Choosing the right solicitor for your property transaction is one of the most important decisions you will make during the buying or selling process. A good conveyancer protects your interests, keeps the process moving, and flags potential issues before they become expensive problems.

What Does a Conveyancing Solicitor Do?

Your solicitor handles all the legal aspects of buying or selling property. This includes reviewing contracts, conducting title searches, raising requisitions on title, managing the exchange of contracts, handling stamp duty calculations, registering the property with the Property Registration Authority, and ensuring compliance with anti-money laundering regulations.

Typical Conveyancing Fees

Conveyancing fees in Ireland typically range from 1,500 to 3,500 euro plus VAT for a standard residential purchase. Sales are usually slightly cheaper at 1,200 to 2,500 euro plus VAT. These fees cover the solicitor's professional charges but do not include disbursements such as Land Registry fees, search fees, stamp duty, or Property Registration Authority fees.

Some solicitors quote a fixed fee while others charge a percentage of the property price (typically 1 percent). Fixed fees are generally preferable as they give you certainty on costs.

Questions to Ask Before Hiring

Ask for a full written quote including all disbursements, not just the professional fee. Ask how many conveyancing transactions they handle per year. A solicitor who handles property transactions regularly will be more efficient than a general practitioner who does conveyancing occasionally.

Ask who will handle your file day-to-day. In larger firms, your file may be managed by a junior solicitor or legal executive rather than the partner you initially met. This is not necessarily a problem, but you should know who your main contact will be.

Ask about their typical timeline for completion and how they communicate updates. Regular email updates are reasonable to expect. If you cannot get a response within 48 hours, that is a red flag.

Red Flags to Watch For

Be cautious of solicitors who will not provide a written fee quote upfront, who are vague about disbursements, who seem unfamiliar with the area where you are buying, or who are difficult to contact during the initial enquiry stage. If communication is poor before they have your business, it will only get worse once they do.

Getting Multiple Quotes

There is nothing wrong with getting quotes from multiple solicitors. Conveyancing is a competitive market and fees vary significantly. Just make sure you are comparing like with like by asking each solicitor to include all anticipated disbursements in their quote.