Selling property in Affoltern a.A.: houses above the canton

Above all in the last ten years. In 2015 the house median was CHF 950,000, in 2025 CHF 1,775,000.² That is an increase of 87 per cent. For flats it was 38 per cent, from CHF 820,000 to CHF 1,129,500. Flats are therefore 6 per cent below the canton, houses 12 per cent above.

A word of caution on the 2015 house median: it rests on exactly 15 sales, the minimum for an official figure. In 2025 there were 22. Part of the jump may come down to which houses were sold in which year.

But the rise also shows in the land. The cantonal model puts residential building land in Affoltern at CHF 1,978 per square metre in 2025, 82 per cent more than in 2015.⁸ What this means for you: your house is worth more than before, but not automatically 87 per cent more. That can be checked on the property itself.

In the example, CHF 216,944. Almost a million lies between the 2007 and 2025 medians; the gain is CHF 995,000.¹ The tax takes 12.2 per cent of the sale price. The tariff is the same throughout the canton. Parts of the gain above CHF 100,000 are taxed at 40 per cent.

Three things lower the bill legally. Documented investments such as an extension or a converted attic reduce the gain.¹ From 20 full years the tax is halved, in the example to CHF 193,700. And if you bought more than 20 years ago, you may use the market value from 20 years ago instead of the old price.¹

Then there is deferral. Did you live in the house permanently and exclusively yourself? If you then buy a home for the same use in Switzerland within a reasonable period, the tax is deferred.¹ This applies only to the extent the proceeds are used for it. What this means for you: check every lever before the sale.

Affoltern has a high tax rate: 122 per cent, 217 per cent including the canton.³ Only 5 of the 160 Zurich municipalities are higher. It only affects income and wealth, not the tax on the sale gain. If you move after the sale, your annual tax can therefore change noticeably.

Compare on the same income. In Langnau am Albis you would pay about 7 per cent less cantonal and municipal tax, in Wädenswil about 9 per cent less. In Horgen it is about 15 per cent less. If the proceeds sit in your account after the sale, they count as wealth, which is also subject to the tax rate of your municipality.

In Affoltern, 2,580 people are 65 or older, 20.1 per cent of the population.⁴ From Affoltern am Albis station the S 14 runs to Zürich HB from 28 minutes without changing.⁵ What this means for you: treat the sale and your next home as one package, calculated with your own figures.