Selling a house privately in Ireland, without an agent

You can sell your own home in Ireland without an estate agent. It is lawful, and it saves the agent's fee. It also means doing the agent's job yourself: pricing, advertising, viewings and bidding. This guide covers what you still need, what you do yourself, and how to stay safe.

What you save, and what you still pay

An estate agent typically charges 1% to 2.5% of the price plus VAT at 23%. On a €400,000 sale at 1.5% that is €7,380. Selling privately saves that fee. The estate agent fees calculator shows the figure on your own price.

You still pay for these:

The guide on the cost of selling lists every cost with an example.

Is it legal?

Yes. The law that licenses estate agents, the Property Services (Regulation) Act 2011, applies to people who sell property for a fee. An owner selling their own home does not need a PSRA (Property Services Regulatory Authority) licence. If a friend or relative sells it for you for payment, they do.

The two things you cannot skip

A BER before you advertise

A BER (Building Energy Rating) is a certificate that grades a home's energy use from A1 to G. By law you must have one before the home is advertised for sale, and the rating must appear in the advertisement. Only a BER assessor on SEAI's register can issue one (see BER assessor). It costs €225 to €400 and lasts ten years. The guide on the BER when selling explains the exemptions.

A solicitor for the legal work

A solicitor does the legal side of the sale, called conveyancing. Choose one on the Law Society's register (see conveyancing solicitor). A seller's solicitor typically charges €1,200 to €2,500 plus VAT. Ask for a written quote.

The solicitor gets your title deeds from your lender, prepares the contract for sale, answers the buyer's solicitor's questions, confirms your Local Property Tax is paid, and pays off your mortgage on closing day. The buyer's solicitor deals only with your solicitor. Instruct yours before you advertise, so the contract is ready when you find a buyer.

Set the price

Use the Property Price Register, a free public list of every home sold in Ireland, to find sales like yours in the last year. Compare on type, size, condition and BER. Ask two or three agents for a free appraisal anyway. They often give one in the hope of winning the listing, and their view of the local market is useful. The guide on how much your house is worth shows how to build a range.

Decide the asking price and the lowest price you would accept. Write both down before the first viewing.

Prepare the home

Buyers decide a lot in the first minute. Before photos and viewings:

• Clear the clutter and clean every room.
• Fix the small things: a dripping tap, a broken handle, a stained ceiling.
• Tidy the front: the first photo is usually the outside.
• Gather the paperwork: the BER, planning permission for any extension, certificates for the boiler and the wiring, management company details for an apartment.

Advertise it

Most buyers search the main property websites. Each has a route for private sellers, usually for a fixed fee. Check their current terms. A listing needs:

• Good photos in daylight, with the rooms tidy.
• A floor plan with the floor area in square metres.
• The BER rating, which the law requires in every advertisement.
• A plain description: the type, bedrooms, bathrooms, heating, the year built, the garden, parking and the area.
• Your phone number or email for viewings.

A sign outside brings in people who already know the area. Social media and local groups work for some homes.

Run the viewings

Set viewing times rather than taking people at any hour. Let someone know when a stranger is coming, and keep valuables out of sight. Ask for a name and a phone number before the viewing, and call the number back. Walk the buyer through the rooms, answer questions honestly, and let them look on their own for a while.

Have a one-page sheet ready: the floor area, the BER, the heating, the year built, the yearly costs, what stays and what goes. Keep a list of everyone who viewed, with their contact details.

Handle the offers

This is where an agent earns the fee, so take it slowly.

1. Ask for every offer in writing, by email. A verbal offer is easy to misremember.
2. Ask each bidder for proof they can pay: an approval in principle letter from a lender, or a bank statement for a cash buyer. Do not go sale agreed without it.
3. Tell every bidder when a higher offer comes in, and give them a chance to bid again. Treat everyone the same way.
4. Ask about the buyer's position: are they in a chain, do they have a home to sell, and when can they close?
5. When you accept an offer, confirm it by email with the price, the buyer's solicitor's details and the expected closing date.

Sale agreed is not binding on either side. The buyer can walk away, and so can you, until both sides have signed contracts. That is normal and the same with an agent.

The booking deposit

With an agent, the buyer pays a booking deposit of €5,000 to €10,000 to the agent to hold. Without one, the deposit is paid to your solicitor, who holds it. Do not take a deposit into your own account. The deposit is refundable until contracts are signed.

From sale agreed to closing

Once sale agreed, your solicitor sends the contract to the buyer's solicitor. The buyer gets a survey and a loan offer. Contracts are signed, with a 10% deposit from the buyer, and the sale is binding from then. On closing day the buyer's money arrives, your solicitor pays off your mortgage, and the keys are handed over. For a second-hand home, sale agreed to closing is typically 8 to 16 weeks. The guide on how long it takes to sell covers what slows it down.

When an agent is worth the fee

A private sale suits a home in a busy area where buyers find you, and a seller with time for viewings. An agent earns the fee where the home is unusual, where the market is slow, where you live far away, or where you are not comfortable running the bidding. You can also start privately and switch to an agent later. Check any agent on the PSRA register and read the guide on choosing an estate agent.

Where this leaves you

Run your price through the estate agent fees calculator to see what you are saving, and instruct a solicitor before you advertise. The selling journey lists every step. You can get quotes from a solicitor and a BER assessor in your county.