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The process of buying a home in Ireland can be lengthy and there are many costs involved, for example, mortgage costs, legal fees, registration of deeds and stamp duty. You should only consider buying a property in Ireland once you can afford it and if you plan on staying for a reasonable length of time. Otherwise it may not be a sound financial move and you could risk losing money.
- Decide How Much You Can Afford to Spend
- House Hunting
- Buying Your Home
- Finalising the Purchase of the Property
- Once the Sale Has Completed
Decide How Much You Can Afford to Spend
Make sure that you include not only the cost of the house, but also the other additional costs such as solicitor fees and stamp duty.
Meet with banks and mortgage brokers to get a mortgage approval in principal to help you establish how much you can afford to spend.
There are many different types of mortgages, so contact a number of different mortgage providers to find out who can offer you the best deal. Otherwise, consider using a mortgage broker.
House Hunting
- In Ireland, you need to do the bulk of the house hunting yourself. Real Estate Agents will show you properties that they have listed, but not what other agents have listed.
- Once you’ve decided on your ideal location, the best place to start searching is in local papers and online. Try property websites such as Daft.ie, Rent.ie, Property.ie, Myhome.ie, and Gumtree.ie. Create search alerts so that properties in your search criteria are emailed to you as soon as they are listed. You should also make contact with the local Real Estate Agents operating in your preferred areas and register with them. Hopefully they will contact you when they have something suitable for viewing, but you can’t rely on this, so continue your own search.
- When carrying out house viewings, have a property checklist with you to help guide you in your decision making process. In addition, look at the homes Building Energy Rating (BER). The BER will provide you information about how energy-efficient the home is. You can use this information to help you compare properties and provide you guidance on steps that can be taken to improve the energy efficiency of the property. Make sure that you consider these costs on your total budget if you decide to choose a home that needs improvements.
- You should also check whether the home is in a High Radon Area. You can do this on the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Radon Risk Map and also inquire as to whether the home has been tested for radon.
- If the home was bought since 1 January, 2010, the price that was paid for it will be published on the Property Services Regulatory Authority’s Residential Property Price Register. This may be of interest to you and is worth checking.
Buying Your Home
- Any offer that you make on the property should be contingent on a property survey. In Ireland, the seller is under no obligation to disclose defects in a property, so you should get a survey of the property to find out if there are any defects before finalising the purchase. The Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland (SCSI) is the professional body for chartered surveyors.
- Go back to your lender to obtain a formal mortgage approval before you sign a contract for sale. Otherwise if you can’t secure a mortgage for the property, you will lose your deposit and may face other penalties.
- The two most common methods to buy and sell properties in Ireland are by private treaty sales and public auctions.
Private Treaty Sale
You can contact the seller or the seller’s agent (usually an estate agent), to agree a purchase price. When there is an estate agent involved, you may be required to pay them a booking deposit once you have agreed to buy the property. Once you have paid the booking deposit, the legal process to buy the property may begin.
Obtain a formal mortgage approval from your mortgage provider. You will need to have mortgage protection insurance and home insurance. You can organise these with your mortgage provider but it is advisable to shop around.
Once your solicitor has checked the contract for sale, you will sign it and forward it to the sellers solicitors. At this point you have legally agreed to purchase the property. Once you have signed the contract you will need to pay a deposit (less any booking deposit), which is usually up to 10% of the purchase price. Be aware that the seller has only legally agreed to sell you their property once they have signed the contract.
- The booking deposit is refundable up to the signing of the contract for sale.
- Until the seller has signed the contract, they can still change their mind. This typically happens if they have been offered a higher price by another buyer.
Public Auction
A reserve figure is set for the property, usually by the seller or the auctioneer. The reserve figure is the value that the property must achieve. Anything below this and the property will be withdrawn from the market. But here’s the catch – at all times during the auction the vendor (seller) can still withdraw the property from the market, even if it achieves the designated reserve amount. The vendor also has the right to sell the property before the auction.
There will be a designated date and time for the auction to take place. If you plan to bid on the property, then prior to the auction your solicitor should check the contract for sale for the property (issued by the seller’s solicitor) and all title documents that are referred to in that contract. Once your solicitor has completed this, you can organise a survey of the property to ensure it is sound. You should also obtain a formal mortgage approval for the property.
If you are successful in bidding for the property, you will need to pay a deposit and sign the contract for sale. It is important to get home insurance as soon as possible.
Finalising the Purchase of the Property
To finalise the purchase of the property, you will need to sign the contract for sale. The contract for sale binds the parties to the completion of the sale. If you withdraw from the sale after this contract has been signed, you may lose your deposit.
- If you purchase your property at auction you must immediately sign the contract for sale.
- If you buy the property through private treaty your solicitor will check that the contract is in order before you sign it.
After signing the contract and before the completion date of the sale, your solicitor will carry out Requisitions on Title. This is where the solicitor raises general queries about the property with the seller’s solicitor, such as, whether fixtures and fittings are included in the sale. Once these are finalised, a Deed of Conveyance is drafted by your solicitor and approved by the seller’s solicitor.
Your solicitor will also carryout checks to ensure there are no judgements lying against the seller, e.g. bankruptcy and to ensure that there is nothing adverse attaching to the property, e.g. an outstanding mortgage.
Once the Deed of Conveyance is approved by the seller’s solicitor, your solicitor will contact your mortgage provider to request the Loan Cheque – the remaining balance of the purchase price. It is paid to the seller’s solicitor and all documentation, and keys to the premises are handed over to your solicitor.
Stamp Duty
You will be required to pay a stamp duty tax on your new home. This is 1% of the total value of your new home up until €1 million, and 2% on any value above €2 million. Your solicitor will request this from you before the closing of the sale. The stamp duty is paid to the Revenue Commissioners, who place a stamp on the deeds (which name the owner of the property). Without this payment, the deeds cannot be registered.
Once the Sale Has Completed
Once the sale of the home has been completed, your deeds, showing the new ownership details and mortgage details (if applicable), must be registered with The Property Registration Authority (PRA).
The final step is then moving in to your new home! Use this moving checklist to help you prepare for the move.
Keen to learn more about buying property in Ireland? Then try these resources:
- Buying a Property Ireland by Cathy Gerrard & Joseph McArdle
- Buying a Home in Ireland: A Step by Step Guide to Reduce Stress and Avoid a Costly House Purchase by Terry Gorry
- Irish Property Buyers’ Handbook, by Carol Tallon
- For Americans moving to Ireland, read this post about Buying a home in the USA compared to the UK and Ireland by Seattle realtor Conor MacEvilly who is originally from Cork and has also lived in London.
Peter Ruane
Hi Colleen. Hope you can help im coming from the other side ,i have a beautiful house beside the sea in the west of Ireland that i want to put up for sale, ide like to advertise it in the uk and further afield if i could, any advice on that, i dont want to use an Irish estate agent until i find a buyer as the cost is huge. Thank you Peter
Colleen
Sorry, I don’t work in real estate. Most of the mainstream property websites won’t let private sellers list properties. You could try paying to advertise it yourself in local and national papers, public notice boards, and via social media. It’s much more difficult of course to get exposure since most people search on the mainstream property websites these days.
dani blu
Hi
Is the price of the property that is advertised, the final price that you pay?
Some time ago, I saw a property advertised for €100,000, I contacted the estate agent and I even travelled all the way from UK to view the property. After viewing the property, I agreed to buy and the estate agent asked that I leave them a deposit, which I did. When I arrived back in UK, I received a call from the estate agent saying that there was another ‘interested party’ who also wanted to buy the property and had ‘bid’ an extra €10,000 and that if I wanted to continue the purchase, then I’d have to up my offer, which I did by another €10,000.
A day later, the estate agent came back to me again and stated that the other ‘interested party’ had increased their ‘offer’ by another €10,000, bringing the total of the property now to €130,000.
I asked the estate agent for the name and address of this other ‘interested party’, of which he declined to give me. I began to smell something very fishy and suspected that this estate agent had invented this phantom buyer in the hope to bump up the price. When I asked the estate agent about this, he stated it was ‘normal’ buying practice in Ireland. I demanded the return of my deposit which he quickly returned to me.
Is this common practice for estate agents to bump up the price of an advertised property using these shady methods?
Colleen
Unfortunately, this is legal in Ireland and is called gazumping. I suggest you spend some time Googling this to learn more about it. Previous countries I lived in this was illegal, so I found it shocking that this is allowed. In Ireland, an agreement to buy or sell a property is not legally binding until the contracts are written and exchanged. Until this exchange occurs, the 2 parties cannot be held to a previous verbal agreement. In addition to this Estate agents are legally obligated to pass on other offers they receive onto the seller. This can commonly occur in a ‘hot’ market.
You were correct to pull out, as it is often used as a technique to squeeze more money out of a buyer. Next time, try asking that the buyer accept your offer and agree to take it off the market. In addition, you can try and get them to agree to a lock-in agreement where the seller agrees not to consider other offers for a period of time.
Good luck.
Mr Graeme Edgar
Hi, my wife and I are looking to relocate to Ireland, we don’t require a mortgage, we are UK citizens, I’ve contacted a couple of estate agents for further details on properties we are interested in by both email and voice messages several times, however they simply don’t respond, is there a reason for this?
Colleen
My only guess is that property demand is quite high at the moment, so they typically have a lot of buyers contacting them so are not very motivated to respond to people, particularly if they are not in Ireland.
John Wilkinson
From personal experience, I’ve found that a lot of Irish agents don’t have the same attitude towards selling property selling as you might expect, especially with enquiries from outside of Ireland.
Again, from my own experience, the best and almost only way to find a place is through narrowing down where you want to be, going over and looking in that area. Tough going, as I found myself!
I’m English and have a cottage I’m thinking of selling. What area and what type of place?
Celina
hi there, I am replying to your post because I am selling my home in Wexford Ireland. I understand your frustration with trying to get a response from Irish estate agents, demand is so high they just don’t bother responding. I am looking to sell my home privately
ECW0514
Hi Graeme Edgar, do you have an update on if you moved or not? We’re looking at selling up and moving in the next year. We’d be cash buyers. If you’ve moved could you share any of your experience? Thanks
Krishna Menon Bodapati
Hello Colleen,
I have to appreciate you for providing excellent information at one place and taking time to answer all of our questions.
I am Krishna, from India. I am soon going to relocate to Dublin (perhaps by March, 2022) and I am wondering how soon I will be eligible to buy a house in Ireland? e.g., will I be eligible to apply for a mortgage loan post I complete 6 months of salary credited into my Ireland bank account? Or do I need to pay in few years of taxes in Ireland and then I’ll be eligible for applying for a mortgage loan?
I will be able to put in 10% down payment, when it comes to that.
Many thanks for clarifying my questions. Have a good one.
Kind regards,
Krishna Menon.
Colleen
Dear Krishna Menon, non-residents can purchase properties in Ireland, so there are no restrictions in regards to that. However, if you need a mortgage you will need to meet with the banks or a mortgage broker. As I don’t work in mortgages, I cannot legally provide you any advice in relation to this. The conditions of the mortgages is up to the provider and can vary. I suggest you Google some mortgage options and review their terms and conditions and apply for pre-approval so you can see what they require and what their eligibility is.
Michael
Hi Colleen,
Thank you for the information.
I was wondering if you could help me find more information on my situation.
My wife and I are citizens of Ireland and Australia (currently living in Australia). We are looking to purchase a property in Ireland while remaining in Australia. We are also considering purchasing a property with my brother who lives in Ireland. Do you have any information regarding the complexities of doing this?
Any advice or recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
Colleen
What part of the process are you defining as complex? If it is in relation to the ownership of the property and it being split between people, then you should consult a solicitor as to how this arrangement will be set up. You can own a house in Ireland and not live there.
Ash T
Hi Steve,
My name is Ash, I am looking for a property to buy in Ireland. Do you still have the 4 bedrooms converted chapel for sale?
I will be in Dublin, Ireland from August 10 to September 7th
If you are please let me know
Ash
+1808 218-0864
hawaiicps@gmail.com
Flavio Galasso
Hi Colleen,
Is it possible to buy a house in cash in Ireland or there’s some sort of bias against those type of buyers? Its is acceptable to negotiate the price if you’re willing to pay in cash?
Also, are real estate agents/brokers useful in these situations? In my country almost anyone can be a ‘broker’ and know very little about the market of legal procedures in general.
Thanks!
Colleen
Hi Flavio Galasso,
Being a ‘cash buyer’ means that you have the funds to pay for the property in full without potential delays with securing a mortgage or being in a ‘chain’ i.e. waiting for your own house to sell before being able to complete the sale, and the chain may continue back to the buyer of your own property etc.. As a result you are typically in a stronger buying position than other buyers. This may mean you can negotiate a better price for the property, and, in a competitive market, this may also give you an edge over other buyers.
With regards to agents, you as the buyer negotiate directly with the real estate agent selling the property. This is typically how it is done, but there are agents who could do this on your behalf, but of course you would need to pay for this service.
Jane
Hi Coleen, is it possible to buy a home while I am still in the US. I am retiring to Ireland and am selling my home here and was trying to get to Ireland to actually look for a home however with Covid travel is difficult. I saw your response to Joh is that something that would be helpful or should I rent and look when I am there. I have dual citizen.
Thank you,
Jane
Colleen
Hi Jane, to be honest, the property market is going off here. I think this is happening in most countries right now and prices are really fluctuating and expensive. A lot of purchases are also falling through before completion, so be prepared for that in case you set your heart on something. Buying sight unseen is obviously a risk you would need to consider. Are you familiar enough with the areas you are planning on buying? Do you have someone who you trust and knows exactly what you want who can view the properties on your behalf? It is personal choice of course, but please be cautious about doing so.
Fernando Osti
Hi,
I am a italian citizen and I have doubts if I can buy a house in Ireland. I wish move to Ireland ASAP possible and I would like to be sure if I can buy or no a house. Could be more difficult buy a house in ireland if the buyer do not be irish?
Thank you very much for your attention and help!
Colleen
Non-Irish citizens can purchase properties in Ireland
zafer
Hi Ms Colleen;
Are you sure that an Italian citizen can not buy a property in Ireland?
I consulted some solicitors and they told me “There are no restrictions on foreign nationals buying property in Ireland. This means that both EU/ EEA and non-EU/ non-EEA nationals can purchase property here without limitation”.
Colleen
Hi Zafar,
Please read my comment correctly, I’ve stated that non-Irish citizens CAN purchase properties. Your solicitor is correct.
Maria Consuelo
Hi Collen,
I am Chilean citizen with Irish residence for couple of years, I’d like to buy a house for investment. Do you know the process and taxes I’d have to buy as a non-EU citizen. I would appreciate if you help me finding this information as I haven’t find anything at all. Thank you
Maria
Tracy
Hi Collen,
Could you please let me know what are required (works and documents) for purchasing a residential house through an Irish company?
Would appreciate your advice.
Thanks,
Tracy
Colleen
Hi Tracy,
I don’t work as a real estate agent so can’t answer this, you would need to discuss this with the agent you are working with.
Lucy smith
Hi Colleen
My partner and I currently live in the uk and are looking to move to Donegal in a couple of years as he is from there.we would be first time buyers.
Could you tell me how much of a deposit we would need to buy a place in the republic whilst still living in the uk ??
Thanks
Lucy
Colleen
Your deposit will depend on a variety of factors such as income, value of the property, the purpose of the property, and the economic climate. You will need to speak to a mortgage advisor.
Joh Walsh
Colleen, since you seem to be close to the home buying scene in Ireland, do you know of anyone who represents buyers? Even as a social service, to be between the buyer and the numerous seller’s agents. I recognize that it is not part of the Irish system today but I would appreciate a service that could handle viewings – absent the sellers agent – and one who is more unbiased about the homes viewed, the surrounding areas, walkability etc After reading your article and Conor’s article I think I would hire this service. If it does exist, what is the profession called?
Colleen
I’ve not used these services myself of know or anyone who has, but if you Google “Buyers Agent Ireland” or “Property buying service Ireland” there are these kinds of services about.
Jeff
Hi, We are hoping to retire to Ireland from the UK when the current Covid restrictions are lifted. Over the past 30 years we have never paid a deposit on a house. Contracts are exchanged on the same day for selling our old house and buying the new house (contract exchange), and funds are exchanged on the same day at the agreed ‘contract completion’ day (moving day).
So the purchase price of the new house, fees and taxes all come out of the funds received from the sale of our old house which is the day the money is received by our solicitor (completion/moving day for everyone in the chain). Can it work in the same way in Ireland? So are deposits mandatory?
Colleen
You usually pay a deposit to secure the property.
tj
Hi Coleen
In addition to the annual property tax and capital gains tax are there any other taxes on owning a house in Ireland as a non-resident – for example is there a is there a tax on the sale of such a property?
Colleen
Please see the full list of property taxes here on the Irish Revenue website.
Char Diehm
Colleen,
Can you let me know what the requirements are and the restrictions on buying a home in Ireland?
CD
Colleen
Hi Char,
You would need to be more specific about what you are wanting to know as there are many requirements and restrictions when it comes to buying a home. The Competition and Consumer Protection Commission might be a good site for you to refer to.
david johnson
Good day,
My son in law purchased a property in 2007 which is still mortgaged. He committed suicide a month ago. What would now happen to the mortgage. Is mortgage insurance compulsory.
Colleen
My sincere condolences. I’m not sure which bank the mortgage is with, but to give you some idea of what to expect, here is guidance on the Bank of Ireland website.
Rossie
Hi Colleen
Your article is very informative in my current research. I know you are busy but I have some questions to ask that I hope you give me an idea. I am looking it in google but find no answer so I am hoping you will give me some insight on this.
My client wants to use her spare time to do some works connecting in real estate. Her plan of service to offer is to assist the potential buyer to look for a property to buy but she will not be involved in the selling process like an agent (since she doesn’t have a license). Is this specific job existing?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
Rossie
Colleen
Hi Rossie,
I don’t work in real estate, so can’t advise you on whether this is legal. I suggest you contact the Property Services Regulatory Services.
Tarin
Good Morning,
My partner and I are looking to immigrate next year with our 3 kids. We are looking at Midleton in Cork. We will be purchasing a property in cash so would the same fee’s apply?
Thank you
Tarin
Colleen
I’m not sure which fees you mean, but if it is stamp duty, then yes, you will need to pay it.
John Walsh
Hi Colleen,
I am doing some research for a friend/client living and working in Australia at the moment but wants to buy back home in Ireland with the intention of moving home at some stage in the future .
I have been informed that mortgage companies will only consider it as a holiday home purchase and from what I can figure out the stamp duty will be 7.5% or is that only for Irish people buying abroad and in this situation it would be the standard 1%-2% ? Any help or advice would be appreciated
Colleen
As I am not a mortgage broker, I can’t advise you. They will need to contact a mortgage company and discuss their personal circumstances with them. These are the latest stamp duty rates.
Bernhard Zabel
Hi Colleen, We have recently moved to Ireland from Canada and would like to buy a home in the next 6 months. Will we have to produce a Canadian credit report to our mortgage provider? We own a home in Canada,
Thanks
Colleen
I suggest you make an appointment with the bank to go through evidence that you will need to provide, as I can’t advise on this since I don’t work as a mortgage adviser.
Claire
Hi Coleen, I’m English married to an Irish man currently living and working in England. We are looking to buy a holiday home in Ireland with the hope of eventually retiring there. im trying to source information regarding the various searches I will have to pay for to purchase a property and also what the process is for buying in Ireland and how does it differs from rules and regulations in England. Any help would be appreciated. We have seen a property and had an offer accepted. Thanks Claire .
Colleen
Hi Claire,
The Money Guide Ireland website provides a detailed breakdown of the costs involved in purchasing a home in Ireland.
pauric
hi coleen,i m in the market to sell my property near louisburgh,westport in mayo.is there a website or listing agency where i can appeal to returning expats or anybody wishing to relocate to ireland and who may be interested in a unique property with breathtaking atlantic views.thanks for your time colleen,your website is very interesting and informative.regards pauric.
Colleen
Hi Pauric,
I don’t work in real estate, so I’m not sure I have much to suggest. But people are using social media such as Facebook to sell homes. You could try contacting Seattle realtor Conor MacEvilly – I have a link to his website at the end of this post.
noreen Kelly
Hi pauric
I’m potentially considering a home close to Westport.
Do you have details you can share?
Why are you selling if you don’t mind me asking?
Thanks
Noreen
Ged Nicholson
Great information Colleen
Perry
Hi Colleen,
Me and my wife currently live in the UK and own our own home. We are looking to move to Dublin for a year (minimum) but see what happens from there. We don’t want to sell our home in the UK so are thinking about renting this out. We would like to buy a flat in Dublin instead of renting, would renting our house out in the UK have any impact on us buying a flat in Dublin?
Colleen
There is no higher stamp duties on the purchase of second homes in Ireland like there is in the UK. You can read more about the Irish stamp duty here. However, if you are going to need a mortgage for your property in Ireland, then they will take into consideration your assets. I suggest meeting with a mortgage lender to go through the process of a pre-approval so you are clear on any financial implications.
Sharon
Excellent article. I’ll definitely be sending on to any friends or family looking to buy a house in Ireland.
Niamh
Hi Colleen, I am from N.I and would like to move to Dublin. Would I need to get a mortgage from a bank in the republic of Ireland or can you get your mortgage from your original country of origin and use that to buy property?.
I once read that in order to buy a house in the republic id have to declare it a holiday home and have up to 30% deposit rather than the normal 5%.
If you(or anyone) has any information or advise it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks, Niamh
Karen Mckearney
Hi we live in England and are looking at moving to Ireland paying for a place outright. We saw a property in Catherdaniel , ‘Coomathloukane ‘Priced at 290.000, that we loved , but have just seen it has had a sale agreed at 170.000. Is that usual ?
It was out of our price range at first. Of course we are hoping it will fall through or they will sell later. But in the future can we offer a much lower price when looking , do you think? Also I have a British passport only , is that a problem? I am in the process of applying for an irish citizenship and passport. With Irish grandparents , and cousins still living in Wicklow. Hopefully before Brexit ‘kicks in’.
Any other tips or problems you can advice is off will be most appreciated.
Many thanks
Colleen
Hi Karen, I think applying for your Irish citizenship is a smart move. Regarding the property, I can’t really comment as I don’t know the circumstances of the sale. Perhaps there was something that came up in the house survey that was going to cost a lot of money to fix (e.g. structural problems), or perhaps the solicitors found there was an illegal extension added to the building, or perhaps they ended up selling it cheaply to a family member for below market value. Once you start looking for a house and have had the opportunity to view a number of houses in a similar area, then you pretty quickly get a feel for the real value of the house. You should also look online for the sale price of the properties recently sold around it.
Francis Barrett
Hi
I am living in the UK and have done since birth.My Parents are Irish and i have a British and Irish passport. I will be retiring this year and hoping to purchase property in Co Mayo to retire too. I will not require a mortgage as i will pay cash, however, do i need be a registered resident living in Ireland for a minimum of 2 years before i can purchase property?
Regards
Francis Barrett
Colleen
There are no restrictions on non-residents buying property in Ireland.
Jo Jones
Colleen, is it still the case that for buying a house in the Galway / Connemara area there is an Irish language test? Where can I find out the official policy on this?
Very much obliged for your pointers.
Best regards – Jo
Colleen
The policy relates to new developments. You can read the Planning and Development Act here.
Jo Jones
Thanks, Colleen, that’s most helpful.
pauric
hi francis,i dont know if this site is for this or not,i just punched in how to sell an irish property to overseas residents,mainly expats or americans and this one came up.i scrolled down and saw your enquiry.i am in the market to sell my property in louisburgh,near westport and thought you might be interested.if i ve misconstrued the post ,i apologise in advance.i will leave my email .thanks pauric.
nwankwu Gregory
I am intrested in buying a two bed flat outskirt of Dublin cork or any property 30mins away from dublin
Oliver
I’m a Uk citizen and now have dual Irish citizenship and passport, but live and work in Uk – I want to buy a holiday home in Ireland is there anything I need to consider? Best wishes, Oliver
Colleen
When an overseas buyer purchases a holiday home they are always at risk of the government bringing in policies that may make it difficult e.g. mortgages or taxes. Its also hard to say what Brexit may lead to.
Sharon
A friend of mine was looking to buy property in Ireland near Dublin was her plan. She found a great estate agent and it was a difficult job. She is fine now and got what she wanted although if she had read your article Colleen I feel it would have helped her a lot. I will keep it handy if I need it in the future there is great advice in there. Thanks
Colleen
Thanks Sharon
Shelley Johnson
My fiance’ is trying to purchase a house that requires a 30% deposit. He currently banks with Chase. Can the realtor work with Chase to get the funds necessary for a down payment? We live in Alabama and no branches to go to and withdraw the money. The deposit is $30,000.
Colleen
You will need to discuss this with your solicitor as there can be issues with bringing money over from foreign accounts due to laws relating to the prevention of money laundering. Conor MacEvilly is also potentially a good avenue for advice. See his article on Americans buying homes in Ireland.
FRANK G O'MAHONY
This is probably too late for this buyer, but for future reference I’d highly recommend using an alternative transfer service like Transferwise and Currency Fair when moving money across national boundaries. Banks are incredibly expensive and slow – I used one of these companies to move the proceeds of my home sale from the US to UK. Saved me thousands of dollars. By the way, there was no delay on the transfer beyond declaring to the UK receiving bank what the source of the money was.
A.T.
Colleen and Frank, you are doing a tremendous service with your articles and comments; thank you so much for taking the time and effort to help people out. I am an American who is seriously considering buying a home in Ireland, though I will be visiting first (post-pandemic) to get the sense of what area I want to move to before I make any serious inquiries regarding a home. Your comments and links are getting me off to a good start, and I just wanted you to know that what you are doing is deeply appreciated.
Here’s a question that might out of your areas of expertise: If an American wants to either build a home on a piece of land or do massive alterations to an existing structure, will there be any issues with getting permits and getting the work done because they are not permanent Irish residents?
Colleen
Thanks for your comments A.T. In answer to your question, your challenge is not likely to be your residency, it will be getting the planning permission that you will need. That will be dependent on permission from your local planning authority and will take into account a lot of variables. Here is an overview of planning permission whether it is building or altering a house.
Marc
Hi
I’m from S Africa trying to assist a property owner in selling their property in order for them to purchase a house in Ireland. We have someone who is prepared to buy their house on a Suspensive or Instalment basis whereby a Deposit is paid over to the Seller and the Purchaser pays a monthly instalment and the balance has to be paid by a certain period usually a year to 2 years and sometimes up to 5 years .
Does such a thing exist in Ireland ? this is often referred to as a deferred type of registration?
Would appreciate your comments
Colleen
Personally I’ve never heard of this in Ireland, but I am not a mortgage advisor. Here is information on the Irish CCPC site about mortgage types in Ireland. They don’t list it, but you could contact a mortgage advisor at one of the Irish mortgage providers and double check this.
Conor MacEvilly
Hi Colleen,
Just to let you know that I referenced your “How to Buy a Home in Ireland” post in my latest blog post comparing the home buying process in the US to the UK & Ireland:
https://www.myseattlehomesearch.com/blog/buying-a-home-in-the-usa-compared-to-the-uk-and-ireland/.
I’m originally from Cork, moved to London after college and have been in the US since 1992…a bit like you moving around the world.
I would love if you would link back to my site.
Thanks,
Conor.
Colleen
Hi Conor,
Thanks for the link. Your article is well written and researched, so I’ve added a link to it on this page.
Colleen
Conor MacEvilly
Hi Coleen, apologies, I just saw your reply. Glad you liked the post and thanks for connecting back. Cheers from Seattle.