So you want to sell your house for the big bucks? This is the smell you should spritz.

Air freshener, coffee, baked goods or smelly socks … when selling your home which smell results in the highest price?Real estate agents have been bantering about it for years, if not decades, and the jury has always been out.

Until now.

Realestate.com.au teamed up with chef Gary Mehigan and aroma specialist Dr. Megan Thornton to find out once and for all which smell makes more money for home sellers. The commissioned research inspired by scientific research involved 44 people inspecting a property in “scent groups”.

Twenty-somethings on buying property. Article continue after this video.

The results are surprising, and delicious.

1. Citrus scent $850,250

2. Gary’s brownies $821,250

3. Gary’s bread $808,750

4. Coffee $785,000

5. Gary’s roast chicken $749,500

6. Smelly socks $745,750

Most Australians previously believed baked bread or freshly brewed coffee would do the trick but the humble citrus trumps all, including brownies, bread, coffee, roast chicken and shockingly, smelly socks, which might only appeal to those who prefer a “lived in” smell.

Mehigan said any citrus will do. “So while I reckon my brownies and bread pass the taste test, it’s lemons, limes and oranges that will make noses sing.”

Dr. Thornton says the results back up the science that originally inspired the research, with citrus being identified as the most moneyed-up-scent for potential homebuyers. “I was pleased to see science coming out on top in the experiment, with citrus ultimately being the best scent to engage home hunters.”

Previous research has shown it is the simplicity of the smell of citrus that makes it the perfect choice. Vanilla was found to be too relaxing and complex smells like chicken had the potential to “cause the human brain to be too critical”.

The ideal way to achieve the citrus smell is to use “an ambient citrus blend candle” rather than citrus-smelling cleaning products, according to Dr. Thornton.