On this page
Suppose you read that houses in Wald have become 83 per cent more expensive since 2015. That sounds like a good moment to sell. The figure is correct, official and verifiable. It just says less about your house than it promises.
The house median was CHF 604,000 in 2007 and CHF 600,000 in 2015. In 2025 it is CHF 1,100,000. In 2015 it was even below the flat median. Jumps like this can occur when a figure rests on only a few sales.
How reliable is this house median for your house?
Worked example
Worked example, Wald: house, 18 years of ownership
Assumption: bought in 2007 and sold in 2025, each at the Wald median for houses, without investments, costs or deferral.
- Sale price (median 2025, provisional)
- CHF 1,100,000
- Purchase price (median 2007)
- – CHF 604,000
- Property gain
- CHF 496,000
- Tax per tariff, before reduction
- CHF 187,800
- Reduction for 18 full years: 44%
- – CHF 82,632
- Property gains tax
- CHF 105,168
- Remaining after tax, before mortgage
- CHF 994,832
How reliable is the Wald house median?
As a guide it is useful; as a price for your house it is not. The canton only publishes a median from 15 sales a year.2 In Wald there were exactly 15 in 2015, and 21 in 2025. With so few cases, a handful of large or new houses can shift the middle noticeably.
One sign of this: in 2015 the house median, at CHF 600,000, was below the flat median of CHF 670,000.2 That can be down to the mix. If mainly smaller or older houses were sold in a given year, the median comes out lower. The next year it can be the other way round.
What this means for you: do not count on the 83 per cent; count on your house. Plot, year of construction, condition and location determine the value. Per square metre of plot, a house cost a median of CHF 1,541 in 2025.2 That too is a middle value, not a price for your property.
What does the high Wald tax rate mean if you move afterwards?
Wald has a municipal tax rate of 122 per cent, 217 per cent including the canton.3 Only 5 of the 160 Zurich municipalities have a higher tax rate, and 4 more are level with Wald. The tax rate affects income and wealth, not the property gains tax.
If you move after the sale, the tax rate of the new municipality applies. On the same income, Wetzikon would mean about 1 per cent less cantonal and municipal tax, Uster about 5 per cent less. In Stäfa it would be about 18 per cent less. These figures come from the ratio of the total tax rates, excluding church tax.
If the proceeds sit in your account after the sale, they count as wealth. Your municipality of residence taxes that too, at its own rate.3 What this means for you: include your next place of residence in the calculation. A move changes your ongoing taxes for years, in one direction or the other.
How much property gains tax does a house sale in Wald cost?
In the median example, CHF 105,168. In 2007 the house cost a median of CHF 604,000, in 2025 CHF 1,100,000.2 The tax takes 21.2 per cent of the CHF 496,000 gain. Measured against the sale price, it is 9.6 per cent.1
The canton sets the same tariff for all municipalities; the high tax rate plays no part here.1 After 20 full years the tax is halved, to CHF 93,900 in the example. Documented investments that add value, such as an extension, reduce the gain. Usual selling costs can also be deducted, ordinary maintenance cannot.1
If you bought more than 20 years ago, you may use the market value from 20 years ago instead of the old price.1 Which option comes out lower only shows in the calculation with your figures. What this means for you: find your purchase contract and invoices before you name a price.
| Indicator | Wald | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price (21 sales) | CHF 1,100,000 | 2025, provisional |
| Median condominium price (33 sales) | CHF 955,000 | 2025, provisional |
| Median house / flat (15 / 25 sales) | CHF 600,000 / CHF 670,000 | 2015 |
| Residential building land per m² (cantonal model) | CHF 753 (2015: CHF 460) | 2025, provisional |
| Residents, of whom 65 and over | 10,663, of whom 2,162 (20.3%) | 2025 |
| Tax rate municipal / total, excl. church | 122% / 217% | 2026 |
| Train from Wald ZH to Zürich HB | from 42 minutes (S 26, 1 change) | October 2026 timetable |
| Municipal value capture levy | none today (draft only pre-examined) | October 2026 |
What matters in Wald for buyers and sellers?
In 2025, 21 houses and 33 flats were sold on the open market in Wald.2 A flat cost a median of CHF 955,000, 43 per cent more than in 2015. The house median is 31 per cent below the canton. Among the 52 Zurich municipalities with a 2025 house median, that is the lowest.
Of the population, 20.3 per cent are 65 or older, 2,162 of 10,663 people.4 From Wald ZH station you reach Zürich HB from 42 minutes, on the S 26 with one change.5 The cantonal model puts residential building land at CHF 753 per square metre, lower than in 134 of the 160 Zurich municipalities.11
Is there a value capture levy in Wald?
Wald does not charge a levy of its own today. The valid building and zoning regulations contain no article on value capture.6 The canton has only pre-examined a draft; it is not in force.7 Without a municipal rule, no municipal levy is charged.8
If land is newly zoned for building, the canton charges its own levy of 20 per cent of the increase in value.8 It falls due with the building permit or on a sale.9 Whether and from when a municipal rule applies in Wald can be confirmed by the building office.
In Wald, the median is a starting point and no more. I derive the value from your house and calculate tax and net proceeds, including for your next place of residence. Without sales pressure.
Prefer to talk? +41 76 325 11 95 – you speak directly with Dominik Devaja.
Estate agent in Wald
Selling in Wald with Immosmile: four phases, one contact person
I support sales throughout the Canton of Zurich, including Wald. Through all four phases you have one contact person: me, Dominik Devaja, managing director of Immosmile. You pay nothing beforehand. Our fee falls due only when you sign the contract at the notary (Beurkundung).
-
Clarity
Independent valuation, net calculation after taxes and costs, a look at what comes after. You decide on figures, not on hearsay.
-
Preview
Before anyone sees your house, film, photography and exposé are produced. Then we show it to vetted buyers first – not yet on the portals.
-
Market decision
You receive the demand report and every offer immediately. Then you choose the path to the best price: accept, bidding round – or the broad public phase on the portals, the normal case.
-
Completion & move
Notary appointment, key handover, documents for what comes after – and, if you wish, guidance into your next home. Our fee only falls due now, with the notarised deed.
The full process in detail What is your property in Wald worth?
What else do owners in Wald ask?
How do I find the right estate agent in Wald?
Ask how an agent would justify the value without the house median. I handle sales across the whole Canton of Zurich. A good assessment shows comparable sales, separates land and building and calculates tax and net proceeds. The 12 checking questions help you compare.
Will house prices in Wald keep rising this fast?
Nobody can seriously promise that. The median shows what was traded in 2025, not what is to come. The 2025 values are also still provisional.
Do I need to allow for a value capture levy in Wald?
There is no municipal levy today. Land newly zoned for building is different: there the canton charges its own levy. Whether the municipality introduces a rule of its own later can be confirmed by the building office.
Sources
- Tax Act of the Canton of Zurich (StG ZH, LS 631.1), §§ 205, 219, 220(2), 221, 225 (Nachtrag 132), in German · as of 1.4.2026, retrieved 15.10.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Office for Statistics and Data: Freihandverkäufe von Immobilien inkl. Medianpreisen seit 2007 (KTZH_00000077) · data as of 2025/Q4, 2023–2025 values provisional, retrieved 15.10.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Statistical Office: municipal tax rates 2026, in German · as of 24.03.2026, final
- Canton of Zurich, Statistical Office: population by municipality and age (KTZH_00000254) · year 2025, retrieved 15.10.2026
- SBB online timetable: Wald ZH – Zürich HB, fastest connection departing 09:00–09:59 · October 2026 timetable, queried 15.10.2026 for 20 and 22.10.2026
- Municipality of Wald: building and zoning regulations, valid version (last approved 26.5.2017), in German · retrieved 15.10.2026
- Building Department, Canton of Zurich: status of value capture levies in the municipalities (map), in German · retrieved 15.10.2026
- Value Capture Act of the Canton of Zurich (MAG, LS 700.9), §§ 2, 4, 10, 19, in German · retrieved 09.10.2026
- Value Capture Ordinance of the Canton of Zurich (MAV, LS 700.91), § 20, in German · retrieved 09.10.2026
- Government Council, Canton of Zurich: RRB No. 42/2026, cantonal tax rate 2026 (95%), in German · dated 14.01.2026
- Canton of Zurich, Office for Statistics and Data: property prices in the Canton of Zurich (KTZH_00003158), residential building land, model value per municipality in CHF/m², in German · data as of 2025/Q4, 2022–2025 values provisional, retrieved 15.10.2026
General information without guarantee, not individual advice. The law, the tax assessment and advice from professionals for your situation are what count. Terms of use
