Selling property in Quarten: figures and rules

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

What is on record is the stock: Quarten has 1,307 buildings with residential use in the Sarganserland constituency. 781 of them are single-family houses, or 59.8%. The cantonal figure is 59.2%. Quarten ranks 3 of 8 in the Sarganserland constituency. In total, Quarten has 2,350 dwellings. 67.9% were built before 1981, against 58.9% in the canton. 9.3 hectares of 120.7 hectares of building zone are undeveloped, or 7.7% (as of 2022). For the share of undeveloped zone, Quarten ranks 22 of 75 in the canton.

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

In Quarten, 887 of 1,307 buildings with residential use date from before 1981. That is 67.9%. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 9, counting from the highest share. In the Sarganserland constituency: rank 2 of 8. Quarten therefore has a higher share than the canton at 58.9%. Compared with Quarten, the figure in Mels is 58.4%.

In Quarten, oil or gas heats 616 buildings with residential use, 47.1%, against 50.0% in the canton. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 40, counting from the highest share. In Quarten, a smaller share of houses uses oil or gas than in the canton.

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

Quarten has 3,118 residents. 716 of them, 23.0%, are 65 or older, against 19.9% in the canton. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 11, counting from the highest share. In the Sarganserland constituency: rank 2 of 8. Compared with Quarten, the figure in Mels is 19.2%.

On 1 June 2026, 15 homes in Quarten were empty, 0.64% of the stock, against 1.16% in the canton. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 28, counting from the lowest vacancy. For Quarten, the figure counts all homes; it does not measure houses on the market.

The municipal tax rate of Quarten is 102%. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 19, counting from the lowest tax rate. How Quarten compares for the same income and wealth is shown in the municipality atlas. By public transport, Zurich HB is 77 minutes away from the Quarten, Kirche stop, with 1 change.

The canton taxes the gain on sale, price minus costs, on a progressive scale.² After more than 15 years of ownership, the tax falls yearly, by up to 40.5% if you lived there 15 years or more.² This applies to the gain up to CHF 500,000; otherwise the cap is 20%.² Within 5 years, the tax rises.²

Selling a home you lived in permanently and exclusively can defer all or part of the tax.³ You buy a similarly used home in Switzerland from 1 year before to 3 years after the sale.⁴ Deferred does not mean waived.³

The buyer owes a 1% transfer tax (Handänderungssteuer) on the price.⁵ The seller is jointly liable; between parents and children, half the rate applies.⁵

The municipal land registry where the property lies notarises the sale contract.⁶ The registry fee is 0.2% up to CHF 2 million, 0.05% above.⁷ If the land registry also notarises the contract, the fee doubles.⁷