Selling property in Root: a young municipality's biggest project

There is no official price series for Root. Unlike the Canton of Zurich, the Canton of Lucerne publishes no median prices by municipality. What portals quote for Root are asking prices, not prices paid.

What is on record is the stock: Root has 882 buildings with residential use in the Luzern-Land constituency. 446 of them are single-family houses, or 50.6%. The cantonal figure is 45.3%. Root ranks 10 of 16 in the Luzern-Land constituency. In total, Root has 3,042 dwellings. 30.8% were built before 1981, against 49.9% in the canton. 43.6 hectares of 217.6 hectares of building zone are undeveloped, or 20.0% (as of 2022). For the share of undeveloped zone, Root ranks 4 of 79 in the canton.

For a single house in Root, location, plot, age and condition count, measured against comparable sales. You receive a written price range with its reasoning in the free assessment.

At 13.8 per cent, Root has one of the lowest shares of residents aged 65 or over of any Lucerne municipality.¹¹ That is rank 2 of 79, level with Gisikon. Only Altishofen is younger still.¹¹ Fittingly, the municipality is building the new Hagenmatt school complex for CHF 41.5 million. Ground was broken on 9 January 2025.¹² It is the largest municipal building project in Root's history.¹²

The plans include a triple sports hall, ten specialist classrooms, seven secondary classrooms and rooms for day care.¹² The new rooms are due to open at the start of the 2027/28 school year.¹² In the centre, at Bahnhofstrasse 5, 7 and 9, the municipal council granted the building permit for the GILLI development on 17 September 2025.¹³ For a house sale in Root, one point stands out. A young municipality is investing visibly in its school and in its centre.

In Root, 272 of 882 buildings with residential use date from before 1981. That is 30.8%. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 74, counting from the highest share. In the Luzern-Land constituency: rank 14 of 16. Root therefore has a lower share than the canton at 49.9%. Compared with Root, the figure in Kriens is 55.3%.

In Root, oil or gas heats 320 buildings with residential use, 36.3%, against 39.7% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 19, counting from the highest share. Oil and gas are less common in Root than the cantonal average.

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

Root has 6,712 residents. 924 of them, 13.8%, are 65 or older, against 19.4% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 77, counting from the highest share. In the Luzern-Land constituency: rank 15 of 16. Compared with Root, the figure in Kriens is 21.0%.

On 1 June 2026, 35 homes in Root were empty, 1.15% of the stock, against 0.70% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 68, counting from the lowest vacancy. The rate for Root covers rented and owner-occupied homes, not the supply of houses.

The municipal tax rate of Root is 1.5 units. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 9, counting from the lowest tax rate. It applies to income and wealth; the municipality atlas compares all municipalities. By public transport, Zurich HB is 53 minutes away from the Root, Dorf stop, with 2 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