How much is my house worth? Valuing a home in Ireland

Nobody can tell you exactly what your home is worth until someone pays for it. What you can do is work out a sensible range from real sales, then test it with the people who sell homes every week. This guide shows you how, and when it is worth paying for a formal valuation.

Start with the Property Price Register

The Property Price Register is a free public list of every home sold in Ireland since 2010. It shows the address, the date and the price paid. It is run by the PSRA (the Property Services Regulatory Authority). Search it at propertypriceregister.ie.

Search your own road, estate or townland, and the roads around it, for sales in the last twelve months. Older sales tell you less, because prices have moved. Write down each sale, then look up the old listing online to see the size, the number of bedrooms and the condition.

Three things to know when you read the register:

• New builds are listed without VAT. A new house listed at €350,000 was really sold for €397,250, because VAT at 13.5% is added on top.
• A sale can take weeks to appear after it closes, so the newest sales may be missing.
• The register does not show the size, the condition or the BER, so two homes with the same price can be very different.

Compare like with like

A home is worth what a buyer pays for a home like it. So compare yours with sales that match on the things that matter most.

Work out the price per square metre for each sale, then multiply by your own floor area. That gives you a starting range. Adjust it up or down for condition and the BER.

The wider market, for context

The CSO publishes a monthly price index. In the twelve months to June 2026 the median price in Ireland was €396,000, up 5.6% on the year. The highest median was Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown at €682,334. The lowest was Longford at €198,000. See the counties page for the medians by county where they are entered.

These are context, not a forecast. A national average says little about one house on one road. Use them to check that your range is in the right territory, not to set the price.

Ask two or three agents to appraise it

An estate agent is a person licensed to sell homes. Every agent must hold a PSRA licence; check it on the PSRA register. Most agents give a free appraisal before you decide whether to sell. An appraisal is the agent's opinion of the price the home may reach, based on what they have sold nearby.

Ask two or three agents, not one. Then compare what each one says with the register. An agent who names a price far above the others may be hoping to win the listing rather than telling you what buyers pay. Ask each agent to show you the sales they based the figure on.

Ask each agent these questions:

• Which homes like mine have you sold in the last year, and at what price?
• What asking price would you put on it, and why?
• What price do you expect it to reach?
• What would make it sell for more?

The guide on choosing an estate agent covers the fee, the letter of engagement and the marketing plan.

The asking price and the sale price are different

The asking price is the number in the advertisement. The sale price is what the buyer pays. In a busy market the sale price is often above the asking price. In a slow one it is often below. Ask the agent what the gap has been on recent sales in your area. Check it yourself on the register.

Setting the asking price a little below your target can bring more viewers and more than one bidder. Setting it well above can leave the home sitting for months. Buyers notice when a price drops.

When to pay a valuer

A valuer is a professional who gives a written, signed opinion of the value of a home. In Ireland a valuer needs a PSRA licence too; check the valuer page. A lender's valuation typically costs about €185. A fuller report for a court or Revenue costs more. Ask for a quote.

You need a paid valuation, rather than an agent's free appraisal, in these cases:

• Probate, when someone has died and the home must be valued at the date of death.
• A separation or divorce, where both sides need an independent figure.
• A sale to a family member, where Revenue and a lender need the market value.
• A buyer's lender, which always sends its own valuer.
• Buying out a partner, or a First Home Scheme equity share.

The guides on selling an inherited house and selling the family home after separation explain what each valuation is for.

Things that change the figure

Some things add value that is hard to see in a listing. A current BER of B3 or better lets a buyer apply for a green mortgage rate. Planning permission for an extension adds value even if you never built it. A new boiler, windows or roof is worth mentioning with the dates.

Some things take value away. Work done without planning permission, a right of way across the garden, a boundary that does not match the map, or pyrite or mica in the blocks all come out in the buyer's survey. It is better to know first. Your solicitor can check the title before you advertise.

What the price means for your money

Once you have a range, work out what each price leaves you with. On a €400,000 sale with a typical agent, a solicitor, the BER and a removals van, the costs come to about €10,775 before the mortgage is paid off. See the cost of selling guide for every line.

Where this leaves you

Put your estimated price into the cost of selling calculator to see what you walk away with at the top and the bottom of your range. The selling journey lists the next steps, and you can get quotes from agents and valuers in your county.