Selling property in Seegräben: a station under another name

The cantonal model puts residential building land in Seegräben at CHF 1,708 per square metre for 2025. In 2015 it was CHF 938, a rise of 82.1 per cent.⁷ Of the 160 Zurich municipalities, 52 show a stronger rise, 107 a weaker one.

The canton as a whole has a second measure. From 2021 to 2025, residential building land actually sold for a median of CHF 1,742 per square metre. The two values are built differently; the Seegräben model value sits just below it. The model's typical range runs from CHF 1,193 to CHF 2,454 per square metre. Both figures only show a direction, not the value of a particular plot.

Only undeveloped land is valued, not your plot and not the house on it. For a house in Seegräben, the building comes on top, with its age, condition and fit-out. Both are derived separately and backed with documents.

The station bears the name of the hamlet of Aathal, not of the municipality. A check against the official municipal boundaries shows nonetheless: the stop sits on the ground of Seegräben, not on neighbouring land.

From there, the S14 reaches Zürich HB with one change onto the S5, from 27 minutes.⁵ A through connection on the S14 takes 28 minutes, only a minute slower. A second stop, Seegräben, Gemeindehaus, also lies in the village, but takes much longer by bus.

What this means for you: the name on the board says little about the municipal boundary. With prices, too, a first glance helps little. No median for a house or flat exists in Seegräben in any of the three reference years. In 2025, 4 houses and 5 flats changed hands, both numbers well short of the official threshold of 15 sales.

The tariff applies across the canton; Seegräben only levies the tax.¹ It climbs in steps from 10 per cent on the first CHF 4,000 to 40 per cent on gains above CHF 100,000. Long ownership pays: in the example, 10 full years bring a 20 per cent reduction.

The reduction is highest from 20 full years: half. On the same gain, CHF 45,500 would then be due instead of CHF 72,800. For a purchase more than 20 years ago, the market value of 20 years ago may replace the purchase price. Documented value-enhancing investments reduce the gain further; maintenance does not.

Acquire an owner-occupied replacement home in Switzerland afterwards, and the tax can be deferred. You must have lived in the previous property yourself. If the new property costs less than the proceeds, the difference is taxable at once. If it costs no more than the old purchase price and investments, there is no deferral.⁹ Deferred does not mean waived.