Selling property in Mettmenstetten: thin house market, levy at its cap

The canton only publishes a median when at least 15 houses are sold on the open market in a year.² In Mettmenstetten there were only 13 in 2025, two too few. In 2015 the number was 17, and the median reached CHF 1,255,000.

In 2007 both property types stayed below the threshold, with 7 houses and 9 flats. The three reference years thus show strongly fluctuating sales numbers, for houses and flats alike. The years between these reference years are not evaluated on this page.

A house median from 2015 says little about a house sold today. What this means for you: the value of your house is derived individually, from plot, building and location, backed by comparable properties from the Knonaueramt. For a larger plot, a look at the building and zoning regulations belongs with it, because they contain the value capture rule.

More slowly than in the district. In 2015 the median of a condominium was CHF 915,000, from 35 sales.² In 2025 it was CHF 1,050,000, from 25 sales. That is a rise of 15 per cent.

In the district of Affoltern the median rose by 36 per cent over the same period, from CHF 847,500 to CHF 1,150,000. This figure is based on sales across the whole district, not only from Mettmenstetten. The Mettmenstetten median was therefore above the district median in 2015 and below it in 2025. It falls short of the cantonal median of CHF 1,200,000 by about 13 per cent.

The statistics do not reveal which flats were sold in the two years. A slower rise can also stem from the size, age or location of the flats sold. What this means for you: the median shows the direction, but your flat still needs its own derivation. For a house it is no yardstick.

Article 3 of the building and zoning regulations sets the levy at 40 per cent of the gain in value minus CHF 100,000.⁶ Cantonal law allows no municipality more.⁸ The rule has been in force since 30 October 2021. It was adopted by the municipal assembly.⁹

Only plots that have been upzoned or rezoned are affected. Below 1,200 square metres they are exempt; that is the smallest exempt area the law permits. This exemption falls away if the gain in value exceeds CHF 250,000.⁸

The levy only falls due with construction, not on sale. If the plot is sold first, the buyer takes over the obligation. That belongs in the purchase contract.⁸ What this means for you: for a large, upzoned or rezoned plot, an open levy can influence what a buyer is willing to pay. Clarify the status with the building authority before advertising.

The tariff is cantonal; Mettmenstetten merely levies the tax.¹ It rises in steps. The first CHF 4,000 of gain is taxed at 10 per cent, every franc above CHF 100,000 at 40 per cent. Only a small part of the example gain lies above that. After 10 full years there is a 20 per cent reduction, leaving CHF 34,720.

With 20 full years the reduction would rise to 50 per cent, and no further: the tax would then be CHF 21,700.¹ After more than 20 years, the market value of 20 years ago may replace the purchase price. Documented value-enhancing investments count; plain maintenance does not.

If you buy another home in Switzerland, the tax can be deferred, provided you live in both properties yourself.¹⁰ If only part of the proceeds goes into the replacement, the rest is taxed at once. If the replacement costs no more than your former outlay for purchase and investments, there is no deferral. Deferred is not waived.