Trading up, trading down – in pictures

Trading up: North Yorkshire. Once a farmhouse, this is one of a cluster around the village green in Scriven on the edge of Knaresborough (although the agents prefer to cite its classier neighbour Harrogate in the address). Its ancient pedigree – it dates from around 1500 – makes it one of only three of its kind in the county, and although its lands have long since shrunk to front garden and rear courtyard, there are broad horizons from the three receptions and the kitchen/breakfast room, and the four bedrooms overlooking the green. Ancient fireplaces garnish all the receptions, and the walls and ceilings are well trussed with beams throughout. Yours for £560,000.
Knight Frank
Photograph: Knight Frank

Trading up: Isle of Bute. Celestial landscapes of sea, hills, islands and a castle unroll from the windows of this lofty £595,000 farmhouse, which also overlooks Port Bannatyne and its marina. Thanks to the tempering effects of the Gulf Stream the island is known as the Madeira of Scotland. Two of the four bedrooms are en suite and all open on to the 0.72 acres of terraced gardens. The living room spreads over the whole of the first floor with windows absorbing the view in all directions. A spiral staircase of Brazilian mahogany is one of the triumphs of the restoration 12 years ago.
CKD Galbraith
Photograph: CKD Galbraith

Trading down: Devon. A £350,000 asking price might not leave you with much spare change from your shrinkage, but it will buy you luxuries only millionaire house owners can afford: an indoor pool, a gym, tennis courts, large grounds and fishing rights on the banks of two rivers. You will, of course, have to share this Georgian mansion and its amenities in Cowley, near Exeter, with other flat-dwellers, but yours is a large and graceful portion with a bay window in the large sitting room, rolling pastoral views from the window seats and three bedrooms.
Winkworth, 01392 422 320
Photograph: Winkworth

Trading down: London. At the end of the rear garden is a large decked area backed by a high wall, which is your private outdoor bit of Camberwell. The smartly trimmed two-bed flat has been converted out of the first floor of a Victorian house. It’s beside an elegant new cafe just a walk from the high life of Peckham or Bellenden Road, and new city vistas will be opened by the East London overground line extension. The lease is a long one and there’s no service charge or ground rent. Cost: £299,950.
Wooster Stock, 020 7708 6700
Photograph: Wooster Stock

Bargain of the week: Middlesex. The vendor’s desire for a quick sale has reduced the asking price of this two-bed flat in Sunbury-on-Thames to £180,000, whereas it would ordinarily be nearer £210,000. It is a relatively affordable way to gain a foothold in London’s suburbia in a gated development close to the M3 and a walk away from direct train services to Waterloo. The downside is the minute kitchen, but the living area is hospitably large with a dining area in the deep bay window, while both bedrooms could pass as doubles.
Townends, 01932 785 171
Photograph: Townends