Home ownership without retirement savings?

A representative survey of the Swiss population conducted by Raiffeisen Switzerland and the ZHAW School of Management and Law shows that 57 percent of people who do not own their own home dream of owning their own four walls. Among 18- to 30-year-olds who do not own their own home, almost three quarters (74%) would like to own a house or apartment in the future. Demand for home ownership is high, but rising prices mean that those who want to buy their own home need more and more financial resources. Because savings alone are often not enough, people are increasingly resorting to their retirement savings.

You can download the results of the study as a PDF file here (in German language only).

Without pension savings, it is often not enough

45 percent of those surveyed have already been able to fulfill their dream of owning their own home. More than two-thirds of them (68%) had to rely on additional sources of financing in addition to their own savings. An important role is played by the early withdrawal of funds from the second and third pillars, known as home ownership promotion.