Selling property in St. Margrethen: Stadler plans a larger plant

Anyone selling in St. Margrethen will find no official price figure. The Canton of St. Gallen keeps no median prices by municipality; the Canton of Zurich does. Portal values for St. Margrethen rest on offers, not on completed sales.

What is on record is the stock: St. Margrethen has 1,240 buildings with residential use in the Rheintal constituency. 775 of them are single-family houses, or 62.5%. The cantonal figure is 59.2%. St. Margrethen ranks 12 of 13 in the Rheintal constituency. In total, St. Margrethen has 3,213 dwellings. 63.9% were built before 1981, against 58.9% in the canton. 21.7 hectares of 217 hectares of building zone are undeveloped, or 10.0% (as of 2022). For the share of undeveloped zone, St. Margrethen ranks 7 of 75 in the canton.

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

Stadler Rail AG runs its competence centre for double-deck trains in St. Margrethen.¹⁴ From 20 August to 18 September 2025, the first amendment to the Altfeld special-use plan went on public display, together with a building application.¹⁴ It brings in a building plot held in reserve and three plots acquired since. The aim is a possible expansion of the works.¹⁴

The planning report gives the scale. Jobs rise from 1,450 to about 2,400 in a first phase, and to 2,800 at full build-out.¹⁴ The municipality has also brought the Baumgarten special-use plan into line with the new planning and building act and the revised framework plan.¹⁵ No objections were lodged during the public display. The referendum period ran until 28 September 2026.¹⁵

For sellers, this means the plant is planning for many more jobs. At the same time, a large share of buildings with residential use still run on oil or gas heating. A change of heating can become an issue before a sale.

In St. Margrethen, 792 of 1,240 buildings with residential use date from before 1981. That is 63.9%. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 18, counting from the highest share. In the Rheintal constituency: rank 2 of 13. St. Margrethen therefore has a higher share than the canton at 58.9%.

In St. Margrethen, oil or gas heats 923 buildings with residential use, 74.4%, against 50.0% in the canton. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 2, counting from the highest share. For many houses in St. Margrethen, heating is therefore on the agenda.

For a sale in St. Margrethen, records of heating, roof and windows show what has been renewed; they belong in the sale documents. On 1 January 2029, the imputed rental value and maintenance deduction end in St. Margrethen, as everywhere, for owner-occupied homes.¹ Whether a renovation pays off first is explained in Renovate or sell.

St. Margrethen has 6,731 residents. 1,160 of them, 17.2%, are 65 or older, against 19.9% in the canton. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 66, counting from the highest share. In the Rheintal constituency: rank 11 of 13. Compared with St. Margrethen, the figure in Altstätten is 19.8%.

On 1 June 2026, 64 homes in St. Margrethen were empty, 1.99% of the stock, against 1.16% in the canton. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 72, counting from the lowest vacancy. The rate for St. Margrethen covers rented and owner-occupied homes, not the supply of houses.

The municipal tax rate of St. Margrethen is 109%. Among the 75 municipalities in the canton, that is rank 27, counting from the lowest tax rate. It applies to income and wealth; the municipality atlas compares all municipalities. By public transport, Zurich HB is 95 minutes away from the St. Margrethen SG 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