Nigel Maclean has spent the past 35 years telling homeowners to ditch the clutter, scrub their floors and hide the dogs. Now this seasoned estate agent is putting his own advice into practice as he tries to find a buyer for his family home. But after almost 20 years at Wingmore Grove Farm, near Canterbury, Kent, getting his house in order is much tougher work than he ever imagined.

“I have thrown out three skips worth of junk, given eight bags of clothes to charity and made an enormous bonfire with two old kitchen units and some bunk beds in preparation for a sale,” he says. “My friends who knew the house before can’t believe the transformation. They’ve seen the kitchen worktops for the first time.”

Maclean admits that he had to take a week off work in the offices of Calcutt Maclean Wood, in Ashford, and to dedicate two whole weekends just to clear the clutter. “It’s a huge amount of work. We had ornaments in places because we had become used to them, not because they served a purpose. They had to go. But the most difficult thing about it all was keeping the place pristine the entire time. It is something my clients always complain about and I never really appreciated how difficult it is to do, until now,” Maclean says.

On my visit, the 17th-century family house was dressed for the occasion. Clean and well-pressed linen covered the beds in all five bedrooms. Surplus toiletries were hidden from sight in the three bathrooms. Fresh flowers adorned the dining table, the two black labradors, Wasp and Taz, had been taken for a walk, and there was not a speck of dirt on the carpet.

Maclean was in fine form in his role as homeowner-cum-estate agent. Standing back, offering useful and factual information about the property but adding personal anecdotes only when questioned, it was obvious that Maclean had done this before. He told me about the land around the house; almost four acres. And listed the outbuildings — a two-bed cottage, four stables and an assortment of other sheds in which to deposit all the detritus that comes with country living.

But it is what he does not say that is most revealing. In common with many people who are trying to sell a large family country house, Maclean wants to downsize. It has been three years since his wife, Sarah, died, and their two boys, Angus, 32, and Bear, 28, have long left home.

Preparing to sell the house in which you have raised your children and spent a third of your adult life is not just a matter of tidying up but also an emotional wrench, even for an estate agent. You become an archaeologist in your own special dig, unearthing long-forgotten treasures. In Maclean’s case this meant rereading his sons’ school reports, finding the order of service for his parents’ wedding during the war and saving the old Dinky and Corgi toy cars for his one-year-old grandson, Charlie, to appreciate when he gets older.

Yet there is still much Maclean has failed to tackle. Estate agents say it is important that buyers can see themselves living in the house they are viewing. And for this to happen, the seller must be prepared to make the home less personal. David Rathbone, of Strutt & Parker in Guildford, Surrey, explains: “When all the surfaces are full of family pictures of everybody hugging everybody or you are surrounded by countless trinkets, it takes the eye away from the classic proportions of the house, the beautiful views out of the windows or original features such as a beautiful fireplace. Buyers just become distracted.”

Clearly, then, the Maclean family is keen on riding, rugby and collectables. Every tiny porcelain bird, bell and figurine has been dusted to such shining glory that it is these objects you admire rather than the original oak beams that span the central hall.

Most sellers regard decluttering as something they do for the buyer’s benefit when really they should be doing it for themselves. Clearing up and putting away non-essential personal items is the first step to moving out and moving on. There is the small matter of a sale in between, but do not be distracted. Sellers who start packing up early may find that removal day comes sooner than expected.

The house is for sale for £1.1 million: Calcutt Maclean Wood 01233 812060, www.cmwea.co.uk

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