Trading up, trading down – in pictures

Trading up: Essex. Utopia lurks behind a rose hedge here in Walton-on-the-Naze. In ancient days this was a farmhouse; now it’s on a main road into the town, but its vintage is illustrated by beamed ceilings, leaded windows, open hearths and a barrel vaulted ceiling. It has aged gracefully, acquiring a designer kitchen, a double garage and two elegant bathrooms along the way. The family can enlarge freely among the six bedrooms, three receptions, office, study, attics and store rooms. A driveway shields you from the traffic heading into the seaside town, and 0.75 of an acre spreads behind. Yours for £595,000.
John D Wood & Co, 01245 344 222 Photograph: John D Wood & Co

Trading up: London. You’re trading up in prestige and virtue rather than living space: there are only two bedrooms (although you could divide one) in this house on Bedford Terrace. The prestige lies in the chic appearance amid the red brick of south-west London. Behind the tall, skinny, timber-clad exterior are slate floors, glass walls, cunning skylights and a web of beams and trusses. Outside, the planted courtyard garden is divided by a formal pond. The virtue is its eco credentials: this is one of the only carbon neutral homes in the country. However, environmental smugness is a costly luxury – the price tag is £625,000.
Themodernhouse.net, 08456 344 068 Photograph: Themodernhouse.net

Trading down: Gloucestershire. Rustic bliss in miniature. This £250,000 one-bed cottage is in the Cotswold village of Broadwell, a 1.5 mile walk from Stow-on-the-Wold, and has so far earned its keep as a holiday let. A wood-burning stove warms the sitting room, which leads into a roomy kitchen/dining room. The bedroom is beamed and trussed with an en suite bathroom. The lawned garden is separated from the surrounding open fields by a stonewall.
Strutt and Parker, 01608 650502
Photograph: Strutt and Parker

Trading down: Cheshire. When the crowds swarm in for the Chester races you’ll have a front row view without leaving the sofa – the open-plan living area of this £249,950 one-bed apartment within the old city walls looks over the Little Roodee race course to the hills. Inside are walnut and limestone floors, a glass-walled winter balcony and a Villeroy & Boch bathroom with built-in telly. Beyond is a communal garden and central piazza where outdoor dining is planned, and you also get a secure parking place.
Strutt and Parker, 01244 354880
Photograph: Strutt and Parker

Dream home: Essex. If you can’t afford to buy your dream you could borrow it. For £2,300 a month this Georgian mansion, 10 acres in Bradfield near Manningtree, a lake and a private beach can be temporarily yours. Envious friends can be lodged in the granary and amused at the cinema in the clock house across the terrace. Many of the three receptions and six bedrooms have views over the Stour estuary.
Fenn Wright, 01206 764499
Photograph: Fenn Wright