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S U B S C R I B E
WRS stories about real estate
Paying too much rent and how to get it lowered
Wednesday, 30 May, 2012
Two-thirds of tenants in Switzerland pay too much in rent, according to a study by comparison website Comparis, and some tenants might be entitled to a decrease in rent. WRS’s Alex Helmick speaks with Jonas Grossniklaus from Comparis and Zeynep Ersan Berdoz from consumer magazine Bon À Savoir:
Wednesday, 30 May, 2012
Two-thirds of tenants in Switzerland pay too much in rent, according to a study by comparison website Comparis, and some tenants might be entitled to a decrease in rent. WRS’s Alex Helmick speaks with Jonas Grossniklaus from Comparis and Zeynep Ersan Berdoz from consumer magazine Bon À Savoir:
Switzerland enters housing bubble, says UBS
Thursday, 3 May, 2012
Switzerland is in the beginning stage of a housing bubble with an average real estate price increase at an unsustainable five to six percent nationwide, according to UBS economist Claudio Saputelli, co-author of UBS’s Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index for the first quarter of 2012. The index says that pressure increases on the market as housing prices continue to increase, mortgage debt rises and real estate becomes a more sought after investment with the riskiest or most exposed housing markets residing in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne. WRS’s Alex Helmick speaks to Saputelli:
Thursday, 3 May, 2012
Switzerland is in the beginning stage of a housing bubble with an average real estate price increase at an unsustainable five to six percent nationwide, according to UBS economist Claudio Saputelli, co-author of UBS’s Swiss Real Estate Bubble Index for the first quarter of 2012. The index says that pressure increases on the market as housing prices continue to increase, mortgage debt rises and real estate becomes a more sought after investment with the riskiest or most exposed housing markets residing in Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne. WRS’s Alex Helmick speaks to Saputelli:
Risking your pension on real estate
Wednesday, 18 April, 2012
Should you be able to use your pension to buy a house in Switzerland? Currently you can use part of the assets in your pension—the so-called second pillar—to pay for a building project or as collateral for the mortgage. Critics are calling for a change in the law warning homebuyers are stretching themselves too thin as well as causing the property market to overheat. WRS’s Vincent Landon spoke to Philippe Talmann, professor of economics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and began by asking him why the use of the second pillar was causing such concern:
Wednesday, 18 April, 2012
Should you be able to use your pension to buy a house in Switzerland? Currently you can use part of the assets in your pension—the so-called second pillar—to pay for a building project or as collateral for the mortgage. Critics are calling for a change in the law warning homebuyers are stretching themselves too thin as well as causing the property market to overheat. WRS’s Vincent Landon spoke to Philippe Talmann, professor of economics at the Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne and began by asking him why the use of the second pillar was causing such concern:
Politician proposes five-year residency period before buying property
Monday, 19 March, 2012
A Social Democrat politician from Zurich, Jacqueline Badran, suggests that real estate prices could go down and more apartments could be built if foreigners had to live in Switzerland for five years before being allowed to buy property. WRS’s Alex Helmick asks Cipriano Alvarez, head of the Law Department at the Federal Housing Office, if this is legal considering that Switzerland’s free movement accord with the European Union:
Monday, 19 March, 2012
A Social Democrat politician from Zurich, Jacqueline Badran, suggests that real estate prices could go down and more apartments could be built if foreigners had to live in Switzerland for five years before being allowed to buy property. WRS’s Alex Helmick asks Cipriano Alvarez, head of the Law Department at the Federal Housing Office, if this is legal considering that Switzerland’s free movement accord with the European Union:
Rewind: Voters limit secondary residences
Friday, 16 March, 2012
On Sunday, voters approved the Franz Weber initiative on second homes, sending a message that they are tired of construction in the Alps. However, putting the initiative into place will not be so easy. WRS’s Jordan Davis reviews that and other news of the week with RTS’s Pascal Jeannerat and independent journalist Niklaus Ramseyer:
Friday, 16 March, 2012
On Sunday, voters approved the Franz Weber initiative on second homes, sending a message that they are tired of construction in the Alps. However, putting the initiative into place will not be so easy. WRS’s Jordan Davis reviews that and other news of the week with RTS’s Pascal Jeannerat and independent journalist Niklaus Ramseyer:
Valais mulls how to wean itself off building secondary homes
Tuesday, 13 March, 2012
Mountainous cantons are coming to terms with a new reality voters handed to them on Sunday. The constitution now calls for second homes and apartments to comprise no more than 20 percent of the housing stock in a given town. Valais was the canton with the biggest “no” vote with nearly three quarters of people against the initiative. Many said it would be a severe blow to the tourism there, but now it’s having to figure out how to wean the industry off building second homes. WRS’s Jordan David reports:
Tuesday, 13 March, 2012
Mountainous cantons are coming to terms with a new reality voters handed to them on Sunday. The constitution now calls for second homes and apartments to comprise no more than 20 percent of the housing stock in a given town. Valais was the canton with the biggest “no” vote with nearly three quarters of people against the initiative. Many said it would be a severe blow to the tourism there, but now it’s having to figure out how to wean the industry off building second homes. WRS’s Jordan David reports:
Figuring out why Swiss reject extra vacation and limit holiday homes
Monday, 12 March, 2012
On Sunday, two thirds of Swiss voters shot down an initiative to increase the amount of statutory annual leave to six weeks from the current legal minimum of four. WRS’s Jordan Davis has been following this and the rest of yesterday’s votes:
Monday, 12 March, 2012
On Sunday, two thirds of Swiss voters shot down an initiative to increase the amount of statutory annual leave to six weeks from the current legal minimum of four. WRS’s Jordan Davis has been following this and the rest of yesterday’s votes:
Voters approve limit on secondary homes
Monday, 12 March, 2012
Construction in some tourist areas is likely to come to a screeching halt. On Sunday, 50.6 percent of Swiss voters approved the initiative limiting secondary homes. Now the constitution says those secondary residences cannot comprise more than 20 percent of the total housing in a given commune. It was a hard fought victory for Franz Weber, the man well known for his crusading environmental battles. But the results of the vote have exposed serious divisions between urban and mountain regions, as WRS’s Jordan Davis reports from Bern:
Monday, 12 March, 2012
Construction in some tourist areas is likely to come to a screeching halt. On Sunday, 50.6 percent of Swiss voters approved the initiative limiting secondary homes. Now the constitution says those secondary residences cannot comprise more than 20 percent of the total housing in a given commune. It was a hard fought victory for Franz Weber, the man well known for his crusading environmental battles. But the results of the vote have exposed serious divisions between urban and mountain regions, as WRS’s Jordan Davis reports from Bern:
A nationwide limit on secondary homes?
Monday, 27 February, 2012
Should secondary homes that stay empty much of the year be capped at no more than 20 percent of each commune’s buildable area? Voters across the country will have to answer that question in around two weeks’ time. In some places, like the canton of Valais, many fear an economic apocalypse. It’s reached such a pitch that some locals say they don’t dare speak their minds. WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports from Veysonnaz in the canton of Valais with a follow-up from our reporter Jordan Davis, who spoke to the woman who’s heading the campaign, Vera Weber of the Franz Weber Foundation:
Monday, 27 February, 2012
Should secondary homes that stay empty much of the year be capped at no more than 20 percent of each commune’s buildable area? Voters across the country will have to answer that question in around two weeks’ time. In some places, like the canton of Valais, many fear an economic apocalypse. It’s reached such a pitch that some locals say they don’t dare speak their minds. WRS’s Lucas Chambers reports from Veysonnaz in the canton of Valais with a follow-up from our reporter Jordan Davis, who spoke to the woman who’s heading the campaign, Vera Weber of the Franz Weber Foundation:
How low can Geneva's housing supply go?
Friday, 24 February, 2012
Geneva may be one of the most difficult places in the entire world to find a place to live. And things didn’t improve in 2011—the building of new housing in the canton was the lowest in 70 years. New accommodations dropped some 35 percent in 2011 from 2010. WRS’s Alex Helmick talks to Pierre-Alain Rumley, chair of land use and development at the University of Neuchâtel. He is also the former head of the federal office of land use and urban development:
Friday, 24 February, 2012
Geneva may be one of the most difficult places in the entire world to find a place to live. And things didn’t improve in 2011—the building of new housing in the canton was the lowest in 70 years. New accommodations dropped some 35 percent in 2011 from 2010. WRS’s Alex Helmick talks to Pierre-Alain Rumley, chair of land use and development at the University of Neuchâtel. He is also the former head of the federal office of land use and urban development:
Why Geneva has higher rents than Zurich
Friday, 3 February, 2012
For many people living in Switzerland, the idea of a housing crisis is nothing new. But how do rents in Zurich compare to those in Geneva, Bern or in smaller towns in less populated cantons? According to comparis.ch, the winner of the most expensive average rent is Geneva. A Geneva flat advertised with 4.5 rooms comes with an average monthly rent of 3,900 francs. That even beats Zurich by almost 1,000 francs. WRS’s Dave Goodman talks to a specialist in real estate economics, professor Philippe Thalmann from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL):
Friday, 3 February, 2012
For many people living in Switzerland, the idea of a housing crisis is nothing new. But how do rents in Zurich compare to those in Geneva, Bern or in smaller towns in less populated cantons? According to comparis.ch, the winner of the most expensive average rent is Geneva. A Geneva flat advertised with 4.5 rooms comes with an average monthly rent of 3,900 francs. That even beats Zurich by almost 1,000 francs. WRS’s Dave Goodman talks to a specialist in real estate economics, professor Philippe Thalmann from the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL):
Sparks fly over proposed tax break for home buyers
Friday, 3 February, 2012
This year voters may experience déjà vu. Twice in a just a matter of months they’ll be asked about tax incentives for people saving to buy a house. The first nationwide vote comes March 11. Supporters of the initiative say they want more Swiss people to be able to buy houses. But opponents call it a giveaway for the rich. WRS’s Jordan Davis reports:
Friday, 3 February, 2012
This year voters may experience déjà vu. Twice in a just a matter of months they’ll be asked about tax incentives for people saving to buy a house. The first nationwide vote comes March 11. Supporters of the initiative say they want more Swiss people to be able to buy houses. But opponents call it a giveaway for the rich. WRS’s Jordan Davis reports:
Strong franc not slowing holiday rentals
Wednesday, 4 January, 2012
Politicians, exporters and the tourism industry alike have complained the Swiss franc is over-valued. As a result, they say, the Swiss economy is on the verge of tipping into a recession. Federal statistics have shown a clear decline in hotel bookings from eurozone countries, helped only slightly by a boost in tourists from Asia, but there is some good news—in Switzerland’s holiday homes sector. WRS’s Tony Ganzer reports:
Wednesday, 4 January, 2012
Politicians, exporters and the tourism industry alike have complained the Swiss franc is over-valued. As a result, they say, the Swiss economy is on the verge of tipping into a recession. Federal statistics have shown a clear decline in hotel bookings from eurozone countries, helped only slightly by a boost in tourists from Asia, but there is some good news—in Switzerland’s holiday homes sector. WRS’s Tony Ganzer reports:
