Properties for sale in Switzerland
Free to browse and post, no ads, no account, in four languages.
Before you fall for a terraced house in Baden or a flat above the lake in Montreux, it helps to know what a Swiss bank will lend you. This site gathers houses for sale in Switzerland, along with apartments, multi-family buildings and land, in every canton, and the two rules below tell you roughly what you can afford before you book a single viewing.
The 20 percent you bring yourself
Swiss lenders usually cap the mortgage at 80 percent of the lending value. You cover the other 20 percent, and at least half of that (10 percent of the value) has to be hard equity: savings, securities, a gift or an advance on an inheritance, or money from your pillar 3a. The rest may come from your pension fund (2nd pillar), either withdrawn early or pledged to the bank. One catch: if the bank values the property below the asking price, it lends against its own figure, and every franc above that comes out of your own pocket.
The one-third rule
Affordability isn't tested at today's mortgage rate. Banks use an imputed rate of around 5 percent, add roughly 1 percent of the property value for maintenance and running costs, then add amortisation. That total should stay under about a third of your gross income. If it doesn't, a larger deposit or a cheaper property is usually the only way through.
From viewing to keys
- Get a written financing commitment first. Sellers take an offer more seriously when one exists.
- Filter by canton, type and price, and contact sellers through each listing.
- Ask for the land register extract and a record of past renovations.
- Sign the deed at the notary. Ownership passes when the sale is entered in the land register (Grundbuch).
Selling? Listing is free, needs no account and goes live after a quick automated check. It stays up for 60 days and can carry up to eight photos.