On this page
And what binds you before the notary appointment?
The process
How does buying a house in Switzerland work, step by step?
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Search
Set the location, size and budget. The budget depends on affordability (Tragbarkeit), that is, whether the bank will carry the mortgage given your income. Check it with the affordability calculator, and the costs beyond the price with the purchase costs calculator.
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Check the documents
Ask for the documents before the viewing. The most important one is the land registry extract (Grundbuchauszug). It shows the owner, mortgage notes (Schuldbriefe), which secure the bank’s loan, and easements (Dienstbarkeiten). Easements are rights of third parties over the land, such as a right of way. What else belongs in the file is listed further down.
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Viewing
Check the location, plot, building, rooms and running costs. The key questions are listed further down. For our properties, we sit down with you briefly afterwards: what matters to you, by when do you want to buy, where does your financing stand?
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Financing confirmation
Ask your bank to confirm in writing that the purchase price can be financed. Only with this financing confirmation (Finanzierungsbestätigung) does your bid count as an offer with us. Before that, it is an expression of interest (Interessensbekundung).
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Offer
Your written offer names the property, the price, the handover date you want and any conditions. What exactly belongs in it is shown on the page Making an offer.
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Reservation
If the owners accept your offer, a reservation agreement (Reservationsvereinbarung) often follows. It sets out how long the property stays reserved for you and what happens next. It does not oblige you to buy.
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Purchase contract and notarisation
The notary’s office drafts or checks the purchase contract. You receive the draft before the appointment and can clear up any questions. At the appointment, the notary reads the contract aloud, then both sides sign. Only now is the purchase binding.
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Land registry entry and handover
The notary’s office reports the purchase to the land registry office. You only become the owner with the entry. By law, benefit and risk (Nutzen und Gefahr), meaning the income and the risk of damage, pass with the contract. The contract usually sets a different day, often the handover (Art. 185 Code of Obligations, Obligationenrecht).
Is a reservation agreement binding?
A reservation agreement does not oblige you to buy as long as it is not publicly notarised. The law requires notarisation for every purchase of land. This also applies to preliminary contracts, meaning contracts that promise a later purchase (Art. 216 and Art. 22 Code of Obligations).
The Federal Supreme Court (Bundesgericht) decided such a case in 2014. A preliminary contract that had not been notarised provided for CHF 8,000 per month if the purchase fell through. The claim was CHF 192,000. The court held the clause invalid (judgment 4A_281/2014 of 17 December 2014). A forfeit payment (Reugeld) is money owed if you do not buy. Such a payment is only valid if notarised.
It can be different for compensation for genuine expenses that is owed whatever happens to the purchase. This line is narrow.
What this means for you: a reservation governs time and procedure; it is not yet a purchase. Read carefully what happens to a reservation payment if the purchase fails.
Do you need a notary for the purchase contract?
Yes, buying a house or a flat needs a notary. The contract is only valid if it is publicly notarised. This is set out in Art. 216 Code of Obligations and Art. 657 Civil Code (Zivilgesetzbuch). Notarisation means that you sign before a notary.
In the Canton of Zurich, state notary’s offices notarise the purchase. Once both sides agree, the office drafts the contract or checks a draft submitted to it. It settles the draft with both sides before the appointment. Getting an appointment usually takes at least 5 to 10 working days. At the appointment, the contract is read aloud. Small changes are still possible then.
The notary’s office then reports the purchase to the land registry office. The land registry is the official record of who owns a plot of land. You only become the owner with the entry (Art. 656 Civil Code).
What this means for you: read the draft calmly before the appointment. Check the handover date and the rules on defects.
What should you check at a viewing?
At a viewing, it is best to check six areas: location, plot, garden, building, interior and running costs. This is how Raiffeisen structures its checklist for house viewings (retrieved September 2026).
Location covers schools, shops, doctors and public transport in the morning and evening. For the plot, easements, the building zone and contaminated sites (Altlasten) count. Contaminated sites are pollution in the ground. Raiffeisen notes that as the new owner, you are automatically liable.
For the building, check the need for renovation, the heating and its age, the wiring and the energy certificate. Inside, look at light, kitchen, bathrooms, storage and whether it would still suit you in later life. Ask the current occupants about running costs.
What this means for you: go with a list, not a feeling. Anything you cannot settle at the viewing, settle in writing before you make an offer.
Which documents should you ask for before buying?
- Land registry extractShows the owner, mortgage notes and easements. A mortgage note is a bank’s security in the land registry.
- PlansFloor plans, the building description and the calculation of the living area.
- Proof of building insuranceUsually requested. It shows the insured value of the building.
- PermitsAsk to see that conversions and extensions were approved.
- Energy and renovationsEnergy certificate and records for the roof, heating, pipes and wiring.
- For a flat in joint ownership (Stockwerkeigentum)The owners’ regulations and the minutes of the last three meetings. Also the annual accounts and the balance of the renewal fund (Erneuerungsfonds). This is the shared fund for renovations. An annual contribution of 0.5 to 1 per cent of the insured value is considered healthy (immero.ch).
You now know the way from searching to the land registry. With a search profile, you will hear when one of our properties suits you.
To be honest
What does this page not do for you?
The eight steps are not an official scheme. They sum up what notary’s offices, banks and specialist portals agree on. In individual cases, the order may differ.
For our properties, we act on behalf of the owners. We explain the process to you, but we do not advise you as a buyer. You check the draft purchase contract yourself. The notary’s office answers questions about it.
What do buyers often ask about the process?
How long does the whole house buying process take?
There is no official deadline. Getting an appointment at the notary’s office usually takes at least 5 to 10 working days. After the notarisation, the land registry entry generally takes several weeks.
What must the purchase contract contain?
Usual items are the property, the price, the handover date and who bears which costs. Benefit and risk and liability for defects also matter (Art. 197 Code of Obligations). A “sold as seen” clause does not apply if defects were fraudulently concealed (Art. 199 Code of Obligations).
How does the transfer of ownership work?
After the notarisation, the notary’s office reports the purchase to the land registry office. With the entry in the land registry, you become the owner (Art. 656 Civil Code). The purchase contract sets when you move in.
What happens after you state your intention to buy?
For our properties, we pass every expression of interest to the owners straight away. It becomes an offer once your bank confirms the financing in writing. The owners then decide freely.
Can I still withdraw after a reservation?
A reservation that is not notarised does not oblige you to buy. A forfeit payment in case you do not buy is invalid without notarisation (Federal Supreme Court 4A_281/2014). What happens to a payment you have made is set out in the agreement.
Sources
- Code of Obligations (SR 220), Art. 22, 185, 197, 199, 216, in German · retrieved 30.09.2026
- Civil Code (SR 210), Art. 656 and 657, in German · retrieved 30.09.2026
- Federal Supreme Court: judgment 4A_281/2014 of 17 December 2014, in German · read in the original 30.09.2026
- Notaries’ offices of the Canton of Zurich: purchase contract, in German · retrieved 30.09.2026
- Raiffeisen Casa: checklist for house viewings before buying, in German · retrieved 30.09.2026
- immero.ch: joint ownership, regulations and renewal fund, in German · retrieved 30.09.2026
For the properties we offer, we act solely on behalf of the owners. For you as a buyer, our service is free – and fair: all bidders receive the same information and written rules, and every offer goes to the owners immediately.
General information, not individual advice. The law, the tax assessment and advice from professionals for your situation are what count.
