Whether you’re buying or selling, there’s a finite amount of time to get the deal done, so that come December 25th, you can celebrate.
It’s crunch time for buyers and sellers hoping to have home sales agreed before Christmas, says Graham Murray, regional director at Sherry FitzGerald.
There are only nine weeks left before Friday, December 19th, likely the last official business day of the calendar year for those involved in conveyancing.
“The average sale time this year for a property has been between three and six months,” Murray says.
With 14 days still to go to Halloween, October 31st, it’s hard to wrap your head around Christmas, let alone try to either pack up and be out of your home or indeed raise a glass to being sale-agreed on a property as you tuck into a turkey and ham dinner come December 25th.
But if you’re serious about either buying or selling, now is the time to get your paperwork in order.
For context, Brian Dempsey, partner at DNG estate agents, explains that there are currently about 4065 properties for sale in Dublin on MyHome.ie.
“This time last year, there may have been 3,000, so there’s a lot more for sale, and it may be taking longer to sell.”
This represents a 26 per cent increase in stock levels in the capital, and it means that if you don’t have what he calls your “Alex Ferguson team” together, you may have to put off celebrations until the new year.
By team, he means the professionals and the paperwork you need to close the deal.
“Christmas is a hard stop, so step one is to get your solicitor on board,” he says.
“At this time of the year, solicitors are really busy with tax returns and getting everything closed before the holidays.
"You may need planning permission, certificates of compliance, and certificates of exemption. Make sure you have located any land registry maps and deeds from the lender.”
Vendors should also make sure local property tax is paid and that you have a Ber cert for the property. If not, book an accessor appointment pronto.
Buyers need to ask what the seller’s position really is, adds Murray.
“Do they have somewhere to move to pre-Christmas? If it’s a probate sale, has probate been granted? If it hasn’t, it's unlikely to be granted before the end of the year.”
"If the vendor hasn’t applied for probate, buyers will not be exchanging contracts until 2026.”
Buyers need to check their loan approval, lest it is out of date. If they’ve changed jobs and are still within a probationary period, that will nullify any previously granted approvals.
For buyers who still haven’t gotten all their financial ducks in a row, Murray says that the banks will stop drawing down funds between December 14th and 16th.
That’s in less than nine weeks. It is sobering to hear that many of his clients who are at the exchanging contracts point in the process already have early January 2026 dates.
The good news for sellers is that if you have all this paperwork done, or in train, you could still potentially put your home for sale and be closed by yuletide, says Dempsey.
“It takes zero to six weeks to find a buyer.”
That is, if the seller is motivated, he caveats.
But be sure to have your photography taken before you put the tree up, says Dempsey. It doesn’t look great in photos, and it also dates the property.
And if the sale falls through, buyers looking at the relaunched listing, come January, will believe that the property has been on since last year and discount it.
We’re in the crunch month, Murray says.
