Comparing a 3.22% 30-year fixed mortgage in Switzerland

A

ari.brooks

Homeowner
Established
I want predictable payments, but I am not sure the certainty justifies being tied in for 30 years. The Zurich purchase is around CHF 818,400, and the actual offer came back at 3.22% once the lender applied its fee structure and lending tier.

How would you compare this with other offers on a realistic holding period? I want to see the monthly payment against my comfortable budget, all charges paid during that period, and the cost of leaving early if I sell or refinance. I also need to know whether portability has meaningful flexibility or is just a narrow promise.
 
The key constraint is how long you are likely to keep this exact loan. A 30-year calculation may make one offer look cheaper even if you expect to move or refinance much sooner.

Give every lender the same borrowing amount, repayment assumptions and end date, then list the payments and all one-off or recurring charges up to that point. APR can still be a useful first comparison, but only after checking that each lender has calculated it on the same basis.
 
Is CHF 818,400 the purchase price or the amount being borrowed? That missing figure matters because the loan-to-value tier seems to be one reason the advertised rate did not apply. I’d also compare the required monthly payment with your comfortable budget, rather than judging the quote solely by lifetime interest.
 
I wouldn’t push APR aside too quickly. It is probably the cleanest first filter if every lender calculates it on genuinely comparable terms. The bigger issue here is the 30-year commitment: an early-repayment clause can outweigh a modest rate difference if you sell, refinance or need to change the loan. “Portable” also needs clarification—what happens if the replacement property or borrowing amount differs?
 
A simple spreadsheet should make the trade-off visible: rate, arrangement fees, loan amount, monthly outflow, total cost after 5, 10 and 30 years, plus the stated exit cost at those earlier dates. For shorter fixed offers, include a few rate-reset scenarios rather than assuming today’s rate continues. Then ask the lenders to confirm which fees and portability conditions apply to your exact loan-to-value tier.
 
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