immo!nvest – Die Plattform für Standorte und Immobilien

Category: Sales / Brokerage

  • Condominiums remain in demand even with record supply

    Condominiums remain in demand even with record supply

    The latest Online Home Market Analysis by ImmoScout24, in collaboration with the Swiss Homeowners Association and the Swiss Real Estate Institute, analyses the advertisements for condominiums in 2025. According to a press release, a new high has been reached with around 101,000 advertised properties – the highest since the survey began in 2016. At the same time, the growth in supply has slowed significantly. At the same time, the average advertising period has been reduced by eight days to 84 days, which indicates that demand for condominiums is increasing again compared to the previous year.

    The study cites the changed interest rate environment in particular as a reason for this: falling financing costs and easier mortgage lending in some cases are making home ownership more attractive than rental properties. In addition, the need for a secure long-term living situation is becoming more important again.

    “The fact that condominiums are selling more quickly again despite the large supply is a clear sign. Swiss people want to live within their own four walls. Fortunately, the dream of home ownership is still realisable for many people,” Markus Meier, Director of the Swiss Homeowners’ Association, is quoted as saying.

    There is also a uniform regional trend: In all major regions, the insertion period is shorter than in 2024, with condominiums continuing to sell particularly quickly in Central Switzerland (61 days), Zurich (64 days) and the Geneva region (65 days). A particularly dynamic development in demand can be seen in Ticino, where the time it takes to place an advertisement has been significantly reduced by 22 per cent despite a sharp increase in the number of listings (10 per cent).

    ImmoScout24 is an online property marketplace operated by the SMG Swiss Marketplace Group. SMG Swiss Marketplace Group AG combines the digital marketplaces of TX Group, Ringier and Mobiliar.

  • The Federal Council plans to tighten the rules on property purchases by foreign buyers

    The Federal Council plans to tighten the rules on property purchases by foreign buyers

    On 15 April, the Federal Council launched a consultation on the revision of the Federal Act on the Acquisition of Real Estate by Persons Abroad (BewG). According to a press release, the consultation will run until 15 July. The aim is to further restrict access to the Swiss property market.

    The Federal Council justifies the tightening of the so-called Lex Koller, among other things, with the strained situation on the housing market. Consequently, third-country nationals – that is, nationals of countries outside the EU and EFTA – will in future require authorisation to purchase primary residences in Switzerland. If they move away, they will be required to sell their property within two years.

    Stricter rules are also planned for the purchase of commercial property. Whilst purchases for personal use will still be possible without a permit, purely financial investments – such as for letting or leasing – will no longer be permitted.

    In addition, the Federal Council intends to further restrict the purchase of holiday homes and residential units in aparthotels by persons abroad. To this end, the cantonal authorisation quotas are to be reduced and, in future, all such transactions will count towards these quotas.

    It is also proposed that persons abroad should no longer be permitted to acquire listed shares in residential property companies or regularly traded shares in property funds and property SICAVs.

  • When the state becomes an accomplice

    When the state becomes an accomplice

    Two houses, around 5000 square meters, directly on the shores of Lake Aegeri in the canton of Zug. Wüest Partner estimated the value at CHF 27 million. The property was sold in 2017 for CHF 16 million, around CHF 3300 per square meter. At the same time, comparable properties changed hands for between 6,000 and 13,500 francs.

    A bargain or a crooked deal
    The owner had made provisions. Her property was part of a holding structure. 45 percent to each child, 10 percent to the granddaughter. But the brother acted behind his sister’s back. The sale was sealed in less than 100 days, without a public tender, without a bidding process, without the sister’s consent. She found out about it a month after the contract was signed and immediately filed a criminal complaint.

    When 9 million finds no explanation
    The buyer paid 16 million and received an unsecured loan of up to 25 million from Zuger Kantonalbank, a difference of 9 million. Internally, the bank valued the property significantly higher than the purchase price would suggest.
    Today, the buyer is in the dock for money laundering. He is said to have known that the sale was based on serious injustice.

    When a commission remains silent
    The case grew beyond the courtroom. In the summer of 2025, the Zug Cantonal Council set up a PUK to investigate the role of the cantonal government. The focus was on faulty land register inspections. The notary responsible pushed the matter forward without any legal grounds for recusal and evaded the crucial questions during questioning.

    When justice takes time
    Nine days of hearings until the end of March. Presided over by Judge Svea Anlauf. A verdict in June at the earliest. The presumption of innocence applies to all defendants.

    Lake Aegeri glistens. What comes to light in the courtroom during these weeks could keep the canton of Zug busy for a long time to come.

  • Orientation in a tight property market

    Orientation in a tight property market

    Bilanz reminds us that the Swiss property market is still “bubbling”. The gap between supply and demand remains wide, and construction activity in many places is not sufficient to meet the demand for residential property. According to real estate surveys, experts expect prices to continue to rise in 2026, particularly for single-family homes and condominiums, while land prices in centres such as Zurich will reach new highs. At the same time, market indicators such as the UBS Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index are warning of increasing overvaluation risks, even though experts currently categorise the risk of an acute bubble as moderate.

    Why Bilanz has chosen the “Top Property Experts 2026”
    Local market knowledge and professional support are becoming increasingly important in this environment. Bilanz and the market research institute Statista have therefore once again identified the “Top property experts in Switzerland 2026”. The award was given to 125 companies that were recommended with above-average frequency in areas such as buying and selling, letting, property management, property valuation, client representation, financing and proptech. The best list is intended to help owners and buyers find suitable partners, from marketing a home to financing a new purchase.

    Recommendations from professionals and customers
    For the ranking, Statista surveyed industry experts and customers who have used property services in recent years. Based on over 2,000 participants, the 125 most recommended companies were identified and included in the list in alphabetical order. Additional key figures such as company size were also taken into account. Bilanz emphasises that the ranking does not replace a complete market overview, but offers a sound guide in a complex market.

  • Rental prices rise only modestly in January

    Rental prices rise only modestly in January

    The Homegate rental index for advertised rents, which is compiled by the real estate marketplace Homegate in collaboration with Zürcher Kantonalbank (ZKB), measures the monthly, quality-adjusted change in rental prices based on current market offers. For January 2026, the index shows a slight increase of 0.2 per cent compared to the previous month. Compared to January 2025, advertised rents rose by 2.2 per cent across Switzerland.

    At the cantonal and municipal level, the picture is unusually varied. At the start of the year, rents were down in half of the cantons, particularly in Nidwalden (minus 2.7 per cent) and Schwyz (minus 2 per cent). In several cantons, this development followed a phase of one to three months of strong increases. Compared with the previous year, however, asking rents rose in all cantons, particularly in Graubünden (up 7.7 per cent), Glarus (up 6.4 per cent) and Valais (up 6.2 per cent).

    Cities also showed downward trends in January. Compared with December 2025, all cities showed unchanged or lower values. Rents fell particularly sharply in Geneva (down 1.2 per cent) and Lugano (down 1 per cent). Only Zurich recorded an increase in rents in January (up 0.5 per cent). As in the cantons, however, asking rents in all cities are above the previous year’s level. Rents rose particularly sharply in Lugano (up 7.6 per cent) and Lucerne (up 3.8 per cent) in 2025.

    Homegate is a platform of the SMG Swiss Marketplace Group. It brings together the digital marketplaces of TX Group, Ringier and Mobiliar.

  • Digitalization in the DNA

    Digitalization in the DNA

    The DNA of SMG Real Estate has been summarized in one word since day 1 and with ImmoScout24 and Homegate for over two decades: Digitalization. With targeted investments in AI innovations, marketing and cybersecurity, SMG Real Estate is continuously developing its platforms and offering real estate professionals future-proof products and services for a digital competitive edge in the market.

    Achieving unprecedented efficiency with AI
    Artificial intelligence acts as a booster when it comes to making real estate agents and managers not only more efficient but also more successful in the long term. It accelerates the development of innovative products that create real added value for real estate professionals and free up valuable time – time for personal advice and support for their customers. A concrete example: thanks to the AI-based creation of advertisement texts in Business Manager, real estate professionals at SMG Real Estate save an average of 14 minutes per advertisement.

    Maximum reach thanks to full marketing power
    Visibility is and remains a decisive factor in real estate marketing. With dedicated marketing activities, SMG Real Estate invests specifically in addressing its platform brands, including ImmoScout24 and Homegate, to reach a wide target group. The aim is to lead the most relevant interested parties directly to the listings, strengthen the market opportunities of business customers and position the two brands as the top real estate platforms in Switzerland in the long term. Attention-grabbing content combined with target group-specific social media campaigns raise awareness among property seekers and set the course for real estate properties to be in the right place at the right time.

    Reliability and security as the basis for customer success
    With hundreds of thousands of visitors to SMG Real Estate’s platforms every day, reliability is a basic requirement. Accordingly, a team of over 100 tech specialists ensures that the required systems function efficiently and with the latest technology at all times. The same applies to cybersecurity: thanks to state-of-the-art protection mechanisms, two-factor authentication and integrated access control, data is even better protected. This allows real estate professionals to focus fully on their marketing. In summary, these and other extensive investments by SMG Real Estate are not only pursuing an optimal price-performance ratio, but also a competitive advantage for their customers in the highly competitive real estate market thanks to noticeable innovation and performance. Because only those who can sustainably position themselves in the market and stand out will have the best possible marketing opportunities.

    You can find more information here

  • Artificial intelligence assists with advertising residential properties

    Artificial intelligence assists with advertising residential properties

    The Swiss Marketplace Group (SMG) is launching new options on its real estate platforms ImmoScout24 and Homegatethatallow private sellers to advertise their properties online. According to a press release, these tools are supported by artificial intelligence (AI) and make it easier for non-professional sellers to advertise on the internet.

    To create an advertisement, all that is required is to enter the most important property attributes such as address, size and amenities. The real estate platforms then use AI to create the complete advertisement title and description of the property. This includes descriptions of the location and surroundings of the property, according to the press release. Finally, users can upload pictures and complete the advertisement.

    “Many private landlords only occasionally deal with creating an advertisement. Thanks to AI support, they now receive a high-quality, structured proposal within a few seconds that meets the standards of professional estate agents,” Martin Waeber, Managing Director at SMG Real Estate, is quoted as saying in the press release. “This also benefits all searchers, because the more accurately an advertisement is described and the faster it goes online, the faster people can find their new home.”

    The modules have been available to professional providers for about a year. With the now broader positioning for private providers as well, SMG aims to further advance digitalisation in the Swiss real estate business.

    SMG Swiss Marketplace Group AG combines the digital marketplaces of TX Group, Ringier and Mobiliar.

  • Prices for detached houses and condominiums continue to rise

    Prices for detached houses and condominiums continue to rise

    Prices for owner-occupied residential property continued to rise in the fourth quarter of 2025, according to a statement from Raiffeisen on its new transaction price index. Prices for single-family homes rose by 0.2 per cent compared to the previous quarter, while condominiums cost 1.2 per cent more. Compared with the fourth quarter of 2024, detached houses cost a total of 5.7 per cent more at the end of 2025, while condominiums cost 3.8 per cent more.

    Compared to the previous year, detached houses in the Bern (8 per cent) and Eastern Switzerland (6.9 per cent) regions recorded the highest price increases, while prices in Northwestern Switzerland remained somewhat more stable (3.0 per cent). Condominiums became particularly expensive in Central Switzerland (6.7 per cent) and Eastern Switzerland (4.3 per cent), while prices in the Bern region rose only slightly (0.8 per cent) and even fell on Lake Geneva (-0.5 per cent).

    Broken down by municipality type, centres (5.4 per cent) and tourist municipalities (5.3 per cent) recorded the highest price increases for single-family homes, while prices in urban centres rose the least on average, at 4.5 per cent. In terms of condominiums, tourist communities in particular saw significant growth of 4.6 per cent, while centres recorded the lowest price dynamics with an average price increase of 1.2 per cent.

    “In contrast to the rental housing market, where rental price growth has recently slowed somewhat due to declining immigration, price momentum in the owner-occupied housing market, which is more strongly influenced by domestic demand, remains high,” said Fredy Hasenmaile, Chief Economist at Raiffeisen Switzerland.

  • Market digitally. Sell more economically.

    Market digitally. Sell more economically.

    For over two decades, the Swiss real estate industry has benefited from the performance of established brands such as ImmoScout24, Homegate and Flatfox, which SMG Real Estate continues to develop further. Such platforms have become an integral part of the everyday lives of home seekers and real estate professionals alike. The results in practice are correspondingly clear: In an analysis by management consultants McKinsey, over 90 percent of the agents surveyed rated real estate marketplaces as by far the most cost-efficient marketing channel. Without their use, the successful sale of a property would take around 25 days longer on average, according to the respondents.

    To enable this efficiency, SMG Real Estate combines direct access to some of the most widely used real estate platforms in Switzerland with a continuously growing range of data-based products and services. The aim is to generate more qualified leads, shorten marketing times and further reduce the cost per contact request. For real estate agents and property managers, this results in a sustainable competitive advantage: new mandates can be acquired more efficiently, deals can be concluded more quickly and sales and lettings can be realized with a significantly better cost-benefit ratio than would be possible via alternative marketing channels.

    In addition to the high reach, SMG’s platforms also impress with strong economic key figures. This is particularly evident in the costs per contact request: according to McKinsey, the platforms operated by SMG Real Estate have the best price-performance ratio in the industry compared to the next largest competitors. Specifically, the costs per qualified contact request are three to four times lower on average. More than half of the buyers surveyed in Switzerland found their dream property on ImmoScout24 or Homegate.

    However, it is not only the large number but also the quality of the contacts generated that is a decisive success factor. The McKinsey analysis also shows that advertisements on specialized real estate platforms generate on average twice as many qualified contact requests as comparable offers on other channels. Less wastage and shorter marketing times also have a positive effect on the success and revenue per advertisement.

    In addition to the high marketing opportunity, operational efficiency is an equally important driver of economic success. On SMG Real Estate’s platforms, automated and AI-supported advertisement text creation reduces the time required per advertisement by around 14 minutes on average. Intelligent matching algorithms, personalized marketing formats, specific recommendations based on data-based analyses and modern cybersecurity solutions are also used. As a result, real estate offers reach relevant potential buyers faster, in a more targeted and secure manner.

    Overall, it is clear that digital real estate marketing delivers its greatest economic benefits where wide reach, meaningful data, intelligent automation and high efficiency consistently work together. The result is more qualified contacts, shorter marketing times, lower costs per inquiry and a sustainable increase in profitability for real estate players.

    Find out more

  • Online network promotes knowledge transfer and expansion in the property sector

    Online network promotes knowledge transfer and expansion in the property sector

    Zuger Makler Service AG has launched Real Estate Talk Arabia, a free digital education and networking platform for property professionals and investors. The platform is designed to help companies in the European property industry expand into international markets and connect them with the Middle Eastern property market, particularly Dubai. According to an announcement via Business Insider, the platform is available immediately and can be accessed through the official channels of Makler Service.

    Real Estate Talk Arabia combines education with communication and community on a freely accessible platform. Users benefit from monthly live streams, structured online courses and a Facebook community. There, they receive practical insights into international markets, customer communication and sales strategies from property developers and experts. “Real Estate Talk Arabia reflects our philosophy – progress through networking,” explains Makler Service AG. “We are convinced that professional development should never be limited by payment barriers or geographical restrictions.”

    Makler Service AG was founded in 2020 during the pandemic and has developed into a leading training provider for property professionals in the DACH region within five years. The new initiative now aims to connect continents and strengthen the company’s international presence.

  • New sales concept focuses on experience and encounters

    New sales concept focuses on experience and encounters

    Rohner is redesigning its sales area in Balgach. According to a statement from CEO Hermann Lion, the site will be expanded to include a new sales area and is set to open in September 2026. The aim is “a space that connects brands and people. A space that inspires, surprises and shows that modern retail is far more than just sales.”

    The traditional company, founded in 1873, is thus responding to its perception that “people are once again shopping more consciously and looking for real contact – after years in which much has become digital,” says Lion on request. “Brick-and-mortar retail has a future if it offers more than just a transaction.” This is why the textile company is “investing specifically in a concept that combines experience, quality and encounters. It is a statement for the strength of physical retail – and for our region”.

    The new sales area is being designed by Zurich-based Susanne Fritz Architekten: “Clear lines. Natural materials. Light that tells stories,” says Lion. Susanne Fritz has already renovated and extended the entire building complex in Balgach and put it to a new use. The entire brand identity of Rohner AG was modernized and also architecturally redesigned, including the existing store space. “Despite a lower density of racks, it was possible to increase sales per square meter,” according to a presentation of the work.

    According to Lion, something is now being created in the new sales area “that we have never seen before in our region”. Various brands are to be visible together at this location. Shop-in-shop concepts for other textile brands are planned, as well as for accessories, lifestyle products, outdoor and design brands. “It is important to us that the partners can tell a story and fit into the overall experience, whether they are local manufacturers or international brands with a clear attitude.”