What can £300,000 buy across Britain?

The housing market continues to be busier than ever, which has pushed the national asking price for a home to a record high of £338,462. But you can still buy some great houses for a lot less than this.

And if you're a first-time buyer in England or Northern Ireland, you won't pay any stamp duty on homes priced at £300,000 or less.

In Scotland and Wales, there is an equivalent tax for first-time buyers to pay, which works out at less than £5,000 for properties priced within this budget.

So, want to know what sort of houses you can buy across Britain for £300,000 or less? We've uncovered everything from character cottages in idyllic villages, to big, detached houses and waterside retreats. Take a look below.

Dunoon, Argyll and Bute

Old Pier House is right on the waterfront in the coastal hamlet of Toward, on the Cowal Peninsula in the west coast of Scotland. Originally designed as a 'show home', the striking two-storey house has four bedrooms, spacious gardens and incredible views over the Firth of Clyde.

A four-bedroom detached house overlooking the Firth of Clyde

Faversham, Kent

We love this charming semi-detached cottage close to the town centre of Faversham. There's a cosy living room with a fireplace, a separate kitchen and dining room and two bedrooms upstairs. The garden is a pretty decent size, too.

A two-bedroom semi-detached cottage

Whitchurch, Cardiff

This pretty pink cottage close to Whitchurch Village stands out for all the right reasons. Priced at £290,000, this three-bedroom period gem is packed with character features, including exposed timber beams throughout. There's also a private paved garden and seating area outside.

A three-bedroom end-of-terrace cottage

Kewstoke, North Somerset

If you're after a dreamy little two-bedroom cottage not too far from the sea, then Bay Tree Cottage could be the one for you.

The carefully-tended gardens are lush, and are teeming with brightly-coloured flowering plants, shrubs and kitchen herbs. The current owners have also carried out painstaking renovations to add a contemporary update to the home's character features, from the charming sitting room, with its exposed stone inglenook fireplace and wood-burning stove, to the country-style duck-egg blue kitchen.

A two-bedroom character cottage

Pentney, Norfolk

This Wesleyan Chapel located between King's Lynn and Swaffham has been converted into two separate three-bedroom homes which still have many of the church's original features, including the stained glass windows. There's a spacious open-plan kitchen and living area, three bedrooms upstairs and a courtyard garden to the rear.

A three-bedroom semi-detached home within a converted chapel