Personally guided · Across the Canton of Zurich
Sell your property
successfully.
First you learn two numbers: what your home is worth – and what of it actually stays with you. Only then do you decide. After that we take over everything: documents, film, marketing, viewings, negotiation. You pay nothing upfront; our fee only becomes due once the deed is signed at the notary.
A handshake, a reservation, the highest bid: none of them sells your house. The Swiss Code of Obligations (Obligationenrecht) explains why.
The process · Canton of Zurich
Selling a house with an estate agent: how do I go about it?
Through estate agent Immosmile, you sell your house in four phases, with the final say in each. Your written valuation, with net proceeds, follows 48 hours after our first meeting. For heirs selling their parents' home, we first speak to each one alone. Then vetted buyers see your house before the portals; you get every offer at once and choose your buyer.
Legally, the purchase contract is only valid as a public deed, signed before a notary. Article 216 of the Swiss Code of Obligations says so, for preliminary contracts too (checked in September 2026). The Canton of Zurich's notary offices (Notariate) draft the contract from your details and a conversation. Then comes the entry in the land register (Grundbuch), the official record of who owns land.
What this means for you: nothing is sold before notarisation. Buyers, too, can pull out until then. So each offer states whether financing is confirmed. We only earn once your sale is valid; everything before is our upfront work.
Whether selling adds up for you or your parents, you will see in black and white before anyone signs.
Typical situations
Do you recognise yourself in one of these situations?
Three starting points we encounter again and again at the kitchen table – and how we approach them.
Situation 01 · Community of heirs
«We will never agree on our parents' house.»
One sibling wants to keep, two want to sell. The house stands empty, the running costs continue, and every conversation ends at the price.
First individual conversations with everyone, then a neutral, independent valuation as common ground – everyone sees the same figures. Then a written plan with dates that everyone can sign.
The argument shifts from the price to the matter itself: instead of three opinions there is one documented figure, clear roles, and a process that puts no one at a disadvantage.
Situation 02 · After the children move out
«If we sell first – will we end up without a home?»
A couple wants to move into an apartment. The worry: sell first and find nothing – or buy and sit on two properties.
«The safe move»: the search for the new home starts before the sale, the purchase contract gets a handover date with buffer, and if needed you stay on as a tenant for a transition period – coordinated with bank and notary.
Your sale is never made dependent on a rushed purchase decision – and you are never left without a home.
Situation 03 · Renovate or sell
«Do I have to renovate extensively before selling?»
Kitchen and bathrooms in original condition, two contractor quotes on the table – and no one can say whether it will ever pay off in the sale.
We weigh every quote against the demand in your municipality. Often only a few visible measures pay off – paint, light, garden. The rest belongs to the buyer, who will remodel anyway.
We only invest what shows up in the sale price. We tell you in writing – before you spend a single franc.
The Immosmile launch
How your sale works: four phases, one contact person.
Phase 1 costs you nothing and commits you to nothing.
Get your valuation in writingPhase 2 · Before the portals
Preview: private first, then public.
«If we sell, we do it properly. But I don't want half the neighbourhood looking at our living room online», you may be thinking. In the preview, we first show your house to selected, vetted buyers, before it appears on a public property portal.
One limit comes with it: we do not promise that your house will never appear online. The preview is a head start, not a hiding place. Normally, the listing on the portals follows. Your house then starts there not from zero, but with a finished film and documented demand.
The demand report shows you in writing how your house was received in the preview – the basis for your decision. If an offer comes in, you see it immediately, with a note on the financing.
Can I sell my house without it appearing online?
As far as the public property portals go, yes: your house does not appear there first. Before that, we present it to selected, vetted buyers. If an offer convinces you, you decide whether to accept it.
The normal next step is the public phase on the portals, and you decide on that step too. So with us, discreet means this: the preview sets the order – it does not make your house invisible.
Phase 2 · Marketing
Film and photography, produced in-house.
A standard photo shows a room. A film shows life in your house: where the light falls, how you step into the garden. We produce film, photography and the exposé, our sales brochure, in-house before the first buyer comes. So buyers can see what to expect before viewing; viewings are individual appointments with a buyer conversation.
All of this is included and at our expense. You can terminate your sales mandate at any time. If you terminate after the production release, your go-ahead for film and photos, we charge at most documented expenses. In the preview or on the portals, your house shows how much care went into it.
Preparation · Canton of Zurich
What should I consider before selling my house?
Before selling your house, clarify three things: net proceeds, invoices that cut the tax, and your next home. Property gains tax (Grundstückgewinnsteuer) taxes the gain on your sale. For a house sale in the Canton of Zurich, it falls after five full years of ownership. After twenty years, it is halved (§ 225 Zurich Tax Act, as of October 2026).
Simply put, gain means sale price minus original price, as shown in your old purchase contract. Every invoice for work that made the house worth more reduces this gain. With a fixed-rate mortgage still running, ask your bank about the early repayment charge (Vorfälligkeitsentschädigung). We look for your next home with you before the sale, not after.
What this means for you: find the contract and invoices before you move. Use them to work out what is left after property gains tax yourself. If waiting or keeping is better, we say so in writing.
Tax information: Canton of Zurich, as of October 2026. Reference value, not a tax ruling. General information, not legal or tax advice for your individual case.
Selling privately · Switzerland
Selling a house without an estate agent: is it possible in Switzerland?
Yes, in Switzerland you may sell your house yourself, without an estate agent. The sale must be notarised as a public deed (Article 216 Swiss Code of Obligations, checked in September 2026). In the Canton of Zurich, you sign at the notary office. If you already know your buyer – your daughter, say, or the neighbour – you need no estate agent, just the notarisation.
You can advertise the house yourself, that is true. But if you still need to find a buyer, that is work no advert does for you. We take on film, photography and exposé, the preview, individual viewings and the negotiation. And we only ever represent one side: yours.
What this means for you: the real question is not «with or without an agent». It is whether you already know your buyer. If not, what counts is who finds them, who vets them and who puts every offer in front of you. If no sale happens in the end, you owe us no fee.
Legal information: Article 216 Swiss Code of Obligations, checked in September 2026. General information, not legal or tax advice for your individual case.
The comparison
What is included with us.
Before you sign anywhere: this is the difference between our mandate and what is common in the industry.
Your sale with us The starting point costs you nothing: valuation and net calculation.
Get your valuation in writingThe starting point costs you nothing: valuation and net calculation.
Get your valuation in writingOur services
Where we support you.
On Google
What people we have worked with write.
Quoted word for word in the original German – omissions are marked «…».
Little effort for the seller
«… der Immobilienverkauf ist über die Bühne gegangen mit einem minimalen Aufwand unserer Seite. Sie haben sich um alles gekümmert. Ich kann sie nur weiterempfehlen. …» Support until signing
«Von A-Z sehr zu empfehlen! Wir wurden bis hin zur Vertragsunterzeichnung stets professionell und unkompliziert begleitet. Die Kommunikation war immer sehr schnell und das gesamte Team ging auch die Extrameile um unseren komplexeren Ansprüchen gerecht zu werden. …» Everything about your sale
The right page for your question.
- Property valuation with net calculationWhat is my home worth – and what is left after tax and costs?
- Online valuationHow do I get a first estimate without anyone visiting?
- Property gains tax calculators: 15 cantonsHow does my canton calculate property gains tax – and which calculator fits?
- Inheritance and heirsWe inherited our parents’ home – sell, take over or keep?
- Home checkKeep, adapt or sell – what suits us now?
- Sell first or buy first?We are swapping the house for a flat – how do selling and buying fit together safely?
- Selling a condominiumWhat applies when selling a condominium – renewal fund, regulations, pre-emption right?
- Canton of ZurichWhat applies when selling in the Canton of Zurich – tax, notary, process?
- Buying a home: how it works with usHow do I hear early about a matching property – and what are the rules for offers?
Your direct line
You have a question? Call me.
You speak directly with the person who would handle your sale. No call centre, no hand-offs – and if you need half an hour, we take the half hour.
Questions and answers
Frequent questions.
What does the first consultation cost?
Nothing. The first conversation including valuation and net calculation is free and without obligation – even if our recommendation is «keep it».
How high is your fee?
You choose between two paths: a fixed success fee, or the partner fee, where our additional share only begins once the sale price is clearly above the independently fixed reference value. Both are agreed in writing before the mandate and fall due only with the notarised deed. There are no advance payments.
Why private first, then public?
The preview does not replace the portals – it makes sure your house arrives there with momentum: with a finished film, vetted, personally approached buyers and documented demand. In most cases, the broad public phase follows.
How long does a sale take?
That depends on the property, the pricing strategy and the season. We give you the realistic range for your house after the visit – in writing, not as a gut feeling.
Which documents do I need?
Land register extract, floor plans, building insurance certificate and the latest utility statements. If something is missing, we obtain it for you.
Do I have to renovate before selling?
Usually not. We weigh every measure against the demand in your municipality – and only recommend what shows up in the price.
Which regions do you cover?
The whole Canton of Zurich, with home advantage in the Zurich Unterland. We take on neighbouring regions on request if the property is a fit.
Do I really see every offer?
Yes. We pass every offer on to you immediately, noting whether the financing is confirmed – even one we think is too low. You also receive a written report on the state of the sale every week. After the preview, you choose: accept, a bidding round in which several buyers bid, or the public phase on the portals.
Can I sell my house and keep living in it?
Yes, for a transition period. A rent-back (Rückmiete) is possible: afterwards, you rent the house from the buyer for a while. We plan the handover with a buffer, and the date is set in the purchase contract. If you are not yet sure you want to move out at all, the home check: keep, adapt or sell can help.
The first step
Free consultation with valuation.
We look at your property, put its value in context and tell you honestly what a sale would realistically bring today – even if the answer is «not yet».
Prefer to talk? +41 76 325 11 95 – you speak directly with Dominik Devaja.
