Estimate the legal cost of selling your home
What the estimate includes
Professional fee. The charge for the legal work involved in taking up your title deeds, drafting the contract, replying to enquiries and completing the sale.
Outlays. Third-party costs paid on your behalf. On a sale these commonly include search fees, copy folio and copy instrument fees payable to Tailte Éireann and commissioner for oaths fees.
VAT. Charged on the professional fee at the prevailing rate.
What is not included. The estate agent's fee, the cost of a BER certificate and advisory report, the cost of any certificate of compliance required from an architect or engineer and any Capital Gains Tax arising on the sale of a property that was not your principal private residence. CGT Capital Gains Tax is a matter for Revenue and for your accountant.
Where a sale requires an application for first registration, additional work is involved and the estimate will not reflect it. This arises regularly on older properties in the streets around Athlone Castle and out through Irishtown, because compulsory first registration applied in Co. Westmeath only from April 2006. We will tell you at the outset if it applies to your property.
What the estimate includes
Is this calculator a quotation?
What do sellers pay for that buyers do not?
Sellers typically pay for a Building Energy Rating BER certificate and advisory report, which must be available before a property is advertised. They may also need to pay an architect or engineer for a certificate of compliance with planning permission for any extension or alteration and where the property is served by a septic tank, obtain a certificate of registration. Sellers also pay the estate agent’s fee. None of these are solicitor fees and none are included in this estimate. But it is important that you factor them all in.
Do I pay the solicitor before or after the sale closes?
Does the estimate cover Capital Gains Tax?
No, CGT Capital Gains Tax may arise on the disposal of a property that was not your principal private residence throughout your period of ownership. It is a tax payable to Revenue, it is calculated by reference to the gain rather than the sale price and it is not a legal fee. We do not provide tax advice. If there is any prospect of a liability, speak to an accountant before you agree a sale rather than afterwards.
How do I get an exact figure?
Contact the Conveyancing and Probate team at Tormeys Solicitors on +353 (0) 90 6493456 or through the enquiry form. Tell us the address of the property, the expected sale price and whether there is a mortgage on the property. We will review the position and confirm our fee and the anticipated outlays in writing before any work begins on your file. There is no charge for the initial conversation with us.
People Also Ask
Do I pay VAT on solicitor fees in Ireland?
Yes, VAT is charged on the professional fee at the prevailing rate, in addition to the fee itself and any outlays. This is standard across Irish legal services and is set out in a written engagement letter, which we describe on our conveyancing and property law page.
What is a Local Property Tax apportionment?
It is a calculation, prepared at closing, that divides the year’s Local Property Tax between buyer and seller based on how long each owned or will own the property that particular year. The buyer usually reimburses the seller for the balance of the year, one of the outlays a buyer can estimate on our house purchase calculator.
Do I need to pay stamp duty when selling a property?
No, stamp duty is paid by the buyer, not the seller, as part of completing the purchase. It is calculated on the purchase price and paid to Revenue after closing and we explain the buyer’s side of this on our purchasing a property page.
What happens if my sale falls through after contracts are signed?
Once contracts are signed by both sides, the sale is legally binding and pulling out can carry financial consequences, which are set out in the engagement letter. Where a sale does not proceed at all, only work already carried out is normally chargeable and we set out what a ‘collapsed sale’ means for a seller on our selling a property page.
Can I get a fee estimate for a commercial property sale?
This calculator is designed for standard residential sales, so a commercial or agricultural property falls outside its scope. Contact the team directly for a tailored quote reflecting the additional considerations involved, which we outline on our commercial property page.
Speak to our conveyancing team in Athlone
Contact Tormeys Solicitors for a written fee estimate on your property sale. We are on Castle Street, beside Athlone Castle.
Costs confirmed in writing before we start.
