Selling property in Obersiggenthal: a value capture levy since 2014

Anyone selling in Obersiggenthal will find no official price figure. The Canton of Aargau keeps no median prices by municipality; the Canton of Zurich does. What portals quote for Obersiggenthal are asking prices, not prices paid.

What is on record is the stock: Obersiggenthal has 1,575 buildings with residential use in the Baden district. 991 of them are single-family houses, or 62.9%. The cantonal figure is 65.9%. Obersiggenthal ranks 18 of 25 in the Baden district. In total, Obersiggenthal has 4,270 dwellings. 61.0% were built before 1981, against 51.8% in the canton. 4.9 hectares of 171.1 hectares of building zone are undeveloped, or 2.9% (as of 2022). For the share of undeveloped zone, Obersiggenthal ranks 162 of 196 in the canton.

What your house in Obersiggenthal is worth follows from comparable sales, the plot and its condition. The free assessment provides a written range with its explanation.

Obersiggenthal's building and zoning order was adopted by the municipal parliament on 17 October 2013. The cantonal government approved it on 19 March 2014.¹²

Section 6 governs the value capture levy. If land becomes building land, or a green zone becomes residential, the owner owes the municipality 25 per cent of the gain.¹² For new building land, federal and cantonal rules take precedence.¹²

Payment is due within 30 days of a sale, before building starts, or at most six years after the zoning change takes effect. Until then, no building may start on the land. A note in the land register records this.¹² Checking the land register before a sale therefore brings clarity.

The municipality earmarks the proceeds, for example for planning work and public infrastructure. A council guideline aims to allocate them by 2030 where possible.¹³ An ordinary house sale without a zoning change does not trigger the levy.

In Obersiggenthal, 961 of 1,575 buildings with residential use date from before 1981. That is 61.0%. Among the 196 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 24, counting from the highest share. In the Baden district: rank 4 of 25. Obersiggenthal therefore has a higher share than the canton at 51.8%. Compared with Obersiggenthal, the figure in Baden is 60.3%.

In Obersiggenthal, oil or gas heats 880 buildings with residential use, 55.9%, against 51.8% in the canton. Among the 196 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 50, counting from the highest share. For many owners in Obersiggenthal, the heating is therefore a topic.

Records of heating, roof and windows therefore belong in the sale documents for Obersiggenthal. For owner-occupied homes in Obersiggenthal, the imputed rental value and the maintenance deduction end on 1 January 2029.¹ Whether a renovation in Obersiggenthal still pays off first is covered in Renovate or sell.

Obersiggenthal has 9,020 residents. 1,907 of them, 21.1%, are 65 or older, against 19.5% in the canton. Among the 196 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 58, counting from the highest share. In the Baden district: rank 5 of 25.

On 1 June 2026, 20 homes in Obersiggenthal were empty, 0.47% of the stock, against 1.05% in the canton. Among the 196 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 45, counting from the lowest vacancy. In Obersiggenthal, rented and owned homes are counted; the figure does not show how many houses are for sale.

The municipal tax rate of Obersiggenthal is 110%. Among the 196 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 107, counting from the lowest tax rate. How Obersiggenthal compares for the same income and wealth is shown in the municipality atlas. By public transport, Zurich HB is 32 minutes away from the Nussbaumen AG, Markthof stop, with 1 change.

In Aargau, property gains tax falls with every full year of ownership. The rate drops from 40 per cent in year one to 5 per cent after 25 full years.² After more than ten full years, a house gets at least a flat-rate cost deduction: 80 down to 65 per cent of the sale price.³

If you sell your permanent and exclusive home, you can apply to defer the tax.² You must buy or build a new Swiss home within 2 years before or 3 years after the sale.² Only the reinvested proceeds are deferred.² Deferred does not mean waived: the next taxable sale also taxes this gain.²

Aargau has no classic transfer tax. Instead, the canton charges a land register levy (Grundbuchabgabe) on every sale: 4 per mille of the price.⁴ Buyer and seller are jointly liable; the law does not say who bears it.⁴

Only an Aargau notary (Urkundsperson) may notarise the sale contract.⁵