More apartments on the market – but it takes longer to sell

The Online Home Market Analysis is carried out regularly in collaboration with the Swiss homeowners’ association and the Swiss Real Estate Institute.

Record supply, but longer advertising times

Between 2022 and 2024, the number of advertised apartments in Switzerland rose continuously from 70,000 to 100,000. However, this increase was not so much due to newly built apartments – in fact, the number of new building applications declined. Rather, demographic change can be assumed to be the cause: members of the “baby boomer” generation are increasingly reaching an age where they are looking for new housing options and offering their existing apartments for sale.

As a result, the additional 16,000 listings compared to the previous year meant that sellers of condominiums had to wait an average of 17 days longer before the property was sold and they could deactivate the listing. Specifically, in 2024, the national average for an apartment’s advertising time was 92 days.

Zurich is no longer top of the table for the shortest advertising time

Apartment sellers in all eight regions had to wait longer in 2024 than in the previous year. What stands out is that, for the first time in 4 years, the Zurich region (67 days, up 11 days) no longer has the shortest advertising time, with the top spot returning to the Central Switzerland region (62 days, up 4 days).

Likewise coming in at under 70 days is the Lake Geneva region, in third place (69 days, up 5 days). As in previous years, the 3 regions Eastern Switzerland (79 days, up 13 days), North-West Switzerland (81 days, up 12 days) and Espace Mittelland (85 days, up 14 days) are in the mid-range, although advertising times also increased significantly here.

As in previous years, those looking to sell have to wait the longest to find a buyer in the 2 regions Vaud/Valais (93 days, up 18 days) and Ticino (168 days, up 37 days). Due to the above-average increase in advertising time in Ticino (28 %), the gap with the other regions and, in particular, with Central Switzerland, the new leader, has increased by almost half (up 45 %).

The same number of regions with increasing and decreasing demand

By comparing the percentage changes in advertising time and the number of listings, an estimate of regional demand for home ownership can be derived. In the Lake Geneva region, for example, apartments only need to be advertised slightly longer (up 7 %), despite double-digit growth in the number of listings (up 22 %). This suggests an increase in demand. In sharp contrast to this is Ticino, where there is least demand for apartments.

All in all, demand for the year 2024 is quite stable across Switzerland.

Financing remains a major hurdle

Despite falling interest rates, buying a home remains a challenge, especially for younger families – primarily due to requirements around capital and affordability. These stipulate that at least 20 % of the purchase price must be put up by the buyer (so for a purchase price of CHF 1 million, CHF 200,000).

There are certain tricks that can help with this, such as using retirement savings or an advance inheritance. However, these are not always possible, so raising capital represents a major obstacle for many on the path to owning their own home.