Almost 70% of homebuyers find buying a property very or extremely stressful, with over 36% placing the fear of the chain falling through as their biggest concern, according to research by the homebuyer show.

Chain-breaking was closely followed by finding the right property (17%) which can be a very time consuming process.  Spiralling costs are also a cause for concern (13.04%), including stamp duty and mortgage fees.

At the other end of the scale, just 4% viewed redecorating as a stressful part of moving house with viewings and surveys a stress for just over 1% of homebuyers.

Nick Clark, managing director of The Homebuyer Show, comments on how to minimize the potential problems associated with chains: “It can be very frustrating when chains break and potential buyers lose their dream home.  The house buying process is already stressful enough without buyers having to worry about what is going on at either end of the chain.”