Valuations for buyers and sellers

The one number nobody in the transaction is neutral about

In a property transaction everyone with an opinion on price has a stake in it. The seller wants it high. The agent is paid on it. The buyer wants it low and is often working from asking prices rather than sale prices. A valuer is the only person in the chain whose fee does not move with the figure.

If you are buying

An independent valuation before you are contractually committed tells you three things:

• Whether the price is supported by evidence. Recorded comparable transactions, adjusted for floor, size, condition, aspect and date — not asking prices, which are aspirations.
• What the title and permits actually say. Whether separate title has issued, whether what is built matches what was permitted, whether a certificate of final approval exists, whether there are encumbrances, shares or access issues. These are the problems that surface late and expensively.
• What the bank is likely to do. Lenders advance on the lower of price and valuation. Finding out that the property values below the agreed price is much cheaper before you sign than after.

For a purchase in a market moving as fast as this one — sales contracts up 14% nationally in the first seven months of 2026, and apartment prices up 10.8% year on year — the pressure to commit quickly is real. A valuation is the cheapest form of due diligence available.

If you are selling

A valuation gives you a defensible asking price and the evidence to hold it in negotiation, rather than a figure you accepted because an agent suggested it while asking for the instruction.

It also surfaces problems early. Unauthorised works, a missing final approval certificate, a discrepancy between the registered and the actual area, or an unresolved share — all of these are far easier to deal with before a buyer's lawyer finds them than during a transaction that then stalls.

Two further reasons sellers commission valuations:

• Transfer fees. The Director of Lands and Surveys may substitute his own valuation where the declared price does not represent real market value, and charge transfer fees on that figure.
• Capital gains tax. Gains are measured from 1 January 1980. If the property has been in the family a long time, you will need a 1980 valuation regardless.

What you get

A Red Book report stating the basis of value, the valuation date, the extent of the inspection, the comparable evidence relied on, every assumption made, and the reasoning that connects them to the figure. Signed by the valuer who inspected the property.

It is not an estate agent's appraisal, and it is not the Land Registry's General Valuation figure — neither of which is market value.

What it costs

For most residential property, €300 to €650 plus VAT, depending on value. The fees page has the full scale and a calculator. The fee is agreed in writing before any work begins.

Instructing us

Send the address and, if you have them, the title or parcel details, and tell us whether you are buying or selling and by when you need the report.

[email protected] · +357 25254222 · mobile +357 96569477