If you don’t tidy up, you could mess up your chances of sealing a deal

And not surprisingly, the research from the Move With Us network has shown that 22 per cent of potential home owners say that a messy or cluttered property is a real turn off when they are searching for their next home.

Director Robin King said: “It’s interesting to see that home owners are failing to carry out the most simple of tasks to help sell their home such as making sure it’s clean and tidy ahead of viewings.

“Any professional estate agent will do their utmost to help sell a property but their efforts will be immediately undone if the moment a potential buyer walks through the door, they see a property that’s a mess.

“Purchasing a property is one of the biggest transactions of someone’s life and potential buyers will want to think that the property has been looked after by its current owners.

“Sellers should work in partnership with their estate agent, and take action to ensure their property is attractive to potential buyers.

“With almost a quarter of potential home owners being put off by untidy property, a little elbow grease could mean the difference between selling a property or not.”