Selling a property in Switzerland: what to consider

Have the kids moved out, and is the family home now too big? Or are you planning your future elsewhere? There are many good reasons to sell your property.

Most of us only sell a house once or maybe twice in our lifetime, which means there’s little opportunity to gather experience. To help you be well-prepared for your home sale, we’ve summarised the five most important steps for you.

1. Determine the value and selling price of the property

Price is the key factor when selling your home. While it’s understandable that you want to achieve the highest possible selling price, it’s important to set a realistic price. If you list your property at too high a price, it will be very difficult to find interested buyers.

On the other hand, it’s also not advisable to generate offers with a price set too low: This could lead to many unserious offers, which would increase your effort. Furthermore, you risk the best offer being below a realistic price, potentially costing you a lot of money.

So, how can you determine the price for selling your house as accurately as possible? It depends on many different factors. Here are a few:

• Location
• Features and amenities
• Condition
• Number and size of rooms
• Potential for expansion
• Restrictions from easements
• Current property market in the region

This is very complex, so it’s a good idea to have a property appraisal conducted before selling your house. You have two options for this:

Online property valuation

If you prefer a quick valuation, an online property valuation is the right choice for you: Our online tool provides you with a free market value estimate in just a few minutes.

Expert property valuation

Are you selling an exceptional property or looking for a more precise estimate? In that case, you can hire an expert to handle the valuation. The professional will create an expert report for the property and apply the appropriate property valuation method to determine its value as accurately as possible.

2. Gather the documents for selling the house

Once you know the value of your property, you’ve taken the first step towards selling. However, before listing your house or apartment, you should gather the essential documents.

It’s best to create a dossier that potential buyers can use to get information about the property. This dossier should include all the documents and information that buyers need to know for financing purposes. This allows them to carry out all necessary checks and also saves you from answering the same questions repeatedly.

Important documents for the dossier include:

• Current land register extract
• Floor plan
• Building insurance policy
• Tax value
• Interior and exterior photos (preferably taken by a professional)
• List of renovations and investments made

Be sure to add other helpful information, such as transportation connections by car and public transport, or proximity to schools, shopping, and leisure facilities. It’s also useful to be transparent about renovations and refurbishments.

3. Listing the property correctly

The groundwork is done, and now you can list your house for sale. What's important is that your property must be easy to find so that as many potential buyers as possible reach out to you. An online listing is the simplest way to do this. Also, spread the word among your friends and acquaintances that you’re selling your house and use social media platforms for some free extra advertising.

If you don’t find suitable buyers through the online listing or your personal network, or if you have a very unique property for sale, a real estate agency can help: More information can be found here.

4. Don’t forget the costs of selling the house

When you sell your house, several costs will arise, some of which you may have to cover entirely or partially. These costs vary from canton to canton, so make sure to check the exact costs before selling.

Typical costs when selling a house include:

• Notary fees
• Land registry fee
• Property transfer tax
• Property capital gains tax

Overall, costs and fees typically range from 1% to 2.5% of the sale price. You should factor this in when setting your 'pain threshold' for the sale price.

5. Handle the sale efficiently

Once you’ve received some interesting feedback, the next steps are crucial.

First, you need to schedule and manage property viewings with potential buyers. They typically want to inspect the property thoroughly and ask you questions. It helps if you’ve created a comprehensive sales dossier – this way, many questions will already be answered, allowing you to handle the viewings efficiently.

Once you’ve found a potential buyer, you need to draft the purchase agreement. To do this, you must hire a notary office to prepare a draft. The agreement must clearly outline the following:

• Sale price
• Personal details of all parties
• Payment terms
• A detailed description of the property and its condition
• Any easements
• Date of transfer of ownership
• Provisions for non-compliance with the contractual obligations of any party

At the end, the contract must be notarised.

Once the contract is drafted, you should obtain a financing confirmation. This is, for example, a guarantee from the buyer’s bank that payment will be triggered once the ownership transfer is registered in the land registry. This ensures you’re on the safe side.

Conclusion

Selling a property involves a relatively high level of effort and comes with some potential pitfalls. However, with the right preparation, you can avoid misunderstandings and ensure a smooth process: This way, nothing will stand in the way of a successful sale.