Ha ! had to laugh Mamie ! We live in France, and before that in Spain ....had new build in Spain, so no problem ! When we started looking here we found dishes still in the sink, clothes over the back of a chair in the bathroom ..beds not made, sous sol like a tip ......not very clean ,large pot of stew cooking in the downstairs store room on a gas ring ! BUT the people were lovely ...and that was the house we bought ,,since we were going to rip it apart anyway nothing mattered except the large garden and all the space ! When we sold that one, it was to an unexpected viewer turning up when I was hanging out the washig ,,the agent with them said he had tried to phone before hand (didn't phone us, so don't know who was expecting him !) and it sold the same day ...we went into town to sign the initial Compromis at 19,30 that evening !
Having moved about 10 times in the UK ,,,always tidied up like mad ....6 year old's toys put away ,,she wasn't happy with evening viewings as she couldn't play with her toys or go to bed (not that she ever wanted to go to bed anyway !) but sold my last house in the UK in half a day ..in fact, as soon as the agents board went up ,,,someone was driving past who said he and his wife loved my house and always wished they lived there whenever they drove past !
Take a look at some of the French property websites and you will have a laugh at how the houses are sometimes 'presented' !