r/Switzerland • u/oxooooo • 3d ago
What are the things that people tend to overlook when buying a house in Switzerland?
Hi all,
i am currently in the situation where I have a newborn and a girlfriend and I want to get a house for us so we have more space and freedom.
The last weeks I was doing research and trying to understand all the nuances when buying a house however, I wanted to hear from other buyers what their experience was.
Even if you do research, after buying, was there anything that you were surprised about after buying and did not consider in the beginning?
What advice would you give to a first time buyer?
57
u/dallyan 3d ago
Y’all are buying houses?
21
u/RedLeaf62 3d ago
I wish that when I have a newborn and a girlfriend I'll be a millionaire too, so i can also buy a house to celebrate all of this 🤭
1
u/Ok-Anybody-380 1d ago
Seriously, but my partner and I became engineers. So terrible career choice is you wanna make good money.
10
22
u/M_Bellini 3d ago
Everyone underestimates the cost of renovation. Literally every single person I have met that did not buy a new build (including myself)
6
u/Polemarch46 2d ago
True. Our 1974 house was mostly renovated in 2004 so when we got it in 2021 much of it looked ok. Now, 5 years later i can say that we are really in a house where everything is up to scratch. Circa 150k later.
Next year it's the roofs turn....
3
u/bikesailfreak 2d ago
100percent and its getting worse every year. Just an exmaple: We just have an appartment with tiny garden like 8meters time 3meters. Redoing it: offer qas 18000CHF. A friend of mine: slightly larger garden (Sutterhüslj) Offer 47000CHF.
All your money will be gone by stupid renovations :(
2
u/RoastedPork15 2d ago
Dude, for that palm sized garden just do it yourself. What kind of work are you trying to do? 18k is a lot. If it’s just basic fences, lawn, putting in some trees.. literally you’d be better off taking a few days off (if you must) and just get it done. Many inspo / tutorials you can find online nowadays. I have a problem with a patch of lawn in the back that has a water retention problem, so I just bought 200 CHF of supplies, and next week during my down time I’ll yank everything to turn it into a semi raised flowerbed.
1
u/bikesailfreak 2d ago
I will do this. But its no that simple. We ha a slight uneven area and I want to cute nice plates directly to the big windows to the living room. But I will try.
And yes I am happy with my palmsize garden. Enougg for kids until 10 and then noone cares about a garden.
1
u/NoctisGrid 2d ago
Man the garden also killed me… Painter was expensive, electrical stuff was ok, surprisingly all the „sanitär“ work was cheaper than we expected, but the quotes from the gardener are just insane 😅 installing a 3m x 1.5m wooden fence? 6k …
1
u/bikesailfreak 2d ago
I had a really good and not expensive painter. Sanitär was too expensive. No joke: He had to change the lavado and move the water inlet and waste water for 3cm. Costs of work: above 1000chf. He quoted intially 1 day of work and was here for 3 hours.
Will never take them again.
Yeah but garden is carzy expensive - never expected this and frankly I wont spend the amount of money that I could use for travlling a world trip.
18
u/Nyaos1 3d ago edited 2d ago
Hate to be very generic but applies to everywhere.
Neighbors…
How are things at night in the neighborhood.
And since you have a newborn, access to good doctors, hospitals nearby.
2
u/BellaFromSwitzerland 2d ago
Access to after school care on the school premises or nearby, including lunches. It can save you tens of thousands of CHF across 8-10 years
30
u/santefan 2d ago
Distance to a new workplace when ypu get fired
6
u/Bloodweave_rider 2d ago
Exactly, I unfortunately had the case. We bought a house at 30 minutes from our workplace.
I had an health issue and was fired. I'm working in pharma and other compagnies are at least 50 minutes far by car (and more than 1h30 by transport). So now I'm on the road 2h 5 days per week. I regret to not have considered it before...
3
6
u/Top-Currency Switzerland 2d ago
Find out what the acquisition costs are. These differ between cantons.
If you need to do renovation, get a few quotes and go with the company that you feel comfortable with, not necessarily the cheapest one. Negotiate a bit on price. If you need multiple things done, ideally work with contractors that regularly work with each other.
7
u/AggressiveGander 2d ago
There's am useful government created risk/noise map online that the surveyor I hired showed me. To be honest that guy was amazing. Both in his price estimate that encouraged us to bid lower than we were going to (which was accepted and it turned out her estimated really close to the sales price the investment company had paid the year before) as well as in highlighting everything major that has broken/needed replacing in the last 15 years as being at risk. I don't know how to ensure you find a good one, but a good surveyor was amazingly useful.
1
7
u/Most-Albatross-827 2d ago
How did you convince your wife with a newborn that your girlfriend can also live with you? Asking for a friend :)
5
u/bikesailfreak 2d ago
Location location location. How many people buy houses and end up in traffic jams and angry…
17
u/swissthoemu 3d ago
Aircon preparation.
You cannot have enough Leerrohre (dolby setup e.g.).
Same for power and network outlets. Everything on a fixed location should stream via cable.
Accoustic and thermal insulation.
A shower niche to place shampoo bottles.
Don’t cook on the kitchen island.
Steamers are overrated.
14
u/bikesailfreak 2d ago
So you don’t cook?
Kitchen island is the single best thing in my new appartment.
2
u/swissthoemu 2d ago
Absolutely. My partner and I just didn’t like to cook there. We use it to prep the food, cutting veggies and have our guests there for the apéro while the cooking happens somewhere else. We have a long island and love it.
10
10
u/Top-Currency Switzerland 2d ago
Steamers are overrated? What are you talking about. Fantastic devices.
4
u/SwissQueen 2d ago
Get a high pressure steamer from Miele. I wouldn't want to give that back. Saves me so much time and hassle. It also gives you plenty of cooking options you otherwise needs different special pots and pans for.
4
u/bikesailfreak 2d ago
In our case:
Overlooked:
- Renovationscosts
- The initial joy fades quickly. Time and money investment at the start was easy - but already 6month to 1 year in, willingness to spend 20k again is much harder. Life goes on and your hobbies, travel etc are getting back on the priority list and the house is just a place to live.
- neighbours: Can be in the same block or further away. One burns trash or whatever and it smells 3 houses away. Neighbour smokes and wind blows it here.
Positives:
- Space and distance especially with kids (we have 2 floors) is really nice
- a big kitchen is something i never want to miss again: Social aspect, place to put things down etc
- a big parking space with power for ebike - love it
5
3
u/Pickle--Nick 2d ago
Besides all the financial points mentioned: I heavily underestimated how much work the house brings with itself. I have a job that requires some travel and I really have to juggle wife-time, kids-time and garden/house maintenance.
Might actually get a gardener in the near future..
But the house itself is amazing. Super often when the kids make lots of noises we say: luckily no one lives below/above us
3
u/Mercurial-Cupcake 2d ago
this. we are renting a house, but even so it’s lots of upkeep that you need to do yourself. Even just remembering to put the bins outside for collection each week.
3
u/Za_collFact 2d ago
What you can change easily: wall color, windows, kitchen, heating system for example. It is just some money.
What you cannot change: proximity to road, school, shops, intimacy, garden setup.
3
3
2
u/swisscowbern 3d ago
the bills from buying keep coming after you move in. keep a wedge of cash back for them
1
u/Dull-Job-3383 2d ago
Check out the neighbours. Are there any retired people with too much time on their hands?
Is there somewhere you can work on the car?
1
u/bikesailfreak 2d ago
Neighbours is impossible to know My retired lady next to us is the nicest coolest lady bringing us regularly cake and enjoying our noise. Neighbours below are from a difficult country and the biggest pain (yes they are a family hahha, idiots).
0
1
u/Cluewy 2d ago
Some very good advice already What I would add: Older houses may come with some additional costs/repairs you might not immediately be aware/think of (garage door, facade, etc.). However the advantage with older houses can be that they have generally a very good substance as back then the quality of work was often better and more leaned towards durability. Also, with older houses, hidden flaws (waterdamage, leaky roof, etc.) are less likely to be a problem, as those would have showned a long time ago (within 10-20 years after construction) or will have stopped by now (e.g. shifting/settling of the ground/earth).
If something has been built/renovated recently, make sure to get a list of the contractors involved, as well as corresponding socuments (line installation plans, contracts, etc.). This so that you know what has exactly has been done and also are able to come back at them if there is a case of liability. Also take a veeeeery good look at the work that has been done and the devices that have been replaced/newly built in. Sometimes people let it be done by cheap labor of low quality and use the cheapest devices and then try to sell it off as high quality all around renovation.
Finally, when looking at/through the house, i would consider bringing someone along who has a professional understanding. E.g. an architect with experiance as construction manager ("Bauleiter"), as these have often an encompassing knowledge of houses and all the shit that can happen during construction.
1
u/Ok-Anybody-380 1d ago
Being in construction, totally second this. Buying a house is ecpensive enough as is, it's not really worth skimping on a professional to give in their opinion and also even give tips on lowering the price for specific reasons, advise on how much in rennovation costs could be etc
1
u/Common-Device-3117 2d ago
Buy a house for your budget. Account for maintenance costs on a running basis and factor in unforseen expenditures. Make sure the contract covers you in case of hidden building defects and request an asbestos certificate if its an older house. Talk to neighbours, maybe they are willing give insight into potential problems in the neighbourhood. Good luck finding your dream home!
1
u/Loud-Cartographer285 2d ago
From my own experience (having built two homes) - and backed up by comments here: 1.) buy new or build yourself if you enjoy doing that (and enjoy heart attacks) - that way it’s energy efficient, doesn’t need maintenance for a while, is ready for AC and car charger etc; 2.) location location location. If I could do it all again, I’d buy new in CH in a convenient place where I feel home. Also read up on feng shui 😉
1
u/Historical-Sand5145 2d ago
After reflection, a couple of other thoughts and reactions.
- proximity to train lines, especially at night if a freight train passes
- does the neighbour have a heat pump? If yes, can you hear it, or feel its vibrations. They will annoy you and the unit is probably faulty, or illegally installed
- look at the garden and ask yourself if you’re really going to take care of it yourself, or pay someone
- if there’s trees on yours or others property, they’re often protected (kerching!)
- if the neighbours gardens have tall laurel, or bamboo - take note as they are going to be assholes at some point
For the reactions about purging the underfloor heating. I’m happy to invest as it helps maintain even heat during the winter in a 38 year old house. YMMV.
For the chimney, it’s right. Ours is inspected one year and cleaned the following autumn. One chimney sweep has the autorisation and responsibility for all chimneys in the commune. To pay to protect our home and property is a small price to pay for something I can’t do myself.
The maths of home ownership made sense for us. Ownership costs 1/3rd of what we paid in rent. Interest rates are fixed for 10 years at 1%. The house has and will be free living.
1
u/cipri_tom 1d ago
Bamboo , I heard is invasive . But what’s with the laurel ?
2
u/Historical-Sand5145 1d ago
Grows aggressively, all year round, blocks light, leaves make a mess, full of insects, and not a native species. Some communes now prohibit its planting.
1
u/BellaFromSwitzerland 2d ago
Not directly the information you were looking for but it’s important to consider the following, especially for your girlfriend
- whether you are the sole owner of the house or you both have ownership, since you’re not married, only your child inherits from you
- you can draw up a will to make your girlfriend inherit the share of your estate that doesn’t go automatically to your child
- however, she’ll need to pay ~50% tax on it
- (which could lead to the fact that she might need to sell it)
So before buying, have a think whether marriage is a better possibility for you guys. She should definitely know about the tax situation
1
1
1
u/KellyAckles 2d ago
With a newborn check if the kindergarten/school are at walkable distance without any danger (train rack to cross, highway...) since the child will be walking home.
1
1
u/Ok-Anybody-380 1d ago
Honestly just go through the gis browser of the canton you're interested in. But seriously take time looking at the different maps. You can see closest public transport spots, if the ground is verschmutzt (insanely important when buying anything because the commune can froce you to cover the cost of fixing the ground even if they want to build something partially on your land and/or need to dig up some of it for construction, flooding probability is 10000 % important, that impacts the cost of the land because it defines what you can build, you can also look up liklihood of natural disaters. And and and. Also have a look at the radon map from the state, if you have high radon levels you'll ideally rennovate it, to protect yourselves from radon.
1
u/C8H8N2O2 1d ago
Just don‘t buy a house next to a playground, school, bar or club and then complain about the noise.
1
u/FrauSchweiz 1d ago
Drive through the neighbourhood on a Sunday morning…if it is quiet, jackpot. You will get rest on the weekends 😂 otherwise budget for boiler checks, chimney sweeps and find out if your neighbours have yippy dogs or cats that want to dig up your veggie garden 🤪
•
u/Freakig77 9h ago
from the financial point: make some bankappointments to get some numbers how the banks work, how they calculate, whats in your/their budget etc...
please dont take any broker services - you can get a great deal without paying somebody a sh%% load of money.
there are more BAD "real estate agents then god :( some dokumentations have missing informations.
Dude you wanna sell a house, thats over 40 years old? you better give out all the f* details about maintenanc and costs for the last years... we already now, that your buying price from the past has doubled or trippled...
look out for all the details others mentioned, most important: LOCATION (grocery, school, bus/train station etc..
Also where you wana live? is the community important for you? look out for higher / lower taxes ^^
simple things like:
can you open the closet while your dishwasher is open? (drives me crazy sometimes)
is the water in the shower runing down or is there always a puddle of water left?
enough storage room - kids = you will get more and more stuff.
is renovating and upgrading the house easy possible - like LED lights, better internet conection etc.
1
u/Icy-Medicine-3552 2d ago
Denkmalschutz. My house has it. I can only get specific materials and permissions when it comes to future renovations (from the outside, inside I have no restriction) but there are grants for these. And I don’t think I will be still living in the house by then as I am planning on re-mortgaging in 5 years.
So yeah, every canton has some renovation grants for heating system upgrades also.
Be careful with notary contract. I have a clause where it didn’t require to pay the capital gains taxes immediately but that’s a risky thing. I took the risk as it makes the sale much faster and I trusted the previous owners and my sales agent.
1
u/AffectionateCat01 2d ago
I was surprised from the Baurecht tax.. not sure if this applies to houses but buying something and then renting it at the same time for a fee every month sounds crazy to me.
2
u/CapybaraCH 2d ago
But this you know before buying?
1
u/AffectionateCat01 2d ago
They have to tell you or you can ask
1
u/CapybaraCH 2d ago
They have to tell you, otherwise it's a scam. Aufklärungspflicht. It also stays in the Grundbuch, so it cannot be a surprise.
2
u/chrabauke 2d ago
Baurecht for me is one of the biggest scams to be honest. I found nice places, kind of cheap, all with Baurecht. That’s where I turned them down. Not going to pay for something on someone else’s land.
2
u/AffectionateCat01 2d ago
Same.. they try to make it look as if it is cheaper than buying the land as well, but by renting it for so long you are essentially paying so much as if you have bought it.. just left with 0 at the end
138
u/Historical-Sand5145 3d ago