Buy a Detached House: Dream Property

Buying a single-family Home in Switzerland: From Dream to Reality

For both apartments and houses, the demand for residential property in Switzerland remains high, as do property prices – building land in Switzerland is scarce and the existing supply of detached houses is low. For example, detached houses for sale usually find a new owner within a few days and, despite the high prices, are often sold for above market value.

Therefore, if you are on the lookout for a new home for yourself and your family, ideally you should have already discussed your financial options with your mortgage lender and should be very clear about your needs and wishes. This will ensure that you can make a purchasing decision quickly.

Freedom and independence in a detached house

Like many other people, you have probably had the image of a detached family home in your mind since childhood. Whenever children draw a house, the results usually look similar, i.e. a single house with a garden, trees and flowers. These images alone convey tranquillity, privacy and personal fulfilment. In particular, if you have previously lived in a condominium or rented apartment, you no doubt wish to escape the noise from the neighbours by buying a detached house and designing your new home as you see fit. The idea of being able to expand your family thanks to a house, to have a larger living space, more rooms and a garden, is also enticing. With all this in mind, what are your search criteria?

Your future dream home

Real estate is very versatile and available in many different forms. This makes it all the more important that you know what you need. If you can answer the following questions clearly, you are on the right track:

• How do you envisage your own home?
• What type of property are you looking for? Does it have to be a house or could a spacious apartment also be considered?
• Old building or new building?
• How important is the location to you?
• Do you have a preferred municipality, city or canton in Switzerland?
• How far away can the house be from your place of work?
• How far away can the nearest kindergarten or school be?
• How many bedrooms do you need?
• How big should the plot be?
• Do you need a garage?

You can find more house-hunting information, tips and checklists here: House-hunting tips – how to find your dream property.

Financing your property

“The sooner the better” – this saying also applies when financing a property in Switzerland. The sooner you talk to your bank, check your individual financial framework and find out about possible financing models, the clearer your search will be and the quicker you will be able to respond to a suitable offer. If you already own a property and want to sell it, this step is even more important. Because ultimately, a house purchase depends largely on the financing.

An introduction to this topic is available here: Financing a property. By completing an affordability check you can get a rough idea of your financial options.

Search sensibly

Property prices for apartments and detached houses in Switzerland have risen steadily in recent years. Depending on the location, and especially in the major Swiss cities such as Zurich or Geneva, prices are sky high. You may also be asking yourself the legitimate question of whether now is the right time to buy or sell a property? And in which municipalities or location you should ideally look? If you extend your search radius to just a few minutes’ drive from the district centre, you will see completely different property prices, even for similar properties. It should also be noted that ancillary purchase costs will be incurred on top of the purchase price. These will vary depending on the canton and municipality in which the property is located. Our tip: a local estate agent can best advise you and give you valuable insights into developments in the property market.

Also contact various local estate agents in your desired region and ask to be included in their client file. Most estate agents offer new properties to their registered clients before creating a listing online. To ensure you don’t miss out on any offers, we also recommend creating a property alert on real estate portals such as newhome.

You’ve found your dream property – what next?

Once you have found a plot of land, an apartment or a detached house, you should arrange at least two viewings, without and with an expert, before making your final decision. Your mortgage lender will probably have the final say in the form of their financing confirmation. As soon as you have this, things can happen very quickly. If you are selling your current home at the same time, it is important to carefully plan the dates for notarisation and transfer of ownership and coordinate them with the sale.