Selling property in Ettiswil: the lowest vacancy in the canton

Anyone selling in Ettiswil will find no official price figure. The Canton of Lucerne keeps no median prices by municipality; the Canton of Zurich does. Listing figures for Ettiswil show what is asked, not what was paid.

What is on record is the stock: Ettiswil has 630 buildings with residential use in the Willisau constituency. 304 of them are single-family houses, or 48.3%. The cantonal figure is 45.3%. Ettiswil ranks 10 of 21 in the Willisau constituency. In total, Ettiswil has 1,275 dwellings. 41.7% were built before 1981, against 49.9% in the canton. 1.5 hectares of 63.1 hectares of building zone are undeveloped, or 2.4% (as of 2022). For the share of undeveloped zone, Ettiswil ranks 74 of 79 in the canton.

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

In Ettiswil, 263 of 630 buildings with residential use date from before 1981. That is 41.7%. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 51, counting from the highest share. In the Willisau constituency: rank 18 of 21. Ettiswil therefore has a lower share than the canton at 49.9%. Compared with Ettiswil, the figure in Willisau is 54.0%.

In Ettiswil, oil or gas heats 228 buildings with residential use, 36.2%, against 39.7% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 21, counting from the highest share. In Ettiswil, a smaller share of houses uses oil or gas than in the canton.

Anyone selling in Ettiswil adds records of heating, roof and windows to the sale documents. From 1 January 2029, owners living in their home in Ettiswil lose the imputed rental value and the maintenance deduction.¹ The calculation before a renovation is in Renovate or sell.

Ettiswil has 2,877 residents. 507 of them, 17.6%, are 65 or older, against 19.4% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 49, counting from the highest share. In the Willisau constituency: rank 13 of 21. Compared with Ettiswil, the figure in Willisau is 21.7%.

On 1 June 2026, 0 homes in Ettiswil were empty, 0.00% of the stock, against 0.70% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 1, counting from the lowest vacancy. The rate for Ettiswil covers rented and owner-occupied homes, not the supply of houses.

The municipal tax rate of Ettiswil is 2.15 units. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 62, counting from the lowest tax rate. How Ettiswil compares for the same income and wealth is shown in the municipality atlas. By public transport, Zurich HB is 73 minutes away from the Ettiswil, Dorf stop, with 3 changes.

In Lucerne, property gains tax follows the income tax scale for single people, even for married couples. The law multiplies this by 4.2 units, the same everywhere. Under five years owned, the tax rises by up to 50 per cent. After more than nine years, it falls by up to 25 per cent.²

Sellers of an owner-occupied home may defer the tax. They must buy or build a new Swiss home within two years before or after the sale. A holiday or second home does not count. Only the part by which it costs more than their acquisition costs is deferred. Deferred does not mean waived. The deferred gain is taxed when the new home is sold.²

A property transfer tax of 1.5 per cent of the purchase price also applies. The buyer alone owes it.³

Only a Lucerne notary may certify the purchase contract. This can be a lawyer with an office in the canton, or a licensed municipal clerk.⁴