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Practice areas/Property

Buying and selling a home.

Conveyancing is the legal side of moving. Most of it is checking that the title is sound, that the planning is in order, and that the money moves on the right day. Here is what happens, in the order it happens.

Get a fee estimate↗ Estimate the total cost↗

At a glance

How longSix to twelve weeks from contracts
How we chargeFixed fee, plus outlays and VAT
Meetings neededUsually one, to sign
Acts forBuyers, sellers, and both in a move

Figures for stamp duty, Tailte Eireann fees and searches are set by others, not by us. Our own fee is quoted before we start.

Stamp duty

The first number to know once you are sale agreed.

Stamp duty on a house is one per cent up to one million euro, two per cent on the part between one and one and a half million, and six per cent above that. It is paid to Revenue after closing, through us. Move the slider to the price you have in mind.

Full calculator, including non residential↗
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€100,000€2,000,000
1% on the first €1,000,000{{ b1 }}
2% on €1,000,000 to €1,500,000{{ b2 }}
6% on the balance above €1,500,000{{ b3 }}
Stamp duty payable{{ duty }}

These are the residential rates. Different rates apply to non residential property and to bulk purchases of houses. A guide, not advice on your transaction.

Friends laughing on a busy town street
“You come in once, we go through the contract line by line, and you sign.”
Siobhán Moriarty · Finnegan Maguire Solicitors
The steps

From sale agreed to keys in your hand.

6
steps, start to finish
1
signing visit to our office
10%
deposit paid on signing
01
You and the agent

Sale agreed and booking deposit

You pay a booking deposit to the estate agent. It is refundable and nothing is binding yet. Tell us at this point so we can start on title while your loan offer is being arranged. If it is a new build and you qualify for Help to Buy, say so now: the relief is claimed at contract stage and we will need your Revenue approval.

02
Us

Contracts and title arrive

The seller's solicitor sends the contract with the title documents. We read the title, check the planning position, raise pre contract enquiries and order searches. If something is wrong we tell you before you sign, not after.

03
You and your lender

Loan pack, survey and insurance

Your lender issues a loan offer and a loan pack that we go through with you. You will need a valuation, a structural survey if you want one, mortgage protection and house insurance in place for the closing date.

04
One visit to us

Signing and the contract deposit

You come in once, we go through the contract line by line, and you sign. The contract deposit, usually ten per cent less the booking deposit, is paid at this point. A closing date is written in.

05
Us, on the day

Closing day

We draw down the loan, run closing searches, hand over the balance and take the deed and the keys. Most closings happen without you needing to be there.

06
Us, in the background

Stamping and registration

After closing we file the stamp duty return with Revenue and register your ownership with Tailte Eireann. This part happens in the background and takes some months.

What we need from you

Photo identification and proof of your address, for anti money laundering purposes.
Your PPS number, for the stamp duty return.
The estate agent's details and the booking deposit receipt.
Your loan offer, once the lender issues it.

What it costs

Our fee, quoted as a fixed figure before we start, plus VAT.
Stamp duty, paid to Revenue. One per cent up to a million euro on a house.
Searches and Tailte Eireann registration fees.
A commissioner's fee on any statutory declaration.
See our fee structure

Things that slow a sale

An extension or attic conversion built without permission or without a certificate.
A right of way or a shared entrance that is not written into the title.
A management company that is slow to produce accounts.
A property still registered in the name of someone who has died.

Add up the whole cost before you bid

The cost estimator puts our fee, VAT, stamp duty and the outlays into one figure, split between what goes to us and what goes to others. A range, not a quote.

Total cost estimator↗
Client guides

Your guide, with your own figures.

Read the steps, try the calculator, then create a printable guide with your details to bring to your first appointment.

01Guide

What happens next in your house purchase

You have gone sale agreed, or you are about to. Congratulations. This guide takes you from here to the keys.

Read it, then create your personalised guide
02Guide

What happens next in your house sale

Selling has fewer steps than buying, but most delays sit on the seller's side. This guide shows you how to avoid them.

Read it, then create your personalised guide