Understand the property. Before you buy.

Buyers of existing single-family houses and apartments in German-speaking Switzerland. You can register while you are still searching or enquire about an inspection of a specific property.

The price has not yet been set. We plan to offer special introductory terms to early registrants. Before you commit, you will receive an offer specifying the price and scope. The enquiry itself is free and non-binding.

When you are seriously considering a property and have questions about its condition or future investment needs. Allow time before making binding decisions where possible. Tell us about any reservation deadline: an enquiry does not confirm an inspection date.

We are preparing to launch and accepting non-binding enquiries. Once an assessment of your property is possible, we will provide an offer and possible dates. We cannot yet confirm a launch date.

We discuss possible dates, documents and access to the property with you. Access must be agreed with the owner or their representative.

A hedonic property valuation is a statistical estimate of a property's market value. It uses actual sale prices to estimate what a property with particular characteristics might sell for. It provides useful price guidance for your purchase, but does not confirm that the building is technically sound.

A model analyses many property sales to establish how individual characteristics relate to the sale price. Key factors include:

Your property's characteristics are entered into this model to produce an estimated market value, sometimes with a statistical price range. This is a comparable-sales method, often using regression analysis.

Its strength is a quick price check grounded in market transactions. It works particularly well for typical detached houses and apartments where sufficient comparable data exists. It has greater limitations for unusual properties, very large plots, listed buildings and luxury homes. Banks also use this method for property valuations.

The input data is crucial: an overstated living area or an overly optimistic condition rating can produce an unsuitable estimate even when the calculation is correct. In the linked Wüest sample report dated 15 April 2020, the property details were supplied by the client and no inspection took place. Whether an inspection or additional checks are included depends on the particular assignment.

For hidden defects and renovation needs, this means:

• Known renovation needs may be reflected in the condition rating or additional value adjustments. This does not amount to a detailed renovation cost estimate.
• The calculation does not discover unknown damage. Moisture behind cladding or defective pipes may therefore be absent from the result.
• Legal and building-specific issues require separate assessment. The sample report mentioned above does not explicitly include value-reducing easements or potential for further development in the model value.

For example, an older house may have a new kitchen and freshly painted walls. If its overall condition is rated as good while the roof and pipes need substantial renewal, the valuation may be too high. The quality of the condition assessment is decisive.

Your purchase decision should bring together three checks:

1. Hedonic valuation: Is the asking price plausible compared with similar sales?
2. Technical purchase inspection: What damage and future investment can be anticipated?
3. Contract review: Which risks do you take on, and what is the seller liable for?

Request the full valuation report, including input data, valuation date, any price range and manual adjustments. Pay particular attention to living area, building condition and recorded renovations. Reconcile renovation costs with the valuation to avoid deducting costs in full when age or condition reductions already account for them. Housana's planned service will report the source, assumptions and results of the external valuation separately.

A legal defect generally exists where an expressly assured characteristic is missing or the property's value or usability falls substantially short of what the contract requires. Normal wear for the property's age is not automatically a defect. A defect is hidden if it could not be detected through a customary inspection.

Housana checks accessible building components, reviews documents and records signs of defects, open questions and recommended specialist checks. Further investigations are agreed separately. An inspection cannot uncover or rule out every concealed defect.

Not automatically. Warranty liability is often largely excluded when older properties are sold. A valid exclusion may cover hidden defects the seller did not know about. Without such an exclusion, the seller may generally also be liable for unknown defects. The contract and the specific circumstances are decisive.

A seller who fraudulently conceals a defect they must disclose cannot rely on an exclusion for that defect. This requires knowing about the defect or seriously considering its existence and deliberately withholding it. Merely arguing that the seller should have known is insufficient, even in cases of gross negligence. As the buyer, you generally have to prove fraudulent concealment; previous damage reports, specialist reports or repairs may provide important evidence.

Specific assurances and wholly exceptional, unforeseeable defects may also fall outside a general exclusion. This depends on the interpretation of the contract and the circumstances; the threshold for exceptional defects is high.

For property purchase contracts concluded from this date, hidden defects must be reported within 60 days of discovery. A shorter contractual notice period is invalid. Defect claims generally become time-barred five years after ownership is acquired, rather than five years after discovery. This limitation period cannot be changed to the buyer's disadvantage.

The new statutory right to rectification in property purchases concerns buildings yet to be constructed or newly constructed less than two years before the sale. It does not create a general right to repairs for older existing properties.

The new deadlines do not override a valid warranty exclusion. There must still be a legal basis for the seller's liability.

Where enforceable defect rights exist, remedies may include a reduction in the purchase price or, subject to the relevant conditions, reversing the sale. A price reduction depends on the legally assessed reduction in value and does not automatically equal the repair bill. Your actual rights need to be assessed against your contract and the defect.

Have the property's technical condition independently assessed before signing, especially moisture, the roof, building envelope, structure, pipes and building services. Investigate any warning signs further. A market valuation alone is not sufficient for this.

Ask in writing about previous damage, insurance claims, repairs and expert reports, and have the seller confirm the answers and documents. Secure important characteristics through specific assurances in the notarised purchase contract and explicitly exclude those assurances from any general warranty exclusion. A statement that no damage is known is weaker than a binding assurance about the property's condition. Have the clauses legally reviewed.

Address known problems through the price or a clearly defined repair obligation with a deadline and security. For condominium ownership, review the whole building, owners' meeting minutes, renovation plans, the reserve fund and potential special contributions.

A technical assessment and clear contractual assurances provide a stronger basis than hoping to prove fraudulent concealment later.

No. You do not need an account or payment details to send a non-binding enquiry or register for launch updates.