Property advice in Ireland: build an evidence pack

Search listings are marketing. A sound property decision combines comparable sales, condition, title, planning, running costs and appropriately licensed professional advice.

Independent information: HPSGroup.ie is not an estate agent, valuer, surveyor or property manager. It does not offer property services or valuations.

Start with the decision you are making

A mortgage valuation, asking-price opinion, formal valuation, pre-purchase condition survey and investment appraisal answer different questions. Define whether you need lending security, likely market value, building-condition evidence, rental performance or development feasibility before appointing anyone.

Use the Property Price Register carefully

The official Residential Property Price Register publishes sale date, declared price and address for Irish residential transactions since 2010. It is useful evidence, but the register itself warns that it is not a property price index, can contain filing errors and does not provide floor area, room count or condition.

Choose recent comparables with similar location, dwelling type, size, condition, tenure and site characteristics. Record why each is comparable and what adjustment may be needed. A nearby sale is not automatically a comparable sale.

Check the professional's licence

The Property Services Regulatory Authority regulates auctioneers, estate agents, letting agents and property-management agents. Its current public register identifies licence holders and authorised service types. Licence B covers purchase or sale of land, C covers letting, and D covers property management.

Buyer evidence checklist

  1. Sale particulars and BER.
  2. Independent pre-purchase condition survey.
  3. Planning and building-control questions routed through the relevant professionals.
  4. Title, rights, burdens and contract enquiries handled by your solicitor.
  5. Comparable-sale evidence and financing valuation.
  6. Budget for repairs, energy upgrades, insurance and ongoing charges.
  7. Written confirmation of contents and fixtures included.

Seller preparation checklist

  1. Engage a solicitor early and locate title documents.
  2. Collect planning, compliance, extension and boundary records.
  3. Prepare BER and property-service information.
  4. Ask agents for a written fee schedule, marketing proposal and advised market value.
  5. Resolve inconsistencies before they become contract-stage delays.

Valuation is not a condition survey

A valuation can estimate market value without providing a detailed account of defects. Government home-buying guidance notes Ireland's buyer-beware position and recommends that purchasers consider a building-condition survey. Keep legal, valuation and technical scopes separate and make sure no issue falls between them.

Property investment questions

Model vacancy, repairs, management, insurance, finance, tax and capital expenditure rather than relying on headline rent. For commercial property add lease terms, covenant, break options, service charges, rates, planning use and environmental or building compliance. Obtain current tax and legal advice for the actual structure.

Decision file: keep source links, report dates, assumptions, quotations and unresolved questions together. Property evidence becomes stale quickly.

For conveyancing, stamp duty, surveys and probate-property issues, continue to the Irish property-law guide.