How long does it take to buy a house in Ireland?

Buying a home in Ireland takes months, not weeks. The whole thing, from first saving to the keys, often runs for a year or more. The part most people ask about is the stretch from sale agreed to closing. For a second-hand home with a mortgage, that is usually ten to sixteen weeks. This guide lays out each stage, what it typically takes, and what makes it longer.

The whole journey at a glance

The buying timeline tool takes your sale agreed date and shows the typical window for each later step.

Before you bid

The time before you bid is the part you control. Three things need to be ready.

Approval in principle (AIP) is a letter from a lender saying how much it may lend you. It is not a promise. It usually takes a few days to two weeks once the lender has your payslips, bank statements and proof of your deposit. Most agents (an agent needs a PSRA licence; see the estate agent page) ask to see it before they take a bid seriously. The approval in principle guide explains it.

A solicitor (check the Law Society's register; see the conveyancing solicitor page) handles the legal side of buying. This is called conveyancing. Pick one before you bid, so the agent can name them the moment you go sale agreed.

A surveyor or engineer (Engineers Ireland or the SCSI; see the house survey page) checks the home for faults. Have a name ready so the survey can happen in the first two weeks.

From sale agreed to contracts: 4 to 8 weeks

Sale agreed means the seller has accepted your offer and you have paid a booking deposit. Nothing is legally binding yet. Either side can still walk away. The sale agreed guide explains what that means for you.

Here is what happens in these weeks, roughly in order:

1. Days 0 to 3: the agent writes to both solicitors with the price and the names.
2. Days 7 to 21: your surveyor inspects the home and sends you a report.
3. Days 14 to 28: the seller's solicitor sends the contracts and the title documents to your solicitor.
4. Days 14 to 35: the lender's valuer visits the home, and the lender issues the full loan offer.
5. Days 28 to 56: your solicitor raises questions on the title, gets answers, and you sign.

The slowest step is usually the title. The seller's solicitor has to gather the deeds, planning documents, the BER and proof that the Local Property Tax is paid. If something is missing, such as a certificate for an extension, it has to be found or fixed first.

Contracts to closing: 2 to 8 weeks

When you sign contracts you pay 10% of the price, less the booking deposit. The contract names a closing date. From then on both sides are bound. The signing contracts guide covers what you are agreeing to.

Between signing and closing, your solicitor does the last checks and asks the lender to send the money. The lender needs proof of mortgage protection and home insurance first. On the closing day the money moves, the seller's solicitor hands over the keys, and the home is yours. The closing day guide walks through it.

What makes it longer

Some delays are on the seller's side, some on yours, and some belong to nobody.

• Probate. If the seller has died and the home is being sold by the family, a court grant of probate is needed first. That alone can take months.
• A chain. If the seller needs to buy another home before moving, your closing waits for theirs.
• Title gaps. A missing planning certificate, an unregistered right of way, or a boundary that does not match the map.
• A low valuation. If the lender's valuer says the home is worth less than you offered, the lender lends less and you have to find the gap or renegotiate.
• The loan offer. A change in your job, a new loan or a missed payment can slow the lender down.
• A new build. A new home closes when the builder finishes it, which can be months after you sign.
• Holidays. Solicitors' offices and lenders slow down in August and over Christmas.

What makes it shorter

A cash buyer with no survey can close in a few weeks. For everyone else, these help:

• Have approval in principle before you bid, and keep it current.
• Give your lender every document the day it asks.
• Book the survey in the first week after sale agreed.
• Arrange mortgage protection and home insurance as soon as the loan offer arrives, not the week before closing.
• Answer your solicitor's emails the same day.
• Do not change job, take on new debt or move money around during the process without telling the lender.

A worked example

Anna goes sale agreed on a second-hand house on Monday 2 March. She has approval in principle and a solicitor already. Her surveyor visits on 12 March. The seller's solicitor sends the contracts on 24 March. The valuer visits on 20 March and the loan offer arrives on 3 April. Her solicitor raises questions on the title and gets answers by 21 April. She signs contracts and pays the 10% on 24 April, with a closing date of 22 May. She closes on 22 May, eleven weeks and four days after sale agreed.

If the seller's solicitor had taken six weeks over the contracts instead of three, and a planning certificate had been missing, Anna would have closed in July instead. That is the normal range.

Where this leaves you

Put your own sale agreed date into the buying timeline tool to see the typical window for each step, and follow the first-time buyer journey to line up the professionals before you bid. A solicitor and a surveyor booked early are the two things that most shorten the wait; get quotes now so they are ready when you need them.