Although this is rare in Ireland, some sellers do choose to have their property surveyed before listing the property.
From a process point of view, this would be the exact same a survey for a buyer. The surveyor would access the overall condition of the property and produce a written report which breaks down any conditional issues to give you an independent opinion on the condition of the property.
Some sellers choose to purchase a survey as they want to be aware of and correct any issues before putting their house on the market to ensure maximum price. Other sellers are just very conscious that they don't want to have any hidden issues and want to be upfront with the sellers.
The drawback is of course that it is an added expense on top of an already expensive process of selling and moving home!
It should be noted that this is absolutely not a requirement in Ireland and only less than 1% of sellers choose to have this done.
Interestingly, in Scotland, all sellers are required to have a structural survey complete and made available to all buyers as part of a "Buyer Pack". The buyer can still go and have their own independent survey complete too. It is a very nice process which puts more knowledge of the property in the hands of the buyer, which is always a good thing!
If you are selling your property and want to have a survey complete, drop us an email on info@gethousesurvey.ie outlining your concerns and we'll let you know the best option!