Getting a house valued: which way suits you?

The first way is a free online valuation. Enter the address, size and year built, and a figure appears at once. It rests on a model using data from similar sales, not a look inside your house. One portal’s range can top out more than a third above its lowest figure.⁴

The second way is the same method, paid, with more detail: usually around CHF 400 for a house.⁴ The third is a bank valuation for a mortgage, usually by the same model and free for you.⁴ It serves the loan, not the sale price.

The fourth way is a professional with a viewing. You can find one through industry bodies such as SIV, HEV or SVIT.³ An expert valuation typically includes a viewing; a model-based bank valuation does not.⁴

What this means for you: way one or two gives a first order of magnitude. Way four suits a sale or a family talk. At Immosmile, there is the online valuation: no formula, just a personal reply within 24 hours.

A free online valuation costs nothing. A paid online valuation with a model usually costs around CHF 400 for a single-family house.⁴ A bank valuation for a mortgage is usually free for you. The bank needs it for its own lending decision.⁴

A market-value appraisal by a professional often costs CHF 1,000 or more, depending on the work.⁴ For a house worth a million francs, that is around 0.1 per cent of the price.⁴ The higher price buys a viewing and a traceable document. If a court dispute follows, it can save a second valuation.⁴

At Immosmile, the valuation with a viewing and net figures is free. That holds even if you do not sell. Dominik Devaja views your house himself, in around 45 minutes. You receive the report in writing 48 hours after the visit.

What this means for you: cheaper does not mean better. With every valuation, ask whether anyone has seen the house, and what happens if the figure is challenged later.

The market value (Verkehrswert) is the price that could be achieved within twelve months under normal market conditions.³ It counts for a sale and helps when heirs divide an estate. The tax on an inherited property is also based on it.⁴

The tax value (Steuerwert) is a different figure: the basis for wealth tax. In the Canton of Zurich, the legal rules require it to lie between 70 and 100 per cent of the market value.² So the letter from your municipal tax office does not show what a buyer would actually pay.

The lending value (Belehnungswert) is a third figure: what your bank uses to calculate the mortgage. The background, including the banks’ calculation model, is covered in Hedonic valuation explained.

What this means for you: three terms, three purposes. Do not mistake the tax value for what you actually receive on a sale.

The basics are a land register extract (Grundbuchauszug), a cadastral plan and building drawings.³ Add the building insurance policy and the imputed rental value (Eigenmietwert), a notional rent still taxed as income. An old purchase contract can help, but it carries less weight over time.³

For a flat, you also need the deed of constitution (Begründungsakt) and the condominium association’s rules.³ Add the renewal fund balance, the latest minutes and annual accounts. At Immosmile, a valuation also works without a viewing, from floor plans, photos and the land register extract; the range is then wider.

Six things mainly drive the value itself. They are the location, the plot with its land value, and the year built. Also the physical condition, the standard of the kitchen and bathrooms, and demand in the neighbourhood.

What this means for you: the more documents you have ready, the more accurate any valuation becomes, whichever way you choose. At Immosmile, the first step takes two minutes on a form; no documents are needed yet.

A market value normally holds for around a year for the sale of a property.⁴ After that, it is usually no longer current, even if nothing has changed on the house itself. The reason: the market keeps moving, with or without your house.

At Immosmile, you receive the report in writing within 48 hours of the viewing. It gives the current picture and comparable properties from your area. Even so, a valuation stays a reasoned range, not a contract.

In the end, the market sets the actual price. That means supply, demand in the neighbourhood, and the buyer who actually signs. Even the best and most expensive valuations can sit around 10 per cent above or below the actual market value.⁴

What this means for you: a valuation is the starting point for your pricing strategy, not the last word. What remains after tax, mortgage and costs is shown by the net proceeds calculator.