First you need to sign a convention with the seller
and pay a cash deposit to make sure you back up your offer. This can be
done in less than 48 hours. Then the notary public will check that everything about the
transaction is fine and that you really are entitled to buy the apartment. He will then
ask the Government to issue a notice of confirmation that you can buy, following which he
will record that you are the owner in the local property register. You pay the balance of
the purchase price, plus tax, at this time.
Forty-eight hours to launch the process, less than 2 months maximum
to have all the paper work finalized.
You pay a deposit when you first decide to buy the property, and
then the balance when you sign the purchase agreement at the notary public's office.
Depending on the canton, you have to pay either directly to the
seller or to the notary public who will forward the money to the seller when the
transaction goes through.
NO. We have never been and never will be involved in that kind of
activity. It gives Switzerland a bad name.
NO. This is a way to circumvent the law and, as such, is prohibited.
Anyone who offers to do that for you can go to jail, the property can be confiscated, and
your money lost. We don't do that kind of thing.
If it's empty, at the moment you pay the deposit. If the former
owner is still living in it - which is uncommon - you'll have to arrange with him, but in
any case in less than 2 months.
The notary public, a professional with a government license, has the
duty to check that everything is legal in the transaction before he can record in the
Swiss real estate register (registre foncier) that you are the new owner. Once he
has done that, you can be sure that nobody can contest your right to the property.
Yes, as long as you give us the necessary information, pay the money
owed and sign a mandate that allows us to act in your name. Then we can take care of
everything even if you're not actually in Switzerland.
That depends on the seller and whether you want a mortgage.
Yes, up to a maximum of 80% of the property's purchase price,
depending on whether you are a good risk - that is to say, if you are solvent.
Apart from the purchase price, the only fee is a 4% tax which you
pay to the notary public. The exact amount may be differ a little depending on the area,
but it is always payable by the buyer.
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