Buying a home in Switzerland

1The rules in numbers

Not all rules carry the same weight. In this guide, each one has a tag:

• Law applies to everyone.
• SBA rule the Swiss Bankers Association writes it; FINMA (the banking regulator) recognises it, and so it binds all banks.
• Practice almost all banks, notaries or sellers follow it, but each one sets its own numbers.
• Rule of thumb an order of magnitude, not a rule.

Figures checked on 14.10.2026. Rules and interest rates change — always check the date.

2Who can buy

Your residence permit (Lex Koller)

The Lex Koller is the law that limits the purchase of homes by “persons abroad”. For this law, “abroad” does not only mean people who live outside Switzerland: it also depends on your nationality and your permit. Law

On 15.04.2026, the Federal Council opened a consultation on a draft that tightens the law for people with a B permit from a country outside the EU and EFTA. It is not law yet and, as it stands, it would not be retroactive. Nothing changes for people from the EU/EFTA or with a C permit.

Holiday homes (Lex Weber)

In a municipality with more than 20% second homes, a new home can only be a main residence (or, under tough conditions, tourist accommodation). The restriction is written in the land register. Homes built before 11.03.2012 are exempt. Law

This also matters on the day you sell: you can only sell to someone who will live there, and you lose the holiday-home buyer. Each municipality's percentage is in the federal inventory (ARE). A lowland municipality can go over 20% if it has a ski resort within its boundaries.

Married, or buying with someone

• The family home cannot be sold or mortgaged without the written consent of your spouse, even if it is in one name only (art. 169 of the Civil Code, CC). Law
• Married abroad and living in Switzerland? As a rule, the Swiss marital property regime applies (participation in acquired property), unless you made a written agreement. Tell the notary if there is an agreement. Law
• Buying as two, half each (co-ownership): both of you can use your 2nd pillar, both incomes count in the test, and both of you are liable for the whole debt. Only an owner can use the 2nd pillar.
• Both of you go to the notary, with your residence permits, passports and marriage certificate (or a power of attorney made at a notary).

Your income, in the bank's eyes

• Only the income of those who sign the mortgage counts. Practice
• Bonuses, company shares (RSUs) and other variable income are cut or do not count. Ask how they count the 13th month and the bonus: a test with incomplete income gives a false ceiling.
• Self-employed: the bank only counts your income after 2 to 3 years of closed accounts. If you are going to change status, this matters for the timing.
• New contract: some banks wait for the end of the probation period. Unemployment benefit and severance pay do not count.
• A dismissal under way must be disclosed to the bank. Hiding it is wilful deception.

3The money you need

The mortgage is the bank's loan. The home serves as security: if you do not pay, the bank can sell it. What you put in yourself is called equity.

The 20%, and half of it “hard”

• The bank lends up to 80% of the value. The other 20% is yours. Practice
• At least 10% of the value must be “hard” equity: money that does not come from the 2nd pillar. SBA rule
• Counts as hard: savings, securities, pillar 3a, gifts, an advance on inheritance. Since 2025, also loans from close family (parents, grandparents, siblings, adult children), if the lender confirms in writing that they will only be repaid with the bank's agreement.
• The purchase costs are paid separately, with your own money. The bank does not lend them.

The lower value counts. The bank values the home and uses the lower of the price and the valuation. If the valuation is 50'000 below the price, you need about 40'000 more equity (80% of 50'000), and what you pay above the valuation comes out of your hard equity. SBA rule Ask for the valuation before you make an offer. Estimates from websites are not valuations.

Purchase costs, by canton

They are the property transfer tax (of the canton and sometimes of the municipality, on the change of owner), the notary, the land register (the public register of who owns each property) and the mortgage note (the title for the security the bank receives). Typical values for the home you will live in:

The calculator has all 26 cantons. Some cantons reduce or refund the tax for people who will live in the home (in Bern, for example, after you have lived there for 2 years). Budget with the top of the range, and ask the notary for the exact bill before the deed.

The 2nd pillar: withdraw or pledge

The 2nd pillar is your employer's pension fund. For the home you will live in (never a holiday home or one to rent out), you can use it in two ways. Law

Ask the bank for both calculations side by side. Also ask the fund for the statement of your benefits before and after the withdrawal (it is free).

• Minimum 20'000 per withdrawal. At most once every 5 years, up to 3 years before retirement. After age 50 there are limits.
• Married or in a registered partnership: you need the written consent of your spouse or partner.
• It takes 4 to 8 weeks. It is often the slowest step: schedule the deed with that margin. The fund pays the notary or the bank, never you.
• If you sell the home, you pay the money back to the fund (a note goes in the land register), unless you put it into another home of yours within 2 years. You can also pay it back voluntarily, at least 10'000 at a time; the tax you paid comes back, without interest.
• Careful with “buy-ins” (paying money into the 2nd pillar to lower your tax): after a buy-in, you cannot withdraw capital for 3 years (art. 79b BVG/LPP). That is why many people make buy-ins only after the purchase. Law
• Forgotten money: if you have had several jobs, there may be lost vested benefits accounts. The Central Office for the 2nd Pillar searches for them free of charge. Moving them into your current fund is not a buy-in, is not taxed and can take you past 20'000.

Pillar 3a

• It counts as hard equity. You can withdraw it to buy, with no minimum, once every 5 years. Law
• An account is withdrawn in full, not in part. If you have several accounts, you can close them in different years, and the tax is lower.
• Pillar 3a in an insurance policy: the bank counts the surrender value, which can be much lower than the value on the statement. Ask the insurer for a letter with that value before you do your sums.
• Maximum contribution in 2026: 7'258 per person, if you have a 2nd pillar.

The withdrawal tax

Withdrawing the 2nd or 3rd pillar is subject to a separate tax, at a reduced rate. For 250'000, a single person pays between about 4% and 9%, depending on the canton. Rule of thumb Withdrawals in the same year are added together (for a couple, those of both partners), and the rate goes up: closing a pillar 3a in the same year as you withdraw the 2nd pillar costs more.

The bill arrives months after the deed, and the bank does not lend that money. Keep it aside.

Keep a reserve, and prove where the money comes from

• Buying “with zero in the account” is fragile: the notary charges more than expected, the pillar 3a is worth less, the owners' meeting votes for works. A cushion of a few thousand disappears quickly.
• The bank asks where the money comes from (anti-money-laundering law). It is routine. Answer with documents: salary certificates, statements showing the sales of securities, bank statements.

4The bank's test

The bank does not do the sums with today's interest rate. It runs an affordability test (in German Tragbarkeit), to see whether you could cope with high interest rates: Practice

Example: a home of 1'000'000, with an 80% mortgage

In other words: with an 80% mortgage, you need a gross income of about 18% of the price. Above a certain price, income sets the limit, not savings. Rule of thumb

• Each bank has its own numbers. Some use 4.5% interest, others 0.7% maintenance (or less for a new, efficient home). Half a point of theoretical interest changes the maximum price by 4 to 7%. Ask.
• In retirement: many banks also run the test with the pension you expect to receive.
• At renewal: your bank rarely repeats the test if you pay on time. Switching banks repeats it. If at that point there is only one income (unemployment, part-time after a child), you are tied to your bank and its margins. Also run the test with one income only.
• The test is deliberately much tougher than the real cost. Amortisation is not lost money either: it lowers your debt.

Ask the bank for your maximum capacity before you fall in love with a home. Keep it to yourself: to the seller, you only show a financing confirmation at the agreed price.

5The mortgage: ranks, SARON and fixed rate

1st and 2nd mortgage, and amortisation

Amortising means paying off the debt, not just the interest. In Switzerland you do not have to pay the mortgage down to zero. That is why it has two parts:

• 1st mortgage: up to 2/3 of the value of the home. It can stay forever. SBA rule
• 2nd mortgage: from 2/3 up to 80%. You must pay it off within 15 years, in equal instalments, or by retirement if that comes first. SBA rule Some banks use 65% instead of 2/3. Practice

Amortisation is calculated on the value of the home, not on the debt: (mortgage − 2/3 of the value) ÷ 15. Ask for the yearly amount in francs in the offer.

• Direct amortisation: you pay the bank, and the debt and the interest fall every year.
• Indirect amortisation: you pay the same money into a pillar 3a account, pledged to the bank. The debt does not fall; at the end, the pillar 3a pays it off in one go. The contributions lower your tax, but interest runs on the whole debt.

The mortgage note

It is the title for the security, entered in the land register. With an existing home, the existing mortgage note is often transferred (ask the notary who pays for the transfer). A new mortgage note costs about 0.1 to 0.3% of the amount, depending on the canton. In a new building, the units do not have a mortgage note yet.

SARON or fixed rate

• SARON mortgage: SARON is the rate at which Swiss banks lend to each other overnight. You pay SARON plus the bank's margin (usually 0.7 to 1.2 points), adjusted every 3 months. Today it is the cheapest, but it can rise. It often comes in a 3- to 5-year framework agreement that ties you to the bank.
• Fixed-rate mortgage: the rate is locked for 2 to 15 years. You know what you pay. For the bank, the cost is the swap (the market rate for that term) plus its margin. Ask for the written offer as “swap + margin”: the market margin is close to 1 point, and a margin well above that deserves a question.
• Leaving a fixed-rate mortgage before the end (because you sell, switch banks or divorce) costs a prepayment penalty that can reach tens of thousands. At the end of the term you leave at no cost.
• Tranches with different terms (2 or 3) spread the interest-rate risk, but tie you to the bank: when one ends, the other is still running.

Average rates on 21.9.2026 (about 100 lenders)

These are MoneyPark averages. The Swiss National Bank's policy rate is at 0% (24.9.2026). The best offers are below the averages, and the final rate is negotiated. Every 0.10 points on a 500'000 mortgage is 500 a year.

How to ask for offers

• Ask for at least 3 written offers (a cantonal bank, another bank, a broker or an insurer), all for at most 80%.
• An “indicative” rate is not an offer. Only the paper with your name, the home, the amount and the term counts.
• Published rates apply to mortgages up to 80% and to clients with no risk.
• Fixing a rate today to start later costs a surcharge (about 0.1 to 0.25 points). For a new home, the fixed rate usually starts at handover.
• Some banks give a discount for efficient homes (Minergie, energy certificate A or B, solar panels). Ask.
• If the bank asks for life insurance, compare types and prices outside the bank. Never cancel a policy before the new one has been accepted: the new one asks for a health questionnaire.

Brokers (courtiers)

A broker compares banks for you. They are paid by the bank, once, when the mortgage is signed; insurance commissions, on the other hand, are paid every year. Before you sign the mandate, read: Practice

• whether it forbids you from talking to banks at the same time (exclusivity);
• whether it charges you a fee if you close with your own bank, or if you pull out;
• whether the broker gives you all the offers they received;
• which powers of attorney they ask you for (tax office, employer, pension fund).

In Switzerland, a mandate can be ended at any time (art. 404 of the Code of Obligations, CO), and penalties for doing so are of doubtful validity. Do the 5-minute test: compare the offers with the published rates of an online bank.

6Buying a new home

Buying off-plan (before the home exists) has advantages: you choose the finishes, the home is efficient and there are no works in the first years. But the risk is yours during construction.

Two ways to buy

• Turnkey sale: you buy a finished unit from the developer, with a deed and a handover date. You pay a deposit and the rest at handover, or in stages.
• Land + building contract: you buy the land and sign a contract with a builder. You pay in stages, with a construction loan in your name. Ask whether the work carries VAT (8.1%) and whether the price includes it.

The construction loan and the construction-period interest

When you pay in stages, the bank opens a construction loan: it pays the builder as the work progresses. You pay interest only on what has been used, every 3 months, at a variable rate (about 2 to 2.5%). At the start you pay little; near handover, almost the whole loan. At handover, the loan becomes a normal mortgage, and the fixed rate starts there. Practice

On average, during construction, about half of the loan is in use. An estimate:

• This interest is paid with your own money, during construction, at the same time as the rent. Count it in your funds.
• A 2nd pillar paid in stages makes things complicated: the withdrawal has to go into the home. The simplest is a small deposit and the rest at the deed or at handover.
• Ask: what value the 80% is calculated on (the price, or the total cost with interest and notary); whether the final mortgage has to stay with the bank that gave the loan; whether the bank can suspend the loan if your situation changes.
• Often the developer imposes the bank. That is normal. But a bank financing the developer does not protect you from the builder going bankrupt — that is the real risk.

The reservation and the deposit

In Switzerland, the sale of a home and the promise to sell it are only valid with a public notarial deed before a notary (art. 216 CO). A private “reservation agreement” binds no one, and the money paid may not come back. Law

• No reservations or deposits before the bank's answer.
• The deposit goes into a notary's account, never to the developer. It is released only with the deed or with written agreement.
• Financing clause: if the loan is not obtained AND maintained until the deed, the deposit is refunded in full. Also if the bank imposed by the developer refuses.
• The seller's exact legal name and an extract from the commercial register. Check how many years the company has existed, its capital and whether it has had bankruptcies.
• Confirm the IBAN by phone, with the number from the public directory, never the one in the email.
• Ask for the draft deed and the building contract at least 10 days before, and have a lawyer read them.
• Never sign at the viewing.

Protection against the builder

• Bank completion guarantee: a bank guarantees that the home will be finished if the builder fails. With a small or recent developer, do not give it up.
• Pay only for what is done, through the notary, against proof of progress on the works.
• Builders' lien (art. 837 CC): a subcontractor who has not been paid can register a lien on your home, even if you have paid everything, up to 4 months after the work ends. Ask for a bank guarantee or proof that everyone has been paid. Law
• A firm handover date in the deed, with a penalty for delay (art. 160 CO) for each month begun, close to the real cost of temporary housing and storage. Delays of 3 to 6 months are common. Practice

What exactly you are buying

• The brochure is not the contract. Only the detailed technical specification attached to the deed counts (the one that is “binding”), not the “outline” one. The images are “not contractual”.
• Area: “gross” area includes the walls; “weighted” area adds balconies at a half or a third. Only the net living area (the sum of the rooms, SIA 416 standard) is good for comparing. Gross is about 1.2 times net. Add up the rooms yourself on the dimensioned plan; listings 15% to 35% too high have been seen. Compare CHF per m² of net area, without parking. Rule of thumb
• Often not included: fencing, hedges, lawn, watering, terrace paving, topsoil, kitchen and bathrooms above the budget, utility connections, permits, the civil-defence shelter fee. Ask in writing, item by item.
• Also ask: can the building permit no longer be challenged? Are there natural hazards on the canton's map? Is the home yours with the land, or on a building right? Visit a home the same developer has already handed over and talk to an owner.

Extras and choices

• Extras (“upgrades”) are profit for the developer: margins of 10 to 18% on cost. Ask for a quote per item, with the margin shown separately. Practice
• Extras signed after the deed often do not go into the mortgage. Put them inside the price in the deed.
• The price “with finishes as per budget” is the entry price. The final price often ends up 4 to 9% higher. There is almost never a credit if you spend less.
• Before the concrete it is cheap; afterwards it is expensive: empty conduits (internet, air conditioning, car charger, terrace sockets), a thermostat per room, the electrical plan, the position of the heat pump's outdoor unit.
• Acoustics: the SIA 181 standard has “minimum” and “enhanced” requirements (about 3 dB better). Ask for the enhanced ones in writing, and ask what is above your bedroom.

Guarantees and a new building

• Defects: under the SIA 118 standard, you have 2 years to report the defects you can see; hidden ones have 5 years (art. 371 CO). Report in writing, straight away. Ask who is liable and whether the builder's guarantees pass to you. Law
• The condominium regulations are written by the developer before the first sale. Read them, and ask for a clause that lets each owner install, at their own cost and without a vote, a pergola, an awning, a charger or panels on the areas for their exclusive use.
• In a new building, the renewal fund starts close to zero, and the first budget of charges tends to be optimistic.
• One condominium per building, or one for the whole development? With the second, your vote weighs less and you share the problems of the other buildings.

To find projects early: building permit applications are published in the canton's official gazette, 12 to 24 months before sales, with the name of the project owner.

7Buying an existing home

Most flats are in condominium ownership (StWE/PPE): you own your flat and a share (the value quota, in thousandths) of the common parts — roof, façade, stairs, heating. Decisions are made at the owners' meeting, and costs are shared according to the value quotas.

The documents to ask for, before any offer

• The condominium's accounts for the last 2 to 3 years and the budget for the year.
• The minutes of the last 2 to 3 owners' meetings, and of any extraordinary ones.
• The renewal fund statement: balance and movements.
• The condominium regulations (and house rules), the deed of constitution and the table of value quotas.
• The flat's annual statement of charges (in French, décompte de charges) and the studies of works requested by the meeting.
• The year of construction, the energy certificate (CECB or GEAK) and the building's insured value.
• A statement that the seller owes nothing to the community of owners.
• The full extract from the land register: mortgage notes, easements, annotations. The summary with just the description of the unit does not show them.

A healthy building sends everything without hesitating. The documents show what the seller and the agent do not say: they are interested parties. Practice

The renewal fund

It is the money the owners put together for major works on the common parts (roof, façade, lift, heating). It is not required by law — the Federal Council declined to make it mandatory on 13.5.2026 — and the regulations set how much is paid.

• How much it should hold: the Swiss association of condominium owners recommends at least 0.4% of the insured value of the building per year, until the fund reaches about 6%. The real average is around 0.36%. Rule of thumb
• Red flag: less than 0.2% a year, a fund that is not growing, or works voted with no money in the fund. Without a fund, a roof or a façade is paid for with a special levy: tens of thousands per flat.
• A low price per m² may be the price of works that are on the way.

Special levies and debts

• Works already voted but not yet paid pass to you, unless the deed says otherwise. Put in the deed who pays. Practice
• The community has a legal lien on the flat for unpaid contributions from the last 3 years (art. 712i CC). Hence the statement that the seller owes nothing. Law

Reading the minutes: what to look for

• Breakdowns that keep coming back (heating, lift, leaks), or renting a backup heating system.
• Disputes: against the developer, between owners, court action to collect from an owner who does not pay.
• Legal costs paid to the other side: a sign of a lost case.
• A renovation study commissioned, or a meeting scheduled on the façade or the roof.
• A “hopeful” budget, which assumes the breakdown is over.
• The developer still owning many units, or many flats for sale at the same time.

“Problem solved” is proven with paper: the minutes with the vote, the invoice and the guarantee for the repair, proof that the case has ended, the fund balance.

The charges and the building

• Normal charges: about 30 to 50 CHF per m² per year. Much lower may mean that the renewal fund is not included, or that the budget is optimistic. In the real accounts, the announced charges often come out about 25% higher. Rule of thumb
• Asbestos: it was banned on 1.3.1990. Law A building from before 1991 is suspect: “renovated” does not mean “asbestos-free”. Before works, many cantons require a survey. Ask whether one has been done.
• Heating: if the boiler is replaced, many cantons require renewable energy. Ask its age and the meeting's plan.
• Parking: is the space in the same unit in the land register, or a separate right of use? The deed should identify it.
• Rented flat: the sale does not end the lease (art. 261 CO). You can only end it if you urgently need the flat for yourself. An occupied flat usually sells 10 to 20% cheaper.

The viewing: the condition of the flat

• Start in the basement: damp, stains, a musty smell, cracks in the foundation walls.
• Damp upstairs: corners of outside walls, behind furniture, around windows, under sinks, around baths and showers.
• Cracks: a fine, horizontal, regular crack where the ceiling meets the wall, in several rooms, is usually harmless. Alarm: diagonal cracks from the corners of doors and windows, in the middle of the ceiling, lined up across the floor, continuing onto the façade, or doors that rub.
• Take photos: the fuse box (circuit breakers and residual-current device, or old fuses), the heating plate (year and type), the meter.
• Windows: double or triple glazing, condition of the seals, year engraved on the frame.
• Water: turn on taps and showers (pressure, hot water, colour), flush the toilet, look at the traps.
• Noise and light: visit at different times. What is above? Does every bedroom have a window?
• House rules: the regulations may forbid a washing machine in the flat, air conditioning on the façade or closing in the balcony.

A one-hour visit with an independent architect or engineer costs a few hundred francs, about 0.1% of the price. If they find a defect, put in the deed how it will be repaired and who pays. Remember too: works on an existing home only raise its value for the bank by 50 to 80% of what they cost. Rule of thumb

8The purchase, step by step

1. Do the sums with the calculator and ask the bank for your maximum capacity. Keep it to yourself.
2. Ask for the documents (condominium, or developer and specification) before you commit.
3. Visit with the checklist, ideally with a professional if it is an existing home.
4. Ask for the bank's valuation before you make the offer. A high valuation protects you; a low one is a ceiling that is not yours, it is the bank's.
5. Make the offer in writing. Negotiate only in writing; on the phone, “please send me the figures by email”. Typical margins in 2026: 3 to 7% for a well-positioned home; 8 to 12% if it is expensive, needs works or has been for sale for a long time; 0 to 3% for a new home (there, the extras are what gets negotiated). From October to February, the market is calmer. Rule of thumb
6. Show the financing confirmation at the agreed price, never with your maximum.
7. New home: reserve only at the notary, with the clauses from section 6.
8. Choose the bank from the firm offers. Ask straight away for the withdrawal of the 2nd and 3rd pillar (4 to 8 weeks).
9. Read the draft deed at least 10 days before. Confirm the notary's IBAN by phone.
10. Deed at the notary. Only the deed makes the purchase valid. Law The money (mortgage, pillars, your own) goes through the notary.
11. Land register. The home is only yours once it is registered. Law
12. Then the bills arrive: the tax on withdrawing the pillars and, if not yet paid, the property transfer tax.

From the seller's “yes” to the deed usually takes 1 to 3 weeks. It is the fragile window: confirm by email the same day, book the notary that week and do not reopen topics.

The agent works for the seller. Assume that what you tell them reaches the seller the same day. Do not reveal your ceiling, your deadline or that you have no alternative. Always ask for two lines in writing after each conversation. Practice

9While you still rent

• The notice period: the lease has a notice period (often 3 months) and fixed dates for moving out. With a new home, do not give notice before the handover is guaranteed: if construction runs late, you pay for two homes.
• Leaving before the date (art. 264 CO): you put forward a new, solvent tenant who accepts the same conditions. It is not a guaranteed way out (Federal Supreme Court, 4A_97/2025): if there is a dispute over the candidate, you may still owe rent. The safest way out is a written agreement with the landlord. Law
• Extension of the lease (art. 272–273): if the landlord terminates your lease, you can ask the conciliation authority to let you stay longer (up to 4 years for a home). Apply within 30 days of receiving the termination; for a fixed-term lease, up to 60 days before the end. Ask for a fixed date, never “until the home is ready”. If you were the one who gave notice, there is no extension: only an agreement. Law
• A delay on your building site is your risk. The landlord does not have to wait.
• The rent deposit (at most 3 months' rent without charges) is released when you leave and becomes part of your money.
• The costs of moving: double rent, temporary housing, storage, two moves. With a double move, easily 10'000 to 20'000. Rule of thumb
• Compare like with like: your rent with charges against the cost of owning with the same items. A tenant sees little: the owner also pays maintenance, the fund, insurance and property tax.

10The costs of owning

Always separate two things: how much leaves your account each month, and how much it really costs. Amortisation leaves your account, but it is not a cost: it is debt you pay off, money that stays yours. If you already save in a pillar 3a, you can put those savings into indirect amortisation.

Taxes for people who live in their home

• Until the end of 2028: you pay tax on an imputed rental value (a notional rent), and you deduct interest and maintenance.
• From 1.1.2029: the imputed rental value ends (vote of 28.9.2025, date set by the Federal Council on 1.4.2026). You also stop deducting maintenance and the interest on the home you live in. Law
• Exception, the first-time buyer deduction: people who buy their first home can deduct interest up to 10'000 (couple) or 5'000 (single person) in the 1st year, falling by 10% a year over 10 years. Check with the tax office how purchase years before 2029 count.
• The home counts for wealth tax at its tax value (usually below the price), and the debt is deducted.

At low interest rates, owning a home hardly changes your income tax. Do not let tax choose the date of the deed.

One day, selling

The capital gain (the profit on the sale) is subject to a cantonal tax, higher if you sell quickly and lower over the years. If you buy another home to live in, in Switzerland, within a short time, the tax is deferred. The withdrawn 2nd pillar goes back to the fund, unless you put it into the new home. And leaving a fixed rate halfway through the term costs a prepayment penalty. Law

11Warning signs

• A payment advertised without amortisation, with a low interest rate, or with maintenance calculated on the debt instead of the value.
• Being rushed to reserve, pay or sign before the bank's answer. A deadline with no legal force is pressure: ask in writing “what happens next?”.
• A deposit paid into the developer's account, or a new IBAN sent by email.
• A refusal to put in writing that the deposit is returned if the loan falls through.
• A developer without a completion guarantee, with a vague legal name, or with past bankruptcies.
• Gross or weighted area sold as net area; a “from” price without parking, VAT or connections.
• An old specification, an “outline” one, or one for another unit. A bank offer made with the price of another home.
• Extras outside the price in the deed.
• A condominium with disputes, a stagnant fund, repeated breakdowns, and minutes not yet asked for.
• A building from before 1991 with no asbestos survey.
• A buy-in to the 2nd pillar made shortly before the purchase: it blocks the withdrawal for 3 years.
• A broker's mandate with exclusivity, penalties, or offers they do not show you.
• A cushion of only a few thousand in your money.
• Figures, deadlines and promises only by phone. What is vague protects the speaker; what is written protects you.

12The words in the letters

Banks, notaries and condominiums write in German, French or Italian. These are the words you will see most often, in English, German and French: