1. Capacity
Clarify your capacity upfront: income, cash and canton determine the realistic amount.
Buying property in Switzerland
Buying in Switzerland starts with financing that holds.
Before you view homes, know what you can actually pay. Equity, affordability, cantonal costs. And what to do if you must sell in order to buy.
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Four landmarks before you view a property.
2. Equity
20% for a main home, including 10% hard equity. Purchase costs are extra, outside the mortgage.
3. Property use
Main home, second home or investment: lending rules change, sometimes by more than a third.
4. File before the offer
The seller picks the buyer whose financing is already framed, not the one who still has to call their bank.
Two starting points
Where are you in your project?
I am defining my budget
Calculate your borrowing capacity using Swiss lending rules.
Estimate my capacityI have already found a property
From a target price, see equity, mortgage structure and an indicative monthly budget.
Get my indicative planBuying strategy
The same income does not finance the same property depending on use.
Before you hunt for “the” property, decide what it is for. Banks do not lend the same way for living there, for weekends or for renting out.
Main residence
- From 20% equity, including 10% outside occupational pension
- 2nd pillar and pillar 3a can be used (withdrawal or pledge)
- Second-rank amortisation usually over 15 years
Second home
- More equity required, pension assets cannot be used
- Shorter amortisation, stricter criteria
- With the same finances, capacity can fall by a third
Investment property
- Retained rents count in the affordability test
- Equity is often higher than for a main home
- The file is also judged on vacancy and running costs
You already own a home
Selling to buy: the real issue is not the price, it is the timing.
Many Swiss purchases are a move, not a first buy. Until the sale is sequenced, the bank cannot count the equity. Too early, you lose your home. Too late, you miss the property.
Sell first
You know the net equity, but you may have a period without a home. Useful if the local market is slow or the bank refuses a bridge.
Chain both
A sale-conditional offer, or bridging credit: you keep a roof, with a temporary double burden that must be approved.
Count net sale proceeds
Property gains tax, brokerage, early repayment: the sale price is not the equity available for the next purchase.
Bridging credit and a condition precedent are negotiated with the seller and the lender. It is not a click in the calculator: it is a file.
Swiss property prices
Waiting for a drop is not a strategy. Understanding value is.
Over ten years, the RealAdvisor index of Swiss apartments rose by about 36.5%. That is not a promise for your property, nor a reason to buy at any price. It is a reminder: rent paid while waiting does not build equity, and an owner selling today often has more equity than they think.
Ten-year illustration
Swiss apartments · RealAdvisor index
10 years ago
Purchase price
CHF 1’000’000
+36,5 %
Swiss apartment prices
RealAdvisor sourceToday
Indicative value
CHF 1’365’000
National average for apartments, not a valuation of your property. Prices vary widely by canton and neighbourhood. The bank uses its own value.
Independent mortgage advice
An indicative plan. An adviser to make it financeable.
Choose a specialist by canton, language and project. They can confirm the structure, prepare the file and compare financing solutions.
Choose an adviserBrowse available profiles in the directory.
Understanding a Swiss property purchase
What minimum equity do I need?
For a main home, typically 20% of the price, including at least 10% hard equity outside the occupational pension. Purchase costs (often 1.5% to 5% depending on the canton) are extra, outside the mortgage.
Do I need to sell my current home before buying?
Not necessarily. Selling first secures your equity, but you may be left without a home. A sale-conditional offer, or bridging finance, can sometimes chain the two. An adviser helps you choose by canton, timing and lender.
What is the difference between a main home, second home and investment property?
A main residence can use pension assets, typically with 20% equity. A second home needs more equity and cannot use pension assets. An investment property is also judged on retained rents. The calculator applies these rules according to use.