Where I live and where DB lives

Thanks, Notary was the word I was looking for. Both seller and buyer use the same Notary and it is at the choosing of the buyer. You can (and we do) appoint your own legal representative to handle your part of the transaction, but many don't and the Notary has to act in the best of interest of both parties.

It's true a pre-contract has little value unless drawn up by a Notary, and if you pay a deposit to the developer or agent you risk having a fight to get your money back if you pull out. Hence the importance of using a notary of your choice.

As said, there is not always a choice of notary. In some cantons the notary to be used is given by the location of the property. Advantage, notary is really independent and the price is usually lower than in cantons with free choice of notary. See https://www.preisueberwacher.admin.c...notariato.html

If the property is in a canton with free choice it makes sense to find the one with the best offer and vibe.

also when you bring in your 2nd pillar pension fund you have to pay tax on it.
its 4.38% in canton of Zurich from 50.000-200.000.

This document has a definition which is very important: How the Ausnützungsziffer or Geschossflächenziffer is calculated. Now, the linked document does it according the definition of the Canton Grison law, other cantons have other definitions. But in general it is the ration between gross living floor space (however that is measured and calculated) and land parcel area.

Zoning plans will define for each zone how big the Ausnützungsziffer can be. The bigger the better. Zoning plans can be found in your cantons GIS browser. Be aware how much of the Ausnützungsziffer has already been used and how much is still available for extension of living space (coversion of attic, a heated sunroom etc.).
Here the hidden cost part: The Ausnützungsziffer of one parcel can be shared /traded with an other parcel. This means your actual Ausnützungsziffer can be above (good) or bellow (bad) the zones standard value.

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What?

What means "good priced"? Surely this depends on one's budget and perception.

If you buy a new build, there should be no requirement for any major repairs for years. Perhaps improvements, depending on what was included with the new house. For example, generally builders provide just grass, trees and landscaping are not included. If you buy an older house, look at potential major expenses. These can be eye watering, not just hidden.

In our area it seems the buyers of the older homes are those who can do some of the renovations themselves and often have colleagues to help with the areas requiring other skill sets.

There are new houses being built in the region where we live which are making it difficult for the owners of older homes to sell their homes. The banks take a different approach to financing older homes as opposed to brand new ones. If you want to buy older, provide the bank with list of the repairs and improvements carried out (assuming you can obtain such a list).

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I realise that each kanton's rules are different.
And I realise that each lender's rules are also different

But as my 3rd pillar now attracts negative interest I am intrigued about purchasing a property here in Switzerland ( where I have lived happily for 15 years),

Is there a website that gives detailed info on Swiss mortgages?

I personally want to know which costs are legally permissible to include in a mortgage borrowed amount?
I know that you cannot borrow to top up to the 10% (cash + 3rd pillar) element of your 20% deposit.

But can you ask your lender to add legal fees, moving costs, cleaning costs, +tax on withdrawal from your pension (that attracts the tax you would have paid in tax anyway) to the borrowed amount?

I know you can ask your lender to fund the cost of renovation / rebuilds but...
ban you ask your bank / lender to add the other above mentioned ancillary costs to the amount borrowed?

It'd be useful to know.

Thanks for any advice.

Short answer: Notary cost for us was a one-off 3K. Taxes: Eigenmietwert adds a couple hundred bucks extra in tax per month. Nebenkosten is usually estimated at 1% of the house price per year. This is usually not spent per year, but averaged on a long-term basis when you have expensive tasks to do like replacing the heating system (15-20K) or having the house painted (15-25K) or kitchen remodeled (15-25K).

You must have a high income and Eigentmietwert, ours add less than CHF 100/month, probably close to CHF 50.

Tom

Our Eigenmietwert adds 28‘000 pa to our joint income. So what it costs depends on the rest of ones income, what deductions you make and the local tax rate...

Ours adds 12k, but then there are maintenance and interest deductions, so actually it adds about 3k (forgot about those), so increased taxes are well below CHF 50/month.

Tom