A good, clean house can sell

Estate agents rated cleaning a property as the top way of boosting its saleability, followed by tidying up any clutter, according to property group movewithus.

Other small steps people could take to make their home sell quicker include freshening up the paintwork and tidying up the garden.

Structural damage was seen as the most likely factor to devalue a home, followed by extreme mess and damp.

The 200 estate agents questioned also thought poor or personalised decor, strong and unpleasant smells and an overgrown garden would lead to a home sitting on the market for a long time.

The survey found that people who hope to add value to their property through more substantial improvements should consider adding an extra bedroom, as this was seen to boost a home's price by an average of 8.8 per cent.

A property's value was also expected to rise by around 7.1 per cent following a loft conversion, while adding an extra bathroom boosted it by 6.1 per cent and installing a new kitchen added around 5.8 per cent.