Local estate agent

Look around online a bit: http://www.firstpropertycroatia.com and http://www.croator.com both have some decent listings for initial browsing, but there are too many sites to list. a search for Croatian Real Estate will bring up loads of sites; if you have any idea which part of the country you're most interested in, you can add +Istria or +Dalmatia or +Zagreb, etc. to your initial search. All of these sites have ways to contact agents on the ground via email or a contact form. 

In terms of good value, I would avoid anything that seems to be UK-based "holiday homes" or "villas". I've seen a few of these developments and in my opinion they tend to be overpriced for lesser quality.  Weigh your options on going slightly "off the beaten track" and consider your requirements in terms of creature comforts. The Urban/Country/Seaside decision will come out of that.

Thanks a lot! Really appreciate it.