http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner News and ideas to make your stay in Switzerland more comfortable Mon, 02 Feb 2009 13:05:55 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Although the basic real estate metrics in Suisse Romande remain sound, Yves Rapin, a committee member of the Union Suisse des professionnels de l’immobilier Vaud (Swiss association of real-estate professionals in Vaud) believes that the economic downturn will have two indirect negative effects: the numerous multinationals in the region will ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2009/01/23/real-estate-pro-warns-of-indirect-impact-of-crisis/ With a vacancy rate of only 0.5% and an extra 10'000 residents for the year of 2007 alone, Vaud cannot see the end to the housing crisis that started five years ago. The Vaud Socialist party wants the canton to step up the construction of low cost housing, since an additional ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/21/no-immediate-solution-to-vaud-housing-crisis/ The Lausanne Hotel School (EHL) recently completed the first stage of a major development plan with the inauguration of a wing to house its administration. The new building was built to the strict standards of Minergie, a process that certifies best practices, but it is going a ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/14/going-a-step-further-than-minergie/ In 2012, when energy-thirsty light bulbs will at last be banned, Switzerland will only be catching up with the directives that the European Union is implementing as from this year. Better late than never. Thomas Edison's light bulb has survived 130 years but it is now on its way out because the ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/10/lighting-better-at-lower-cost/  One million Christmas trees are sold every year in Switzerland, but only half are produced locally. If you have ecological concerns about trees being trucked across the European continent and would like to buy an indigenous pine, your choice will be primarily between a green fir (sapin blanc) and a ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/08/tips-for-christmas-trees/ Credit Suisse is reducing its interest rates for adjustable-rate mortgages. The guideline rate for adjustable-rate mortgages is falling to 2.85 percent with immediate effect for new loans and on April 1, 2009 for existing ones. The guideline rate is used for top-quality residential properties and borrowers with impeccable creditworthiness. As for construction loans, ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/08/credit-suisse-reduces-its-mortgage-rates/ A crusade to save the Lavaux vineyards from real-estate development is launched for the third time.The tireless Franz Weber, whose "Sauver Lavaux" and Helvetia Nostra associations relentlessly oppose new constructions on the slopes between Lausanne and Vevey, says he will launch in January an initiative to put a stop to ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/05/crusade-to-save-the-lavaux-wineyards/ If you are looking to hone your gardening skills, but don’t yet know what grows best in this climate, this is the place to look! Swisster will be consulting experts to bring you timely ideas and bright flowers. From balconies to estates, seasonal suggestions and good addresses will keep your thumbs ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/05/gardening/ Looking for the chic, smart, original and inevitably expensive addresses in Geneva and Lausanne for design with an edge? Galerie Blavignac offers contemporary furniture and art icons for sale either on-line or in a gallery rue Verdaine in Geneva. From Eames chairs to Roy Lichtenstein original prints, the 20th Century is ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/03/design-stores-for-the-cognoscenti/ Banque Migros and the Cantonal Bank of Lucern have joined the growing movement of financial institutions bringing down their mortgage rates. Banque Migros proposes a variable mortgage rate of 2.7 %, whereas the Lucern bank proposes 2.75%. For the time being, the reference rate for rents, as published on 1 December ... http://blog.swisster.com/housing_corner/2008/12/03/mortgage-rates-below-the-3-mark/