House swap! What does £1m get you?
Upping sticks to pastures new? Let's see what a cool million will get you on the property market across the Muddy counties - quite a lot, as it happens!
Berkshire
Hey there good looking! Prepare to be seduced by this handsome detached home in chichi old Sunningdale. Not only is it in a location sweet spot, it also has a ride-on mower kinda fabulous garden, a layout created for family living and is within striking distance of the train station with links to London Waterloo. Plus it’s £50k under budget, which should help pay your season ticket to London for a few years.
Buckinghamshire
Doesn’t this Grade II listed cottage in High Wycombe look like it fell off the front of a postcard? Built in 1699 and packed to bursting with original features, this 5-bed property has excellent views over Downley Common, and plenty of garden space for littlies to charge about in. Plus it’s only 3 miles from High Wycombe station with high-speed links to London Marylebone.
Sussex
Excuse us while we just hang out on our glass-fronted balcony overlooking the South Downs and our own heated swimming pool. This classy five-bed in tranquil Ashington, West Sussex comes with acres of land (room for a pony, as Hyacinth Bucket would say) and a separate annexe for free childcare – sorry – grandparents, an au pair or teenage parties. You’re an easy scoot up the A24 to Horsham and train links to LDN too.
Cornwall
8 bedrooms, 8 bathrooms, right on the seafront and under budget at £950,000? The Beach House in picture-perfect Looe ticks our boxes and then some. Would you snap it up and run it as a guest house, or make it into the ultimate family home?
Oxfordshire
This 18th century 5-bed is deceptively large, at an impressive 3,470 square feet (plenty of room to play with paint swatches, then!). Wisteria House in Adderbury is a Grade II-listed village house overlooking the green, with pretty boozer The Red Lion at Adderbury within staggering distance. Check out the size of that family bathroom, too.
Cambridgeshire
More like a quad than a garden! Tilbrook Mill Farm in Lower Dean boasts vaulted ceilings, underfloor heating throughout, a triple garage and a whopping three acres of paddock.
Leicestershire
If you’re not a fan of a wooden beam, look away now. This Grade II-listed timber-framed house in the picturesque village of Ashby Parva may be fifty shades of oak, but has a ridiculous amount of potential to update and modernise. Plus, if you get overwhelmed you can always escape to the summer house in the half-acre garden.
Gloucestershire
How about your own Italianate villa in the Stroud countryside for 1 mil? Set in just under an acre of peaceful grounds on the edge of Minchinhampton, this 2-bed property is all on one level, but has potential to expand into the attic or large cellar.
Kent
This seriously gorgeous 4-bed in Staplehurst is striking in noir, and it’s an open-plan dream once you step indoors. Modernist property lovers will be a fan of the large windows, clean lines and separate garden studio.
Hampshire
Hello, slice of New Forest life!This period forest cottage dates back to the 1750s, and is squirrelled away in the hamlet of Winsor, just a short drive to Ashurst or Totton station for commuting links to London Waterloo. Not that you’ll want to leave home any time soon, as you’ll have a pool, sun terrace, a paddock with a games room and a 1.2 acre garden with a greenhouse at your disposal.
Essex
No, not a Malibu beach house from the 1960s, but a Grade II-listed modern movement home in Frinton-on-Sea, originally designed by British architect Oliver Hill in the early 1930s. The super retro styling won’t be to everyone’s taste (think pastel kitchens and round doorways), but those panoramic views of the sea front are well worth the price tag.
Suffolk
Can’t decide between a period property or modern new build? Potash Cottage in Great Glemham has the best of both worlds. This 5-bed 16th century house has a modern, light-filled extension with a separate studio/workshop (perfect for home workers), all set just five minutes from the castle town of Framlingham.
Worcestershire
If you love a water view, then this incredible riverside property on the banks of the Severn should appeal. This detached house with separate cottage in Worcester has 5 bedrooms, an orangery, and a raised balcony to enjoy your unique view from – plus, mooring and fishing rights, naturally.
