A recent survey run by ZHAW finds that the price of housing is too high for the majority of people wishing to own their own home in Switzerland. Aspiring home owners would like to see greater support. Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.comSwitzerland is a nation of renters, something reflected in low home ownership rates by international standards. Across Switzerland, only 36% of the population lived in a home owned by it occupants in 2020. Homeownership ranged from 15% in Basel-City to...
Read More »The people who moved in Switzerland in 2020
During 2020, 10.3% of Switzerland’s population moved. The average distance moved was 12.5 km. However, the likelihood of movement and the distance moved varied significantly by age and nationality. Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.comPeople in the age band between 20 and 40 were the most likely to move. There was also a small bump in numbers between the ages of 62 and 65. Roughly 27% of 25 year olds moved in 2020, compared to only 2% of 94 year olds. The most mobile canton was Basel-City....
Read More »Chart of the week: rates of homeownership by Swiss canton
Switzerland has one of the lowest rates of home ownership. Most residents live in rented accommodation. Across the whole country, only 36.2% of homes were owned by their occupants in 2020, according to data published this week by Switzerland’s Federal Statistical Office (FSO). However, home ownership rates vary significantly depending on the canton. In popular urban areas, such as Basel, Geneva and Zurich, it sinks as low as 15.4% (Basel-City). Geneva (18%) and Zurich (27.4%) are both far...
Read More »Switzerland’s large number of homeless
According to a recent report by the Federal Housing Office (OFL) there are an estimated 2,200 homeless residents in Switzerland and another 8,000 at risk of losing their homes. Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels.comThe authors of the report collected information from 616 municipalities across 22 cantons to compile the data. 616 municipalities covers around 28% of Switzerland’s total. Reasons often cited for homelessness included overspending, debt, drugs and social factors associated...
Read More »Long term mortgage rates rising in Switzerland
Over the last few years mortgage interest rates have been exceptionally low in Switzerland. However, since mid-December 2021 they have risen and are at levels last seen in 2018. © Clement Mantion Pierre Olivier | Dreamstime.comAccording to recent data collected the newspaper Finanz und Wirtschaft, Swiss mortgage interest rates are 0.25 percentage points higher than a month earlier. 10-year guide rates at large banks such as Credit Suisse and Raiffeisen are now over 1.6%, according to the...
Read More »No weakening expected in Swiss house prices
© Alyssand | Dreamstime.com The Swiss housing market continues to rise with no signs of weakening, reported RTS this week. According to the real estate platform immoscout24, the average price per m2 for a family home in Switzerland has risen from CHF 6,700 to CHF 7,200 over the last 12 months, a rise of 7%. Apartment prices have risen even further in some places. According to Roxane Montagner, who works for CiFi, a company that advises real estate professionals, the...
Read More »No weakening expected in Swiss house prices
The Swiss housing market continues to rise with no signs of weakening, reported RTS this week. © Alyssand | Dreamstime.comAccording to the real estate platform immoscout24, the average price per m2 for a family home in Switzerland has risen from CHF 6,700 to CHF 7,200 over the last 12 months, a rise of 7%. Apartment prices have risen even further in some places. According to Roxane Montagner, who works for CiFi, a company that advises real estate professionals, the trend is not about...
Read More »Building construction costs rise sharply in Switzerland
As inflation rises around the world, Switzerland feels the heat too. This week the Federal Statistical Office (FSO) published data on construction, which show an unusually large jump in costs. © Spunky1234 | Dreamstime.comThe costs of construction leapt 2.7% between April and October 2021, according to the data, leaving prices 4.1% higher than a year earlier. The construction index contains both civil engineering works and building construction. Between April and October 2021, the...
Read More »Number of vacant homes in Switzerland drops for first time in 12 years
© Cristianzamfir | Dreamstime.com Finding a place to live in Switzerland is difficult. Home availability is low and prices are high. On 13 September 2021, the Federal Statistical Office published data showing a sharp drop in the number of vacant homes since 2020, a development that will make home hunting harder. On 1 June 2021, there were 71,365 vacant homes in Switzerland, representing 1.54% of the total stock of housing. Since 1 June 2020, the number of vacant...
Read More »Number of vacant homes in Switzerland drops for first time in 12 years
© Cristianzamfir | Dreamstime.com Finding a place to live in Switzerland is difficult. Home availability is low and prices are high. On 13 September 2021, the Federal Statistical Office published data showing a sharp drop in the number of vacant homes since 2020, a development that will make home hunting harder. On 1 June 2021, there were 71,365 vacant homes in Switzerland, representing 1.54% of the total stock of housing. Since 1 June 2020, the number of vacant...
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