Just 13% believed it was a sellers' market.

However Rightmove said deeper analysis showed that both findings masked significant regional and local variations which provided further evidence of an acute north-south divide and a property market pock-marked with localised micro-markets.

Miles Shipside, director of Rightmove, said: "Our survey shows that sellers in the south should have more reason to be confident than those in the north, though even within regions there is evidence of variations in confidence in localised micro-markets.

"In these micro-markets, the combined impact of demographics, employment and mix of stock go a long way to determining the local market confidence and, in turn, market performance.