Hi everyone, I’m in the process of buying an apartment (PPP / condominium) in Switzerland and trying to understand how things actually work in practice — beyond what banks and agencies publish on their websites. Would love to hear from people with recent experience (last 2–3 years). Who pays what? Notary fees, land registry costs, transfer tax — who typically pays what in your canton? Did anyone successfully negotiate a contribution from the seller toward these costs? The process in practice What was your actual sequence? Verbal offer → reservation agreement → notarized preliminary contract → deed. Did you skip any step? How long did each phase take in your experience? Documents to request before making an offer For a PPP (condominium), I’ve already requested: Renovation fund balance + planned works Electrical safety certificate (RaSi) Clarification on millesimal quota What else would you add? Did you manage to get the last AGM minutes before signing? Any resistance from the seller or agent? Choosing the notary Did you choose your own notary or did the seller/agent propose one? Does it make a practical difference? Any experience with notaries being too close to the selling party? Suspensive conditions in the preliminary contract Did you include conditions (mortgage approval, compliant RaSi, no extraordinary works planned)? Did the seller push back on any of them? Mortgage — broker vs. direct Did you use a broker (HypoPlus, MoneyPark, key4) or go direct to banks? Was there a meaningful rate difference? Any strong recommendation either way? SARON vs. fixed Given current rates (SARON ~0%, fixed 10yr ~1.25%), what did you go with and why? Any regrets? Any practical insight welcome — especially if you’ve been through this recently. Thanks! submitted by /u/MaLan87
Originally posted by u/MaLan87 on r/Switzerland