Selling commercial real estate successfully
Realize the full value of your commercial property - with the leading partner for professional transactions.
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Expertise, Experience, Excellence
Mastering complexity with confidence
Selling a commercial property is a complex transaction that demands deep expertise in each segment - whether it’s a mixed-use building, multi-family home, hotel, office, logistics, or retail space. Successful marketing requires foresight, strategic planning, and discretion. It’s about accurately assessing market value and engaging the right circle of qualified buyers. As a globally connected and locally rooted partner, we manage this process for you, guiding you personally every step of the way.
Exclusive Market Access
We leverage our global network to give you access to a financially strong, international pool of buyers.
Informed Decisions
We support you with market analysis and years of expertise to optimize your investment strategy.
Reliable Execution
We guide you personally, confidently, and with complete discretion through the entire process to a successful conclusion.
Six Steps to Success
Our sales process
Strategic advisory
A personal consultation is the foundation of every successful transaction. Together, we define your individual goals, analyse the optimal time to sell, and develop a tailored, data-driven strategy for marketing your commercial property. Our services also include non-binding advice on portfolio optimization and lease value management.
Accurate valuation
Our experts don’t just provide an estimate for your property. Based on thorough market analysis, comparable properties, and a detailed assessment of your asset’s potential, we create a reliable data foundation. This allows us to determine a realistic, market-oriented asking price for your property.
Holistic marketing solutions
Our bespoke marketing strategy includes high-quality property brochures, data-driven target audience analysis, and strategic positioning of your commercial property - whether discreetly within our network or broadly on the global market. Additional marketing channels are selected individually, tailored to the specific requirements of each property.
Structured property viewings
The viewing phase is a critical part of the marketing process. We manage it reliably and discreetly, minimizing any disruption to ongoing operations. Our experts showcase your property in the best possible light, presenting it convincingly to pre-qualified, vetted prospects - either in your presence or independently.
Proactive reporting
Transparency is the foundation of our partnership. We provide continuous, proactive reporting on all marketing activities, target audience engagement, and the current status of negotiations. This ensures you are fully informed at all times and maintain complete control over the process.
Purchase agreement & after-sales
We manage the entire process through to a successful closing. Our negotiation expertise safeguards your interests. We coordinate the drafting of the purchase agreement with the notary, oversee the property handover, and remain a trusted partner for all contractual matters—even after the transaction is complete.
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What is your commercial property worth?
A thorough valuation is the foundation of every sales strategy. Start with our free online assessment for multi-family buildings, or request a detailed expert analysis.
Your experts in commercial real estate
Our property advisors are more than brokers - they are strategic partners with in-depth knowledge of the local market. This expertise forms the foundation for an accurate valuation of your commercial property. At the same time, they leverage access to our global network to connect your asset with financially qualified buyers. This combination of local excellence and international reach ensures an optimal sales process for your investment or commercial property.
FAQ – Answers to your most important questions
Strategic knowledge for your successful sale
In Switzerland, a property is considered a commercial property (or commercial real estate) if it primarily serves operational, commercial, or public purposes. The sale differs significantly in legal and tax terms from private residential property.
A key advantage: In contrast to residential properties, pure operating site properties are generally not subject to the restrictions of the Lex Koller, which makes them highly attractive for foreign investors. We manage the following segments:
Income-generating properties: Multi-family houses (MFH) as well as residential and commercial buildings.
Office & service spaces: Administration as well as practice spaces.
Logistics & industrial properties: Commercial parks, warehouses, and light-industrial properties.
Retail & gastronomy spaces: High-street retail and specialty markets.
Special properties: Hospitality, healthcare real estate, and data centers.
The Swiss investment market is strongly network-based. A structured sales process increases transaction security and optimizes the net proceeds through:
Market-appropriate valuation: Application of the DCF method as the Swiss market standard.
Data preparation: Analysis of net rental income, market rents, and vacancy risks.
Targeted approach: Discreet marketing (off-market) to pension funds, investment foundations, family offices, and high-net-worth private investors.
Valuation is primarily carried out using the Discounted Cash Flow method (DCF). In this process, future net income is discounted over a planning horizon (usually 10 years). The following factors are taken into account:
Rental structure: Current contract rents vs. market rents as well as remaining lease terms (WALT).
Costs: Management, maintenance costs, and upcoming investment requirements.
Risk profile: ESG risks as well as market-standard discount and capitalization rates.
Plausibility check: Supplementary application of the income capitalization method or hedonic approaches.
The optimal time to sell results from a combination of market data and individual strategy:
Interest rate environment: The monetary policy of the SNB directly influences discount rates and therefore market values.
Holding period & taxes: Since the real estate capital gains tax decreases with longer holding periods, waiting for a progression level can optimize the proceeds.
Condition & ESG: Energetically modern properties (positive GEAK) currently achieve premium prices in light of cantonal energy laws (MuKEn).
Lease structure: Long-term, creditworthy tenants significantly increase investors’ willingness to pay.
In Switzerland, there is de facto no tax-free sale. The treatment depends on the ownership status:
Private assets: The profit is subject to the cantonal real estate capital gains tax (monistic system). Long holding periods lead to substantial tax reductions.
Business assets: Hidden reserves and recaptured depreciation are taxed as profit (dual system).
Tax deferral: In the case of a replacement acquisition of operationally necessary fixed assets, the tax payment can be deferred under certain conditions.
In principle, real estate sales are exempt from VAT. However, the option for voluntary taxation (opting in) is often advisable in order to:
Avoid input tax corrections: In the case of a tax-exempt sale, input taxes from construction or renovation (correction period 20 years) would have to be partially repaid to the ESTV.
Apply the notification procedure: Provided that both parties are subject to VAT, the transaction can be processed via Form 764, which prevents liquidity outflow.
For a smooth review according to Swiss standards, investors require:
Current land register extract, cadastral plan, and building insurance certificate (GVA).
Complete revision plans and area documentation according to SIA standard 416.
Current rent roll (including reference interest rate) and signed lease agreements.
Valid energy certificate (GEAK / GEAK Plus).
Property statements from the last 3 years as well as renovation history from the last 20 years.
A private sale ostensibly saves the commission but often results in lower net proceeds. Professionals offer:
Discreet market access: Access to exclusive buyer groups such as investment foundations and pension funds.
Negotiation security: Management of the process up to the public notarization.
Maximum valuation: Proper application of DCF parameters prevents “undervaluing” the property on the market.
Our Off-Market Services
Not every commercial property belongs on the open market. For high-value assets, operating businesses, or situations demanding the utmost confidentiality, a discreet marketing strategy is the superior choice. We present your property exclusively to a handpicked, pre-qualified, and financially strong buyer network from our global connections. This approach safeguards your asset’s value, prevents market overexposure, and enables efficient, targeted negotiations.
Let’s talk about your investment
Every successful sale begins with a confidential, strategic conversation. Our advisors look forward to understanding your individual goals and presenting a tailored sales strategy for your property in a personal consultation.
