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

Selling a home in Ireland is three waits in a row: getting ready, finding a buyer, and closing the sale. Each one has a typical length, and each one has a few things that stretch it. This guide gives the typical times, what slows a sale, and what you can do before you advertise to shorten the whole thing.

The typical timeline

Add them up and three to six months from decision to closing is typical. No official body publishes a national average time on the market, so the first two stages depend on your area, your price and the season.

Stage one: getting ready

Nothing can be advertised until you have a BER. A BER (Building Energy Rating) is the energy certificate for a home, from A1 to G. Only a BER assessor on SEAI's register can issue one (see BER assessor). It costs €225 to €400 and takes a week or two to arrange. If you have one from the last ten years, you can reuse it. The guide on the BER when selling has the detail.

In the same weeks, choose an agent with a PSRA licence (see estate agent) and instruct a solicitor on the Law Society's register (see conveyancing solicitor). Ask the solicitor to request your title deeds from the lender straight away. Deeds can take weeks to arrive, and the contract cannot be drafted without them.

Stage two: on the market

How long a home takes to go sale agreed depends on the price, the area and the season. Spring and autumn are busier than the weeks around Christmas. A home priced at what similar homes sold for tends to go sale agreed sooner than one priced above the market. The guide on how much your house is worth shows how to set the range.

Sale agreed means you have accepted an offer and the buyer has paid a booking deposit, typically €5,000 to €10,000, to the agent. It is not binding. Either side can walk away until contracts are signed. Before you accept, ask for proof that the buyer can pay: an approval in principle from a lender, or a bank statement for a cash buyer.

Stage three: sale agreed to closing

This is the part people underestimate. For a second-hand home with a mortgage buyer, 8 to 16 weeks is typical. Here is what fills the time.

1. Your solicitor sends the contract to the buyer's solicitor, usually within two to four weeks of sale agreed, once the deeds are in.
2. The buyer gets a survey and the lender's valuation, and applies for the full loan offer.
3. The buyer's solicitor raises questions on the title and the planning. Your solicitor answers them.
4. The buyer signs the contract and pays the 10% deposit. You sign. The sale is now binding on both sides.
5. A closing date is set. Your solicitor gets a redemption figure from your lender, which is the exact amount to clear the mortgage on that day.
6. On closing day the buyer's money arrives, the mortgage is paid off, and the keys are handed over.

A cash buyer with no chain can close in four to six weeks. A buyer in a chain closes when their own sale closes.

What slows a sale

The same few things cause most of the delays.

• Probate. If the owner has died, the home cannot close until the grant of probate issues. That takes months. The guide on selling an inherited house explains it.
• Title problems. A boundary that does not match the map, a right of way, an old mortgage never cleared off the title, or a home that was never registered with Tailte Éireann. Each one can take weeks to fix.
• Planning. An extension or a converted attic without planning permission, or without a certificate that it was exempt. The buyer's solicitor will ask for the paperwork.
• The buyer's mortgage. A loan offer can take weeks, and a lender can ask for more documents or a second valuation.
• The survey. If the survey finds a problem, the buyer may want a lower price or the work done first.
• A chain. Where the buyer must sell their own home first, your sale waits for theirs.
• A separation or a dispute between owners. Every owner must sign, and a spouse's consent is needed on a family home. The guide on selling the family home after separation covers it.
• Tenants. A tenant in place changes what a buyer and a lender need. The guide on selling a house with tenants explains the rules.

How to shorten it

Most delays are paperwork that could have been found earlier. Before you advertise:

• Get the BER done, or find the one you have.
• Instruct your solicitor and have the deeds requested from the lender.
• Ask your solicitor to read the title now and fix anything odd before a buyer finds it.
• Gather the planning permission and the certificates for any extension or works.
• Find the certificates for the boiler, the wiring and the septic tank, if there is one.
• For an apartment, get the management company's details and the service charge statement.
• Ask your lender for a redemption figure and, if you are on a fixed rate, the breakage fee.

Then, when offers come, ask for proof of funds and the buyer's position before you go sale agreed. A buyer with a loan offer already in hand and no home to sell closes faster than a higher bidder who has neither.

If you are buying as well

Selling and buying at the same time adds a second timeline. Most people try to close both on the same day, or sell first and rent for a short while. Your solicitor can line up the two closings. Tell your agent and your solicitor early that both are happening.

Where this leaves you

Book the BER, instruct a solicitor and request the deeds this week, and the rest follows faster. The cost of selling calculator shows what you walk away with when the sale closes. The selling journey lists every step, and you can get quotes from an agent, a solicitor and a BER assessor in your county.