Trading up, trading down – in pictures

Trading down: Kent. The £350,000 price tag on this pretty two-bed cottage means you may only be trading down size-wise, but if your finances will stretch you can bag a small part of the Grade II-listed Swaylands Manor estate. One of six hewn from the stable building, this has a modern kitchen, a living room that opens on to a private courtyard and two good sized en suite bedrooms. Access to 40 acres of communal gardens comes as standard, as does the service charge topping £2,000 a year.
Jackson-Stops & Staff, 01892 521700
Photograph: Jackson-Stops & Staff

Trading up: Carmarthernshire. Hill House in Llansteffan is one big house, boasting stacks of living space over four floors. That it is currently being used as a retreat suggests all the noise will be coming from inside the property, where there are 12 bedrooms, eight bathrooms and six kitchens to accommodate family and guests. The one acre of garden, which looks out over the coast, features vegetable beds and an orchard, while solar panels boost the hot water system and a borehole provides water. It’s the good life with a £475,000 price tag.
Fine & Country, 01834 862138
Photograph: Fine & Country

Trading down: Salford. You will be trading down by going up with this eighth floor apartment in the city’s Quays development. Its corner position means there are views on two sides, and the south facing balcony looks over the water. You may have to downsize your clutter too – there isn’t even a hall cupboard to stash the vacuum cleaner in, and the living room and kitchen are open-plan. Both bedrooms are a reasonable size, though, and the master bedroom has an en suite shower-room. There’s a long lease – 247 years – and an allocated parking space, all of which is yours for £185,000 plus service charges.
Reeds Rains, 0161 236 9088
Photograph: Reeds Rains

Trading up: West Sussex. More stunning views are on offer at this 18th-century pile in West Hoathly, on the market for a princely £725,000. The Potters House is a pretty four-bed cottage with four floors to house you and yours. Much has been made of the vista: from most rooms you can look out over the rolling countryside and across the Weir Wood reservoir, and a decked terrace lets you take in the air while you gaze for miles. The half-acre of garden has a summer house if you ever need some peace.
Savills, 01444 446000
Photograph: Savills

Trading down: Lancashire. EW Pugin may not quite have gained his father’s fame, but he did a tidy job of Euxton Hall chapel near Chorley, and both English Heritage and the Ancient Monuments Society consider it one of his most important examples. The work to convert it to a £340,000 home has been sympathetic, making the most of the stained glass windows, restoring the tiled floor and installing lights that accentuate the ceiling detail. The living area is at the heart of the property, while a kitchen/diner sits on a mezzanine floor. The master bedroom is downstairs and a second bedroom-cum-study leads off a small hall.
Savills, 01625 417450
Photograph: Savills