Purchase Information

The Swiss Real Estate Market in general and the market in Gstaad in particular have so far not been heavily affected by the 2008/09 crisis. Many people ask whether this phenomenon is long lasting or not.

We at Consulta don’t consider ourselves as professional forecasters. However, we invite you to share our experience with signals that there is strong price stability:

1. Prices went up in the past years, but never at the same excess as in other boom areas of the world, and more important, properties were usually never financed with risky credits.
2. Most vendors want to sell, but don’t need to! For these cases, a brokerage agreement between the buyer and Consulta might be worth a thought.
3. The communal authorities are part-time politicians, working for instance as local business owners, carpenters, farmers, teachers, doctors, etc. They are elected by the citizens of the area as members of the council for 4 or maximum 8 years. They are used to discuss, agree and decide carefully with respect to the land left by their ancestors. That’s why it takes decades to implement for instance a rezoning process.
4. The direct democracy requires that major decisions are being taken by every citizen and inhabitant of the valley at municipal gatherings (Gemeindeversammlung). In order to get a democratic majority, decisions need time to be prepared, discussed (and often disputed…) and taken
5. Democratic conservativeness has granted a high life-style quality for both inhabitants and secondary residence owners over the past 50 years.
6. Since secondary homes in Gstaad are to be considered long-term investments, most owners of properties subsequently think in similar patterns.

Said this, as everywhere in the commercial world, an agreed sales price is in the end always a matter of demand and supply.

At CONSULTA, it is our target to bring together buyers and vendors. Please contact us to get an insight in the market. As independent agents, we have the tools to provide transparency.

If you wish to get already relevant information on the legal process involved in purchasing properties, please click here

If you don’t want to have the hassle to spend a lot of time liaising with all players on the market, CONSULTA suggests agreeing to a brokerage mandate. Besides a small nominal monthly fee, the mandate is success-based and will make any purchase transaction smooth.

Thanks to 15 years ininterrupted commercial activity, integration in the local community, membership in sports clubs, etc. we do have the relevant contacts. We can assure you an excellent contact network with virtually all promoters, architects, many private vendors and also agents.

In this case, we do work for you as a buyer.

Please contact us for discussing the detailed conditions.

New Legislation in Gstaad, effective July 2003

Any foreigner is allowed with effect 1st of July 2003 to purchase officially apartments of 200 square meters (net living surface).
The Swiss Authorities have announced this important change in the legislation for foreign buyers of holiday apartments and second homes. Further legal simplifications are proclaimed for the near future.

Information about Free Movement of Persons between Switzerland and the European Union Courtesy of Bruno Hunziker, Attorney at Law

Legal Advice
For persons who would like to acquire property in Gstaad, we are able to give you a brief exposé set out to make complex and tedious legislation accessible to the layman.