When it comes to making a good first impression on prospective buyers, all too often we tend to focus on the physical appearance of our property. However, we don't always think about the things that can't be seen.

When buying a house, which smell is most likely to appeal to you when viewing the property for the first time? Aroma % of respondents Fresh Flowers 31 Fresh baked bread 17 Coffee 17 Traditional Sunday Roast 8 Air freshener/popourri 7 Cleaning products 6

Now though, new research reveals both the best and the worst aromas to fill your home with when prospective buyers drop by.

The NOP research, conducted on behalf of Halifax Estate Agents, shows that the smell most likely to appeal to prospective buyers viewing a property for the first time is fresh flowers, with almost one in three (31%) choosing it as their preferred aroma.

Second on the list was the smell of freshly baked bread (17%). Fresh coffee also proved popular with respondents, securing a further (17%) of the vote.

Other traditional favourites scored less favourably, with a Sunday roast listed as the favourite for less than one in ten (8%) of those surveyed. Air fresheners also made it on to the favourite smells list, with 7% of respondents listing them as their favoured aroma.

Dislikes

The smell most likely to cause a bit of a stink amongst prospective purchasers is smoke or tobacco, nearly a third (32%) said they would turn their nose up at a property with this aroma.

Damp came a close second on the property pong list, gaining 30% of the vote.

The smell of animals completed the list of top three dislikes, with almost one in five listing this as the most off-putting smell.

Colin Kemp, managing director of Halifax Estate Agents, commented: "You could say the results of the survey are nothing to sniff at. You only get one chance to make a first impression. The aroma of your home adds to the overall opinion buyers form of the property."

"Additions such as flowers are relatively inexpensive and can make a real difference. It's important not to overpower prospective purchasers, too much of a nice smell can also be a bad thing."