Verbier - Sales

Buying - Selling property

To buy a property in Verbier

Information

Estate agency Besson Immobilier SA has got an extensive list of properties for sale.  These properties range from two star studios, through to luxurious apartments and prestigious chalets, all over the ski resort of Verbier.

Instructions regarding purchasing a property in Verbier

Purchase fees

These fees are payable by the buyer and amount to about 2.2 % of the price. This amount includes all the fees connected to the registering at the Land registry, as well as the notary fees.

Mortgage

A mortgage is about 1.2 % of the total amount borrowed. The conditions of the bank rates vary. The local banks will be able to give you more information. 

Conditions of payment

For resale property; 10 % is to be paid at the signing of the contract, the balance at the return of the contract from the Land Registry, or at the occupying of the property.

For new developments; 10 % is to be paid at the signing of the contract and then the balance is paid in stages according to the progress of the building work.

Annual charges

Charges for co-ownership

About CHF 55.-- per square meter. These charges include; fire insurance and RC ("responsabilité civile") of the building, heating, concierge, snow clearing, upkeep of the exterior during the summer months, electricity of the communal areas, administrator's fees, various maintenance costs and money to the renovation fond.

Annual tax; on average from CHF 50.-- to 70.-- per square meter.

Tourism tax: annual charge for adults CHF 100.--, children from 6 to 16 years old CHF 50.--

Insurance; against water and fire damage vary according to the amount of cover required.

Taxes

There are no inheritance fees in the canton du Valais. The tax on the capital gain is low and degressive over the years.

Regulations for people living abroad

For new construction : 

In Switzerland, the property sales are limited by law to an annual quota.  Nationwide the quota is set to a maximum of 1500 units where 330 units are for the canton of Valais. Since the end of 2007, the authorisations are distributed in the following manner :

- 165 authorisations for projects in which the canton has an interest, i.e. that generate guest beds, for example holiday accommodation in a new hotel complex or apartment hotels.

- 165 authorisations granted to different regions of the canton, of which 60 % are destined for new developments and 40 % destined to reduce the number of deeds in waiting.

In order to get the authorisation for the property, the buyer should send a draft of the contract together with the “declaration d’intention”; a document stating the buyer’s firm intention of buying the property in question and declaring that he/she is not already an owner of a property in Switzerland. Once this document has been approved of by the service juridique it is return together with a guarantee of authorisation. Then the buyer has got one month to sign the contract.

For resale property :

Properties being sold from foreigner to foreigner are not submitted to the contingent.

For new construction and for resale :

One single authorisation per household is given (a child older than 18 years can obtain a property in his/her name).

A foreign buyer is obligated to occupy his/her property for a minimum of 3 weeks per year.

Foreigners can buy properties with a maximum of 200 square meters surface area. For plots of land the maximum surface area is 1000 square meters. With the purchase of land comes an obligation to build within two years following the authorisation by the Land Registry.

The authorisation of purchase by the Land Registry comes with a ban of selling the property within 5 years.