Selling property in Herisau: a new station, a zoning plan from 1995

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

What is on record is the stock: Herisau has 3,218 buildings with residential use in the Hinterland district. 1,558 of them are single-family houses, or 48.4%. The cantonal figure is 56.8%. Herisau ranks 6 of 7 in the Hinterland district. In total, Herisau has 8,818 dwellings. 68.6% were built before 1981, against 71.8% in the canton. 28.9 hectares of 380.4 hectares of building zone are undeveloped, or 7.6% (as of 2022). For the share of undeveloped zone, Herisau ranks 8 of 20 in the canton.

The price of your house in Herisau depends on location, plot and building, measured against similar sales. The free assessment gives you a written price range with its reasoning.

Herisau is rebuilding its station into a modern transport hub.¹¹ Nearly CHF 60 million is being invested, probably a good quarter of it through the federal agglomeration programme.¹¹ Herisau voters approved the project on 27 September 2020, with 78.7% in favour.¹¹ Cantonal voters backed moving the road junction on the same day, with 68.6%.¹¹ Work on the Bahnhofstrasse junction was completed at the end of 2023.¹² The western section of Güterstrasse is being rebuilt between 2024 and 2026.¹³

The town's legally binding zoning, however, still dates from 1995.¹⁴ Voters rejected a revision in 2013.¹⁴ Federal and cantonal planning law have since changed.¹⁴ Public consultation on the new 2050 spatial concept took place in May 2025.¹⁴ After a cantonal preliminary review, consultation on the draft structure plan ran until 6 September 2026.¹⁵ The future zoning is therefore not yet settled. Herisau also has the canton's highest share of oil and gas heating, ranking 1 of 20. Records of heating and renovation therefore matter for any sale.

In Herisau, 2,206 of 3,218 buildings with residential use date from before 1981. That is 68.6%. Among the 20 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 17, counting from the highest share. In the Hinterland district: rank 6 of 7. Herisau therefore has a lower share than the canton at 71.8%. Compared with Herisau, the figure in Urnäsch is 80.3%.

In Herisau, oil or gas heats 2,177 buildings with residential use, 67.7%, against 48.9% in the canton. Among the 20 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 1, counting from the highest share. For many houses in Herisau, heating is therefore on the agenda.

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

Herisau has 16,100 residents. 3,442 of them, 21.4%, are 65 or older, against 22.2% in the canton. Among the 20 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 16, counting from the highest share. In the Hinterland district: rank 4 of 7. Compared with Herisau, the figure in Urnäsch is 22.5%.

On 1 June 2026, 99 homes in Herisau were empty, 1.12% of the stock, against 1.12% in the canton. Among the 20 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 12, counting from the lowest vacancy. For Herisau, the figure counts all homes; it does not measure houses on the market.

The municipal tax rate of Herisau is 4.1 units. Among the 20 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 14, counting from the lowest tax rate. It applies to income and wealth; the municipality atlas compares all municipalities. By public transport, Zurich HB is 71 minutes away from the Herisau stop, with 1 change.

Appenzell Ausserrhoden taxes the sale gain at a flat 30 per cent, whatever the amount.² Below four years of ownership, a surcharge applies. From the eleventh full year, the tax falls, up to half after 30 years.²

Replace your permanently owner-occupied home with a new one in Switzerland, and the canton defers the tax, so far as the proceeds fund it.^{2 3} Deadline: three years after or one year before the sale.³ Buy only after the sale, and you pay first; deferral follows on request.³

The municipality also levies a transfer tax of at most 2 per cent. It may set a lower rate.² Buyer and seller agree freely who pays; otherwise, each owes half.³

The sale contract is notarised by the land registry office of the municipality where the property lies.⁴ Buyer and seller sign there, as they would with a notary elsewhere.⁴