Guides for house buyers in Ireland
Plain answers to what buyers ask most, from making a bid to getting the keys.
- How bidding on a house works in Ireland
Bids, proof of funds, booking deposits and when a sale is actually binding: how buying a house by private treaty works in Ireland, step by step.
- How to get an estate agent to reply
Why estate agents don't answer enquiries, and what actually gets a reply about a viewing or a bid in Ireland.
- Questions to ask at a house viewing in Ireland
What to ask the estate agent at a viewing, and what to check yourself, before you bid on a house in Ireland.
- Sale agreed: what happens next
Booking deposit, solicitor, survey, loan offer, contracts and closing: the steps after sale agreed in Ireland, and how long they take.
- Mortgage approval in principle and proof of funds
What approval in principle (AIP) is, how much you can borrow under the Central Bank rules, and what agents mean by proof of funds.
- First-time buyer schemes in Ireland: Help to Buy, First Home and the Local Authority Home Loan
What Help to Buy, the First Home shared equity scheme and the Local Authority Home Loan are, who they're for, and how they fit with bidding.
- Stamp duty on a house in Ireland
How much stamp duty you pay on a home in Ireland, with worked examples, and when it's paid.
- How to win a bidding war on a house in Ireland
Practical ways to stay in a bidding war without overpaying: your limit, your position, speed and keeping it in writing.
- Gazumping in Ireland: what it is and how to protect yourself
Why a seller can accept a higher bid after sale agreed in Ireland, and what buyers can do to lower the risk.
- Sale agreed fell through: what now?
Why house sales fall through in Ireland after sale agreed, what you get back, and how to get back into the market quickly.
- How much over asking should I bid on a house in Ireland?
How to work out a bid from what the homes around a house actually sold for against their asking price, and when to stop.
- The costs of buying a house in Ireland, on top of the price
Deposit, stamp duty, solicitor, survey, valuation and insurance: what buying a home in Ireland costs beyond the price, and when each is paid.
- How long does it take to buy a house in Ireland?
From mortgage approval in principle to getting the keys: how long each step of buying a home in Ireland usually takes, and what slows it down.
- House prices by area: asking vs sold
How far over asking homes are selling, area by area, updated daily.
Buying a house?
Your personal agent for buying a home: it emails estate agents for you, chases their replies, books viewings and tracks your bids.
- Email the agents about the houses you like, and chase them until they reply
Free while it’s in beta. We’ll email you when your spot opens. Nothing goes to an agent without your OK. Privacy
- ✓ A map of every sale and listing around it
- ✓ The comparable sales behind the figure, against their asking prices
- ✓ Price history and how the area is moving