Selling property in Willisau: new zoning plan awaiting approval

Official statistics on prices paid are missing for Willisau. The Canton of Lucerne does not collect them by municipality, unlike the Canton of Zurich. Listing figures for Willisau show what is asked, not what was paid.

What is on record is the stock: Willisau has 1,788 buildings with residential use in the Willisau constituency. 743 of them are single-family houses, or 41.6%. The cantonal figure is 45.3%. Willisau ranks 16 of 21 in the Willisau constituency. In total, Willisau has 4,408 dwellings. 54.0% were built before 1981, against 49.9% in the canton. 30.7 hectares of 263.5 hectares of building zone are undeveloped, or 11.7% (as of 2022). For the share of undeveloped zone, Willisau ranks 20 of 79 in the canton.

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

The partial revision brings the Gettnau district into the town’s zoning plan. The municipal assembly approved it by a large majority on 2 September 2025 and dismissed two objections.¹¹ In May 2026, the documents lay with the cantonal government. According to the town council, the new plan may take effect in the second half of 2026.¹¹

On certain rezonings and upzonings, the town levies 20 per cent of the resulting gain in land value. This applies in areas requiring a development or design plan, and to development plans. Below a gain of CHF 100,000, nothing is due. The ordinance has been in force since 3 September 2020.¹²

A population survey found that housing for older people still falls short. A statement from May 2025 described care places in and around Willisau as scarce.¹³ A feasibility study was completed at the end of November 2025. Its sponsors currently see a joint body for the two care homes as the wrong route.¹¹

In Willisau, 966 of 1,788 buildings with residential use date from before 1981. That is 54.0%. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 13, counting from the highest share. In the Willisau constituency: rank 2 of 21. Willisau therefore has a higher share than the canton at 49.9%. Compared with Willisau, the figure in Reiden is 51.3%.

In Willisau, oil or gas heats 645 buildings with residential use, 36.1%, against 39.7% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 22, counting from the highest share. Oil and gas are less common in Willisau than the cantonal average.

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

Willisau has 9,297 residents. 2,018 of them, 21.7%, are 65 or older, against 19.4% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 12, counting from the highest share. In the Willisau constituency: rank 1 of 21. Compared with Willisau, the figure in Reiden is 19.0%.

On 1 June 2026, 27 homes in Willisau were empty, 0.61% of the stock, against 0.70% in the canton. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 48, counting from the lowest vacancy. The rate for Willisau covers rented and owner-occupied homes, not the supply of houses.

The municipal tax rate of Willisau is 2.1 units. Among the 79 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 53, counting from the lowest tax rate. It applies to income and wealth; the municipality atlas compares all municipalities. By public transport, Zurich HB is 73 minutes away from the Willisau 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