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What to bring? | Notary Public Cork

Proof of Identity

When visiting your Notary Public Cork, you must satisfactorily prove your identity and place of residence and the Notary must keep the identification records for five years.

This process has to be repeated every time you go to the Notary unless you have been with the same Notary within the previous three months.

Passport
1. You must prove your identity, and that means producing your original passport.
2. Lesser proof will only be accepted for compelling reasons which must be satisfactory to the Notary Public Cork.
3. The Notary Public will give no assurances in advance that your substitute document of identification will be acceptable.
4. If your passport number is given in the document to be notarised, then the passport must be produced, without exception.
5. If any other identifying detail is given in the document to be notarised (such as Identity Card number or tax number), then whatever document proves that other detail must also be produced.

Utility Bill
You must prove your current residential address by producing a recent utility bill (not being a mobile phone bill) addressed to you at your stated address within the previous
three months.

If you require a Notary Public Cork or have any questions about our Notary Public Cork services, you can Freephone: 1800 246442 or Email:
info@sweeneysolicitors.ie

For more information you can visit notarycork.ie

14/04/2021

8 Steps to Selling Property | Guide

Property

Readying your home for sale isn’t something you should aim to do in a weekend. It usually requires small repairs – inside and out, paintwork, decluttering, nding the right estate agent and assembling the necessary documentation.

All this takes about three times longer than you think so take plenty of time to prepare and the following pointers should help along the way.

There is no doubt that selling your home is stressful, with lots of possible outcomes before your home is sold. You can lessen the stress and be prepared with our 11 steps guide to selling your house. Click here to download the full guide.

1. Property Valuation

To find out the market value for your property, you can book a free valuation with an estate agent. Checking the Irish prop- erty price register online is a good starting point.

Sign up to property portals and receive digital alerts about houses for sale in your area. This can give an idea of what the competition in your area looks like, the prices being sought and which estate agents are most active in your area. Also, don’t be afraid to attend open viewings of similar properties in your area to get a real sense of the market.

2. Choose An Agent

Invite agents who are most active in your area for their thoughts and recommendations. This service should be free if you’re thinking of selling. Ask each what you need to do to maximise the appeal and value of the property. The mean average of the valuations given by a selection of agents is probably the most realistic asking price.

Don’t be swayed by estate agents offering you the world in terms of property valuations. If an agent says they can get you a price that sounds incredibly high, then it’s probably too good to be true.

Before you decide on an agent, ask for a complete break- down on fees and then negotiate on the rates charged. It may be possible to incentivise the selling agent with a higher fee if they achieve over a certain value for you.

3. Marketing Your Property

Traditional estate agents will charge marketing fees on top of their commission, and they are likely to charge additional fees for newspaper advertising. Everyone likes to see their property in the paper. Still, you should be sure that it makes sense for your property before incurring the additional expense. Over 90% of prospective buyers in Ireland look for property online.

Photography is critical when selling your property, so make sure your estate agent provides you with high-quality photos.

Would-be buyers will probably rst view your home online – before they ever cross its threshold. They will have already noted its pros and cons. The history of the house may also be online if it sold in the last ten years. Choose a digital-savvy agent for the best chance at selling your home.

4. Choose A Solicitor

The legal formalities around selling your property are called ‘conveyancing’, and it’s essential to choose your solicitor early in the process.

Be aware that many solicitors charge a percentage of the asking price of the home.

5. Energy Rating Cert (Ber)

It is a legal requirement to have a Buildings Energy Rating (BER) certificate for your property when you put it up for sale. The BER is designed to make the energy performance of a property transparent to potential buyers. This process will involve a BER assessor completing an appraisal of the property. The assessor then submits the results to the Sustainable Energy Ireland (SEI) who then issues a certificate.

6. Viewings

As previously mentioned, make sure to prepare your property for viewings so that it’s presented in the best light. With regards to viewing times, be as flexible and accommodating as possible for your potential buyers.

Serious buyers will snoop during open viewings, so make sure every nook and cranny has been looked over. On the viewing day, open windows to air the house. Don’t burn strongly scented candles as it may put some viewers off. Fresh-cut owers in the hall or kitchen are a nice touch.

Have the re burning in the main reception rooms. In darker months, make sure all table lamps and accent lighting is on during a viewing. Step back and let the agent do their job. Don’t hang around. You will be in the way, and you don’t need to overhear viewer critiques of your own home.

7. Receive Offers & Negotiate

Know your bottom line and don’t ever go below it if you can help it. How you handle this will depend on how close to the asking price the offer is, your timeline to sell and your appetite for a longer negotiation. When buyers start making offers, you can either accept one or stand rm and wait for higher bids.

8. Sale Completion

The sale is formally completed when all the legal documents between buyer and seller have been signed, and full ownership has been legally transferred to the buyer.

A suitable completion date will be agreed and arranged by your solicitor, and the remainder of the money from the sale will be transferred into your solicitor’s account.

For more information on Buying, Selling, and Remortgaging click here to download our FREE e-book.

07/04/2021

6 Steps to Buying Property | Guide

Property

Buying a house can seem like a complicated process. But, when broken down into manageable steps, you’ll find it isn’t too tricky. Click here to download the full guide.

1. Set A Budget

When buying a house, it’s important not to set your sights too high. This means establishing a budget, but how can you work out what you can afford? The three things to take into consideration are your current savings; any stocks, shares or investments; and a potential mortgage.

You will need to have all your ducks in a row with the first two, before speaking to a bank about how much money they will be able to lend you for purchasing a home. An independent mortgage broker who covers the entire market should be able to guide you through the process.

Once you have worked out your budget, be sure to factor in legal fees and stamp duty. Most people forget about these, but you will not be able to complete the purchase without paying them.

2. Put Your Finances in Order

It’s essential you carefully go through your finances, as any reputable lender will do the same. After all, they will be offering you a large sum of money, and they must ensure you can afford the repayments. Avoid any unnecessary delays by ensuring everything is in order right from the start.

Red flags to look out for during this process include missed credit card or loan repayments. Pay off as much as you can on outstanding credit card debt and avoid betting transactions, as they tend to make you look like a risky investment.

First-time buyers purchasing property exceeding €220,000 will have a 90 per cent limit applied to the first €220,000, with 80 per cent limit on anything over this.

Lenders also require buyers to have life insurance, sometimes called mortgage protection when applying for a property loan. This will also insure you against any damage or theft that occurs within your home. As this can take time to arrange, be sure to start the process as early as possible.

3. Appoint A Solicitor

Once you’ve found the right home for you, it’s time to enlist the services of a solicitor, who will open a file and put transaction proceedings into motion. This professional will be able to guide you through all the paperwork you need to complete and what exactly needs to be done when.

4. Payment

After you receive approval for the purchase, a booking deposit must be paid to the estate agent. This could be anything from a few thousand euros to three percent of the total sale amount, so be prepared to hand over a substantial amount as a down payment.

As neither parties have yet signed the documents, this deposit will be refunded if the sale falls through. The estate agent can then issue sales details.

Sales details are simply the information prepared by the estate agent and distributed to the buyer, seller and solicitor. It should include the names and current addresses of all parties, the price and the estimated closing date of the sale.

One element to keep an eye on is whether the property is unencumbered. An unencumbered property is one free from any encumbrances, such as creditor claims or debts. These types of properties are straightforward to buy or sell.

One that has claims against it from parties that are not the owner can be harder to transfer or can have its use restricted until the encumbrance is lifted. It is crucial to find out about any hurdles and the effects they could have on the sale.

5. Pay The Deposit and Sign The Contract

You and your solicitor should check the contract closely, sign it and pay the contract deposit. Usually, this equates to ten per cent of the purchase price, excluding the booking price already paid. New builds may require a payment that has been calculated differently.

Your solicitor will duplicate all your documents and forward them to the solicitor representing the seller.

6. Exchange of Contracts

Once the contracts have been exchanged, a binding agreement is made between all parties, which is subject to the terms and conditions set out within the contract.

For more information on Buying, Selling, and Remortgaging click here to download our FREE e-book.

07/04/2021

Notary Public Cork Blog

Notary Public Cork

A notary public is someone who has been appointed by the state to authenticate legal documents and verify the identity of the document’s signer(s). In Ireland a Notary Public is also a Solicitor.

You may have read that you need to get your document signed by a notary public. Without knowing who this person is or understanding how their signature helps validate your legal document, this step can seem confusing. In this post, discover what notarisation is and why you may need to seek out a notary public when completing certain legal documents.

Notary Publics and Notarising Documents

A notary public is someone who has been appointed by the state to authenticate legal documents and verify the identity of the document’s signer(s). Notaries can be individuals such as lawyers or government officials. Notarisation (the process of getting your document signed by a notary public) helps prevent fraud by ensuring individuals authenticate their documents before they can be used. It can also help confirm that the signer intended to sign the document and wasn’t pressured into doing so (e.g. through undue influence, coercion or duress, etc.), similar to signing your document in front of a witness.

Notary publics can also do a number of other tasks, such as:
1. Confirm the identities of the participating parties
2. Witness signatures between them
3. Sign off on the validity of the agreement

For some documents, Notarisation is the first step, in which a notary will certify the document in a certain way, depending what is required. They may, for example, certify a person’s signature on the document to prove that the person signing is the person named in the document.

Finding a Notary Public

All Irish Notaries are authorised to notarise documents for use anywhere in the world. Clients, no matter where they reside, can have documents notarised anywhere in Ireland. The place where the documents are actually signed and notarised is important. Each Notary may notarise documents in the County where his / her principal office is situated and also in some adjoining Counties. If it is intended that the Notary will actually sign and notarise the documents other than his / her own County, clients should ask the Notary to confirm that he / she is authorised to sign and notarise documents at that place.

Finalising Your Legal Documents

Notary publics are needed in law as they help ensure your document is valid. Many legal documents require notarisation during execution; however, even when notarisation is not required, it is a recommended way to help prevent avoidable issues like fraud, duress, and more.

Proof of Identity

Notarising a document today requires the same anti-terrorism and anti-money laundering formalities as apply on opening a new bank account. The rules are very strict.
You must satisfactorily prove your identity and place of residence and the Notary must keep the identification records for five years.

This process has to be repeated every time you go to the Notary unless you have been with the same Notary within the previous three months.

Passport
1. You must prove your identity, and that means producing your original passport.
2. Lesser proof will only be accepted for compelling reasons which must be satisfactory to the Notary.
3. The Notary will give no assurances in advance that your substitute document of identification will be acceptable.
4. If your passport number is given in the document to be notarised, then the passport must be produced, without exception.
5. If any other identifying detail is given in the document to be notarised (such as Identity Card number or tax number), then whatever document proves that other detail must also be produced.

Utility Bill
You must prove your current residential address by producing a recent utility bill (not being a mobile phone bill) addressed to you at your stated address within the previous
three months.

If you require a notary public cork or have any questions about our Notary Public services, you can Freephone: 1800 246442 or Email:
info@sweeneysolicitors.ie

02/04/2021