A Yes vote could see a sharp fall in the average house price in Scotland in the short-term, property pricing website Zoopla has suggested.

The impact of a vote for independence could see the average property sell for £31,000 less than current prices, it said.

According to Zoopla, if large employers chose to relocate south of the border the increase in the number of available properties would equate to a drop in price comparable with the market shock of the financial crisis.

Over the last two years, house prices in Scotland have increased by 8.3% (£13,728), with the average home value now standing at £177,599.

Zoopla said uncertainties over tax, currency and interest rates following a Yes vote are also likely to impact negatively on prices and mortgages could potentially be harder to obtain.

A No vote would remove uncertainty from the market and allow the current recovery to continue, it suggests.

Zoopla said: "If the economic impact on Scotland is as severe as some recent market commentary has suggested, a Yes vote could potentially create a market shock on a par with the recent financial crisis when house prices in Scotland fell by 17.5%, which would wipe over £31,000 off the value of the average Scottish home and £85 billion off the value of the total housing stock in Scotland."

Spokesman Lawrence Hall said: "While the impact of the referendum on the Scottish and wider UK economy long-term is hard to predict and there are opposing views, a Yes vote would almost certainly have a detrimental effect on Scottish house prices in the short to medium-term.

"The uncertainties on employment, tax, currency, EU membership and interest rates will all play their part and if big business does head south with a Yes vote, Scotland will lose a significant piece of their service economy with nothing to replace it, leading to a greater supply and reduced demand for housing, and a resultant drop in house prices."

Businessman Kenny Anderson said Scotland's healthy property market will continue after a Yes vote.

The managing director of Anderson Construction and Anderson Buchan Property, and former chairman of the Chartered Institute of Building in Scotland, said: "Zoopla is just looking for a headline as free advertising.

"I buy and sell property all the time, I haven't seen any slowdown in the market and I haven't heard of anyone worrying about independence.

"Far from being a problem, the Yes vote will open up opportunities in Scotland and a supportive government will help address some of the problems that developers and house buyers in Scotland are facing.

"Scotland's property market is healthy and moving along, recovering from blows caused by mismanagement of the economy by the previous and current UK Governments.

"People are trading in Scottish property and we're seeing increasing value as well as healthy interest in the market. That will continue after the Yes vote."