Essex – £750,000
This absolutely gorgeous cottage dating back to the 17th century isn't just charming and full of character: it also comes with an acre of land, including a wonderful garden and some woodland.
It's a three-bedroom home near Brentwood that's had a two-storey extension to give much more space than the original building would have had. There is now a a kitchen/breakfast room, utility room and a second staircase leading to a generous master bedroom suite which overlooks the rear gardens.
If you need yet more outdoor space, it's worth knowing that this home is across the road from a nature reserve.
For sale with Savills. See more pictures and details about this property.
Middlesex – £625,000
Some wonderfully clever architecture in this detached, three-bedroom cottage in Northwood has made great use of the space, with the open plan downstairs living room arranged around a stylish staircase.
Located not far from Northwood, the house is over the road from the golf course and walking distance to the station.
For sale with Gibbs Gillespie. See more pictures and details about this property.
Surrey – £500,000
Coming in under the half-million mark is this period home in the centre of Caterham, just inside the M25, with a fine living room that has beamed ceilings and an enormous inglenook fireplace.
There's also a large garden and off-street parking – the compromise being that you're on the main road through the town.
For sale with Cubitt & West. See more pictures and details about this property.
Essex – £600,000
Before you ask, no, you don't get the whole place. But £600,000 does buy the three-bedroom mews house attached to one side of Elizabethan Hill Hall, in Theydon Mount, which was built in 2001 in conjunction with English Heritage.
The large living room has a mezzanine level – used as office/cinema room in the past – and there's a private courtyard as well as access to Hill Hall's grounds with its lawns, lakes and tennis courts.
For sale with Millers Portfolio Homes. See more pictures and details about this property.
Surrey – £669,000
If it's outdoor space you're after, this converted barn near Coulsdon has a large garden and direct access on to Farthing Downs, particularly pretty part of this corner of Surrey.
As well as the main open-plan living space there are three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a double garage.
For sale with Richard Saunders & Co. See more pictures and details about this property.
Credit: Strutt and Parker
Best country houses for sale this week
An irresistible West Country cottage and a magnificent Cumbrian country house make our pick of the finest country houses for
The 50 best places to live near London
Where are the best villages, towns and small cities which are a pleasure to live in, but still offer a
-
From California to Cornwall: How surfing became a cornerstone of Cornish cultureA new exhibition at Cornwall's National Maritime Museum celebrates a century of surf culture and reveals how the country became a global leader in surf innovation and conservation.
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeFrom a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
-
18 magnificent homes for sale from £550k to £20 million, as seen in Country LifeFrom a charming thatched cottage to a 300-acre estate with its own vineyard, here's our pick of places to come to the market via Country Life of late.
-
If heaven is on earth, it might be in this home with a converted chapel that is now a swimming pool5 Wood Barton Town House is part of an exclusive 80-acre development in Devon that also comes with fishing rights on the River Avon and four bedrooms.
-
The sounds of spring and stained glass in an Arts-and-Crafts masterpiece in DorsetWith 35 acres, more than 10 bedrooms, a swimming pool and tennis court, Winterfield has it all.
-
An eight-bedroom wonder in East Sussex where the outdoors are an adventureThe interiors of Old Middleton are pretty good too.
-
A lakeside farmhouse on the market in the beautiful heart of PembrokeshireA lake, streams, 15 acres and five bedrooms. Rogershook might have it all.
-
An idyllic countryside home that's light, spacious and comes with a Grade II-listed follyHagg House is a gorgeous family home that just happens to have a miniature castle in the gardens. Annabel Dixon explains more.
-
A historic villa for sale on the Via Nomentana worthy of Rome's rich historyThree floors, lots of balconies, and a private garden in one of Rome's loveliest neighbourhoods.
-
Eight bedrooms of unlisted Edwardian elegance with sweeping views of SomersetAshton House sits near the market town of Chard and comes with a wealth of amenities both inside and out.
