The cost of selling a house in Ireland is certainly a popular topic these days. Not only does demand continue to rise to new peaks (now 23% higher than the 2007 peak, according to RTE), but supply struggles to keep up and remains limited. The result? Inflated asking prices that, generally speaking, favour the seller. But a responsible seller should account for all of the fees when selling a house Ireland, not just the sale price but also the “hidden” fees that aren’t always so obvious.
For the sake of clarity, we’ll show you the hidden costs of selling a home using an example home valued at €340,000 – which is the median price in Galway County as of September 2025 to give you an idea of what you might expect to pay as a seller for the transaction once the dust has settled.
Estate agents in Ireland work on commission, and the fee is typically a percentage of the final sale price, usually around 1-2%, with VAT added (23%) added. Some agents provide flat-fee services, often ranging from around €1,000 to €3,000 regardless of the sale price; others yet provide a hybrid fee structure. Get this fee breakdown in clear black and white up front before committing to an agent.
Example: on a €340,000 final sale price, using a 2% estate agent fee with VAT, the calculation would be:
Agent fee: 340,000 * 0.02 = 6,800
Fee + VAT: 6,800 * 1.23 = 8,364
The total agent fee on the sale of the example home would be €8,364.
In Ireland, there is a legal requirement to include a Building Energy Rating (BER) certificate during the advertising and sale of a property. With few exceptions, all home sales must contain the BER certificate and demonstrate compliance to the local Building Control Authority. The cost of acquiring a BER certificate tends to cost around €200, although you may already have a valid one (they are valid for up to 10 years) and may not have to pay for a new assessment.
Example: without an existing BER certificate, the fee for compliance when selling the example home would be €200.
Sellers and agents alike should want to present the home in its best light, which often means professional cleaning, landscaping and gardening, and touching up the aesthetic appearance of the property. Remedial works may also be necessary to sell the home, and if the buyer has requested a pre-purchase survey then the engineers will have noted down any necessary and remedial works.
These costs naturally vary quite a bit, but just to give an example, painting, professional garden care and home cleaning could cost around €1,000 to €1,500 in order to get your home looking clean and presentable to prospective buyers.
If the property in question was purchased with the assistance of a mortgage, the seller will most certainly be subject to mortgage exit fees and/or early repayment penalties depending on their lender and the terms of their loan.
Mortgage exit (aka redemption or discharge) fees apply when a mortgage is paid off and the lenders must then revoke their legal claim to your property. They can vary from around €200 to €350.
Early repayment penalties apply when you pay off a mortgage before the end of the term contract. Paying it off early is good for you as you avoid amortisation interest, but bad for the lender, so they will typically levy fees of around 6 months’ interest on the outstanding loan balance. So, if your remaining balance is €100,000, your interest rate is 4%, and you paid it off early, you’d be hit with a fee of around €2,000 or so.
If you’ve got any outstanding bills or arrears, these must be paid before finalising the property sale transaction. Things like telecoms bills, television or other subscription services, waste collection, water and energy bills, as well as Local Property Tax (LPT) should all be up to date.
The outstanding amount due could vary quite a bit, but to give a more concrete example, LPT in Galway County for a home valued at €340,000 would be approximately €383 in 2025. Assuming you have not yet paid LPT and wish to sell the home, this would be due as soon as possible in order to provide LPT clearance to the new buyer and to ensure that the home is sold without any outstanding debts.
If the property was your place of primary residence then you do not need to pay Capital Gains Tax (CGT) when selling. If it is not your primary residence, i.e. it was used as an investment property, then you are subject to CGT of 33% of the home’s final sale price. Several deductions and deduction caps are in place that can bring down the tax burden somewhat. One must also consider the original purchase price of the home.
Example: assuming your property was an investment, it sold for €340,000 and its original purchase price was €300,000. There is an annual exemption of €1,270 and no other deductions are included. The taxable gain and amount owed – taxed at 33% – would be approximately:
Taxable gain: 340,000 – 300,000 = 40,000
CGT exemption: 40,000 – 1,270 = 38,730
Taxable amount: 38,730 * 0.33 = 12,780.90
The total taxable amount on the sale of the example home would be approximately €12,781. Note that including more deductions such as conveyancing and solicitor fees can assist in bringing this figure down.
When selling your property, you may already have another residence or you may need to temporarily accomomdate yourself as you move your belongings out. Things like rubbish removal from man and van teams as well as hiring a moving agency will cost somewhere around €800 to €2,000 or more, depending on the quantity of belongings to be moved, distance, labour involved, etc.
Selling a home can have some exciting moments, that’s for sure. It can be – and often is – quite stress-inducing for many sellers, however. The emotional attachment you may have to a home or the circumstances for why you want to (or must) sell could also be something that drains your energy and your time.
A qualified and experienced agency such as Long & Co strives to make every client feel valued, and we ply our in-depth market knowledge and reputation of trust to deliver great results. We’ll do our best to make your property sale stress-free, easy, and to your satisfaction.
Using some of the conservative estimates from the figures provided above, the cost of selling a house in Ireland could easily be a few thousand at the lowest or well over ten thousand once all the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed.
We understand that as a property owner you’re probably keen on the final sale price. So are we, and we strive to do our best to provide great value. Nevertheless, one should always keep in mind several of the required fees that may sometimes be “hidden” from plain view and plan accordingly.
Looking to sell your home in Tuam, Galway, or elsewhere in Ireland? Look no further than Long & Co. As your trusted estate agent, we will endeavour to give you the most transparent cost breakdown for your specific property.
We employ RICS Red Book Property Valuations, provide professional Property Management services in Ireland, and have many existing Homes for Sale. Make us your preferred Buying Agent and contact our team today.
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