand Petit

Trading down: Gloucestershire. Pittville Crescent in Cheltenham arcs round two enclosed parks and ends close to the edge of the ornamental acres of Pittville park. And within this handsome curve is this £275,000 two-bed flat, spread across most of the first floor with park views to the front and a glimpse of the hills from the rear. All the rooms bar the narrow kitchen are capacious and graceful with tall windows, and the master suite has a dressing room and bathroom. You also get to share communal gardens with off-street parking.
Knight Frank, 01242 246959
Photograph: Knight Frank

Dream home: London. You are afloat, but you wouldn't guess it from the interiors which are more penthouse than riverboat. On dry land within bricks and mortar, a 633 square foot flat with watery views would set you back far more than the £550,000 asking price, for the berth is in one of London's poshest postcodes in Cheyne Walk in old Chelsea, and comes with a parking permit. The 19ft living room on the upper deck opens onto a terrace with spectacular views and there is a decent-sized study below deck. You may not be able to share your dream overnight for there is only one bedroom, and the skinny thread of a kitchen is a reminder that this is a boat after all.
Winkworth, 020 7373 5052
Photograph: Winkworth