Here are six places across Britain which caught our eye as offering particularly enticing options, whether you're after a sprawling mansion or a pied-à-terre.
Warwickshire: A beautiful 18th century farmhouse with a barn and acres of land
Fir Tree House is a six-bedroom farmhouse that looks as if it has come straight from the pages of a Dickens novel. Sadly, it also looks as if it hasn't been decorated since the time of the great writer. The dilapidated charm will obviously go once the necessary work has taken place – as will the sense that you'll spot Miss Haversham sitting in an armchair.
For whoever takes the job on, this will become a wonderful family home with six bedrooms, lovely proportions and a wealth of fine features which – once finished – will ensure that Fir Tree House retains huge character.
There is also a barn which has been converted to a living space, just under eight acres of land and an option to buy 20 more acres of land plus assorted outbuildings.
For sale via Knight Frank. See more pictures and details.
Scotland: A 6-bedroom house with stables, a squash court and a tennis court, and over 50 acres of land
We'll get the bad news out of the way first: the inside of this spacious country house in Perthshire is in definite need of updating. But other than that, we're struggling to find the catch of a home with beautiful, mature gardens (totalling 10 acres) plus a frurther 20 acres of woodland and 22 acres of paddock and woodland.
The house also boasts a study, office and cellar, and as well as the various sporting facilities – a Victorian squash court, a tennis court, stabling – there's even a listed folly in the grounds.
For sale via Rettie. See more pictures and details about this property.
Wales: A beautifully-refurbished stone-built farmhouse with a swimming pool
In the heart of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park you'll find this picture-perfect 15th century home that's been lovingly restored to a high standard, with original features (including beamed ceilings and an Aga in the kitchen) retained wherever possible.
There's an outdoor pool with poolhouse, lovely gardens, and a paddock available separately should you want more land.
For sale via John Francis. See more pictures and details about this property.
Yorkshire: An immaculate four-bedroom Victorian house
Tucked away on the western edge of the Yorkshire Dales near Ingleton you'll find this 1850 home which is light, airy and beautiful.
The kitchen-diner (with Aga) is particularly lovely and the gardens feature a stream and a vegetable patch. Just idyllic.
The house also comes with just over an acre of land and a double-height barn with potential for conversion.
For sale via Davis & Bowring. See more pictures and details about this property.
Devon: A 27-bedroom house. Yes, 27 bedrooms.
No, neither the price nor the number of bedrooms is a misprint. A couple of miles away from Cullompton, this vast, sprawling house with extensive gardens is a former nursing home which closed down earlier this year.
It's located in the pretty and thriving village of Bradninch, which has everything you'll need including an outstanding primary school, a few shops, doctor's surgery and a couple of pubs.
The place will need a lot of work to either get it back up to scratch as a business or convert it for some other purpose, but the value on offer here is incredible.
For sale via Knight Frank. See more pictures and details about this property.
London: A two-bedroom flat by Battersea Park
This charming flat in Albert Palace Mansions is right round the corner from the park, and offers much more for your money than you'd get across the Albert Bridge in Chelsea.
There are two bedrooms plus a nice sitting room, plus a separate dining room.
For sale via Savills. 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
9 utterly magnificent apartments where you can live in splendour at a fraction of the usual cost
An apartment within a listed mansion offers a fantastic mix of affordability, practicality and splendour, as these stunning places show.
-
How to disconnect from reality and feel like a new person in under 72 hoursOur round-up of the best British retreats that work wellness wonders in under 72 hours.
-
Evenley Wood Garden: 'I didn't know a daffodil from a daisy! But being middle-aged, ignorant and obstinate, I persisted'When Nicola Taylor took on her plantsman father’s flower-filled woodland, she knew more about horses than trees, but, as Tiffany Daneff discovers, that hasn’t stopped her from making a great success of the garden. Photographs by Clive Nichols.
-
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.
-
A waterside cottage in Devon with a private quay, idyllic views and the prettiest summerhouse we've seen in yearsRight beside the picturesque Yealm Estuary, No 1 Noss Mayo is an idyllic home that feels like an escape from the world. Annabel Dixon takes a look.
-
This elegant Greek villa offers would-be buyers a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to live in the shadow of the AcropolisAthenian Legacy consists of two houses in walking —and almost touching — distance of one of the world’s most famous and precious landmarks.
