Foreign Based House Buyers Solicitors
When you are not living in Ireland and planning to buy property in Ireland it is a good idea to get legal advice at an early stage so that you are aware of the requirements and certain processes can be started early to ensure your property purchase goes smoothly when you find the property you want to purchase.
With our experience of representing foreign-based buyers we can guide you through the process from start to finish ensuring your purchase goes as smoothly as possible. Video calls at flexible meeting times help accommodate time zone differences.
Costs
If you are currently living outside of Ireland and are considering buying a house in Ireland with some money held overseas – you will also need to think about currency exchange costs. A fluctuation in the exchange rate between the time you make an offer and paying for the house could end up costing you money. Specialist money transfer companies can give you the option of locking in an exchange rate for a future transfer – this is known as a “forward contract”.
This can help you to mitigate against any change in the exchange rate than could throw you off your budget, giving you the security of knowing what rate you will get on the day you transfer. It usually requires a deposit of about 10% which is refunded when the transfer is done.
All Irish and UK citizens still have the right to live, travel, work and study within the Common Travel Area. However, due to Brexit, UK citizens can no longer move to live in other EU countries without a complicated application process.
We hired James Shanahan for conveyancing services when buying our home in Ireland. We’re based in Austin TX and loved the ability to communicate with him by phone, email and over VC. It made communication as easy as if we were local. I was really impressed to get questions answered on occasion during out of office hours. Overall an amazing experience.
Really valued the service provided by Gary and the team at SOS legal regarding a conveyancing matter… I particularly valued being able to communicate through video conferencing (rather than in person) as I was out of the country for some of the process.
My wife and I recently retired to Ireland and wished to purchase a house. We had been told some fairly horrific stories around the purchasing process in Ireland. The time from making an offer to receiving keys to the house was 57 days, in total contradiction to the stories we had heard. Part of this period was during the lock down… We would not hesitate to recommend SOS to prospective buyers or sellers as they were efficient and courteous at all times
Other important factors
Owning a residence in Ireland does not, on it’s own, entitle the owner to residency. If you are an EU or UK citizen there are no restrictions on buying a house in Ireland and moving to live in Ireland. For citizens of Countries outside UK and Europe, residency and the right to remain in Ireland depend on an individual’s particular circumstances.
After moving to Ireland, you will usually need to be living here for at least 6 months and been in employment for at least 12 months before most lenders will consider you for a mortgage. The EU “Mortgage Credit Directive” requires EU lenders to monitor exchange-rate fluctuations on foreign currency mortgages. This means that some Irish banks will not even consider lending to someone who lives outside Ireland who doesn’t have most of their income in Euros. If your income is in Euros it should be easier to get an Irish mortgage.
If you are planning on moving to Ireland or coming back to Ireland and you have a large sum of money that you will need to transfer to Ireland, there is some risk because exchange rates are always moving. You should use a dedicated currency exchange company, rather than your bank to exchange and transfer money.
Foreign Based House Buyers Solicitors
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“Call +353 61 513113 or your local office or complete this Short Enquiry (no cost or obligation)”
Helping Clients
Throughout Ireland
