Which is your favourite property this week? Mine has to be the Terry Pawson designed home.

1. Coach house

2. Artist’s studio

3. Contemporary house

4. Terry Pawson

5. Sergiston Bates Architects

6. Houseboat

7. 15th century townhouse

8. Unique luxury yacht houses

9. Extension

10. 1930s Modern architecture

So you’ve got your dream home checklist – private garden, good views, swimming pool or communal gym, perhaps. Or maybe it needs to be near to work, friends, good schools or restaurants.

But how much of your checklist is absolutely essential, and how much of it would you be prepared to compromise on?

We want to know your views.

If you’re currently looking to rent or buy, take our survey and tell us what’s important to you. It will only take you around five minutes to complete, and there’s a chance to win one of four £25 M&S vouchers.

Take the survey here.

Here’s our regular round-up of ten of the best properties on Primelocation.com.

1. Mix of Victorian and contemporary

2. Corinthian mansion

3. Gatehouse visited by Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn

4. London penthouse

5. Finalist on Channel Five’s I Own Britain’s Greatest Home

6. Gothic style

7. Historic Highland house

8. Thought to be built by a Lord Mayor of London

9. Barn conversion

10. Medieval house and Cistercian Abbey ruins

We’re getting that festive feeling in the Primelocation.com office already, and after stumbling across a house that comes with its very own manger, it got us searching for more homes with a Christmas link.

And here they are: our pick of the perfect properties for the festive season.

Manger
This Grade II-listed red-brick farmhouse on the Essex/Suffolk border comes with a stable complete with manger (now used for storage) but with four bedrooms in the main house and a two-bedroom barn annexe, there should be room at the inn for even unexpected guests.

Christmas tree farm
Ardargie estate in Perthshire includes a five-bedroom stone farmhouse, two guest cottages, planning permission for a four-bedroom staff cottage, and 388 acres of farmland and woodland, including conifers cut for Christmas trees.

Mistletoe
It’s all in the name for this one – and a very Christmassy one it is too. Mistletoe Cottage is Grade II-listed, has five bedrooms, four reception rooms, a large garden and a swimming pool. Sounds big enough to host the perfect Christmas party, doesn’t it?

Reindeer
This property is on the doorstep of National Trust-owned Petworth Park, famous for its deer park. Ok, so they’re not reindeer, but surely the reindeer’s native British cousins are almost just as good. The house itself sits in beautiful downland, and has eight bedrooms, annexes, a swimming pool, an orchard and a pond.

Now, I’m not the most green-fingered person around, but for some reason I’ve always liked the idea of having a rose garden. There’s one in Greenwich park and it’s so pretty and smells amazing in spring, and whenever I’m there it always makes me think it would be nice to have my own.

Here are some of my favourites properties with rose gardens on the market at the moment.

Wimbledon – £1,890,000
It’s got size (six bedrooms) and location (between Wimbledon and Putney) going for it, but for me it’s the treasure of a garden that propels this property to the top of the list. It’s got a formal rose garden, yes, but it’s also got fruit bushes and a pond.

This is like a little bit of countryside right on the doorstep of the city – and that’s something that money usually can’t buy. But in this case, it’s yours for under £2 million.

Maida Vale – £675,000
Okay, so this North London property doesn’t actually have its own rose garden, but if you’re looking for a flat and you like the idea of having some pretty greenery nearby then Morhead Mansions might be the home for you.

It overlooks the rose gardens of Paddington Recreation Ground so you get the garden without the effort – perfect! And you get yourself three bedrooms and a huge living space too.

Blackheath – £2,650,000
This Edwardian house not only sits on the edge of the Heath  but it also comes with half an acre of its own too. As well as the formal rose garden, the landscaped garden includes a terrace and large lawned areas.

The house has six bedrooms, two bathrooms and still has lots of original features, so it’s just as nice on the inside too.

I feel like having a bit of fun, so here’s a post about the three little pigs. Perhaps if they were modern (and able to talk to estate agents) they’d be buying one of these houses. They all look a bit too sturdy for some big bad wolf to come and huff, puff and blow them down, but you get the idea…

The house made of straw – Oprington £5,250,000
No, not an actual straw house – that would be silly. But a thatched roof is a pretty good alternative, don’t you think?

This five-bedroom property was built in the 1920s and reconstructed in 2007. It comes with an acre of land, a swimming pool, a cinema room and a gym.

The house made of wood – Kingston £6,500,000
Instead of being made entirely of wood, this property in Kingston has stunning exposed timber beams, which is just as good in my opinion.

It’s Grade II-listed, has eight bedrooms, lots of land, and even a wine cellar. Sounds like the perfect property – if you’ve got £6.5 million to spare.

The house made of stone – Croydon £2,395,000
Yes, I know that most houses are made of stone these days (we took notice of the fate of the three little pigs, clearly), but this property has really stunning exposed brickwork.

And I’m betting when the pig in the story built his house he didn’t think to put an indoor swimming pool and leisure complex in it either. This house has both of these (and a games room and bar overlooking the pool too).

It’s Monday morning, which means one thing – it’s time for our weekly blog round-up. Here’s what’s been happening on some of our favourite property blogs.

It’s murder most horrid over at Brickwork, who are delving into the history of 46 Lower Belgrave Street, where the nanny of Lord Lucan’s children came to an untimely end in one of the country’s most notorious unsolved murders.

They’re also taking a look at a Twickenham house with a double whammy of history – the former home of both Victorian Poet Laureate Lord Tennyson and the Who guitarist Pete Townshend.

And flying the flag for celebrity property porn on the other side of the Atlantic, as always, is the Real Estalker. This week they’re disputing rumours that Tom Cruise has shelled out $18,000,000 for a new home in San Francisco.

Over at Winging It, Mike has found a Wreck of the Week that promises a good return for someone not afraid of hard work.

The Rat and Mouse have found an interesting survey. According to ISPreview.co.uk, 75 per cent of 721 respondents wouldn’t buy a house, no matter how perfect in every other aspect, if it couldn’t achieve 1Mbps in broadband speed.

And finally, 4Homes are asking which crafts should be included in the next series of Kirsty’s Homemade Home (which will be on our screens some time in 2010), giving viewers the chance to shape the series.

Happy reading!

We’re winding up the working week with another wishlist of spectacular properties…

1. Landmark London mansion block

2. Designed by an award-winning architect

3. Comes with its very own lake

4. Converted warehouse with Thames views

5. Barn Conversion

6. Seth Stein redesign

7. Converted school

8. Elizabeth I is rumoured to have stayed here

9. Grade II listed former college

10. Victorian rectory

This weekend, I went to a leaving party for some friends on the other side of town. I was shocked when I realised that most of the street was there too – my friends knew all of their neighbours.

I don’t know any of my neighbours. Not one. There’s an old guy I say hello to in the morning when I go to post a letter or catch a train, but that’s it.

It was nice meeting all of these people, from different walks of life, who initially have nothing in common other than the street they live on.

It’s a strange way to strike up a friendship but there’s a lot to be said for a community. A place where you know your home is being looked out for whilst you’re on holiday, or if something bad happens, people will rally around.

Do solid communities have lower crime rates? I’m not sure, but I do think Neighbourhood Watch must make a difference – as a deterrent if nothing else.

And there’s something about knowing your neighbours, and saying hello to people on your way home from work, that makes the area feel like home, and that’s important.

Of course, neighbourly relations can be tricky – just check out our Love thy neighbour post. Until you’re firm friends, everything is uncertain friendliness and your lives only need cross if it suits you.

This means that while a cup of tea and some cake is one thing, when you decide you want to put a huge cherry tree in your garden and your neighbour doesn’t like it, you might find that your friendship becomes very sour very quickly.

Remember, massive garden plans can be stopped by angry neighbours – it’s always worth having a chat with them first. You don’t want to be halfway through building a summer house before your neighbour complains that you’ll be blocking all of their sun. And they do have a right to object if you’re trying to turn your house into Kew Gardens.

And make sure you don’t fib – tell them the extent of your plans. If something is going to disrupt their lives for three weeks, don’t insist things will be back to normal after the weekend. That will just cause bad feeling.

There’s a lot to be said for keeping your neighbours onside. Little things can often get blown out of all proportion into full scale rows in the street. No one wants that.

And if, like me, you don’t know your neighbours? Well, it’s not the end of the world and we can’t get on with everyone, but I’m beginning to think that just maybe it would brighten my day if I started saying hello to the people on my street.

Do you get on with your neighbours? Tell us in the comments box below!

Last weekend I found myself strolling through London’s Docklands, past Regent’s Canal and through the wharfs down to the Thames. It’s not only the stunning views that strike me about the river, but the peace and quiet – the feeling that you’re miles away from the centre of town, when really you’re only a few minutes away.

Here’s my pick of the properties by the Thames.

Lower Mall – £5,750,000
If you’re looking for somewhere homely, this eight-bedroom house might be perfect.

It’s a stunning design and it was once a vicarage and registry office – there’s something romantic about that, don’t you think?

It’s got a library and a self-contained flat too.

You might not be right on the water, but there are still river views from most of the rooms.

Butlers Wharf – £3,500,000
Just one building east of Tower Bridge, this four-bed four-bath apartment enjoys views up and down the river and across the City.

Not only does it have the Tower of London on its doorstep, it sprawls over 3,800 sq ft, has two designated parking spaces and a 24-hour porter.

The huge reception room has access to a terrace from either end – all the better to enjoy those views.

Chelsea Harbour – £2,850,000
Chelsea Harbour for less than three million? That’s something you don’t see very often. I’d pay good money for that iconic London skyline outside my window.

You get five floors, five bedrooms, 24-hour security and a property in one of the best areas of town.

It’s got four (yes, four) terraces and a private garden too.