Buying in Zurich: the back story

About Buying in Zurich: the back story

By the ULTIMATE Zurich Editorial Team

Editor-in-Chief: Jai Michael

Zurich’s most sought-after homes are on the slopes of the Zürichberg and along the lake: Seefeld and the eastern shore, the “Gold Coast” of Küsnacht and Zollikon, and Enge and Kilchberg on the western side. New quarters have grown in Zurich West, around the Europaallee and in Oerlikon. In Switzerland a sale is completed by a public deed before a notary and entered in the land register; buyers from abroad are subject to federal rules on the acquisition of property by persons abroad (the Lex Koller).

Where people buy

The Zürichberg and Seefeld for villas and apartments near the lake; Enge and Wollishofen on the western shore; the lakeside towns of the Gold Coast; and new apartments in Zurich West, the Europaallee and Oerlikon.

How a sale works

In the canton of Zurich the purchase contract is recorded as a public deed by a notary’s office and the transfer is entered in the land register (Grundbuch); the Notariate im Kanton Zürich explain the steps. Buyers from abroad should ask a notary or lawyer how the federal Lex Koller rules apply to them before they sign.

We never publish prices; ask an agent and your notary.

Our advice: talk to the notary’s office early: in Zurich it is a public office, not a private lawyer.

Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with Buying in Zurich: the back story before you go.