Geneva has dozens of estate agencies, and they all promise the same thing: the best price, the best network, the best service. Promises cannot be compared; evidence can. Here are the five criteria you can verify — and the questions that distinguish an agency that sells from an agency that promises.
1. It really knows your municipality
A Geneva price is extremely local: the same floor area is not worth the same in Cologny, Champel or Thônex, nor even from one street to the next. An agency that covers the whole canton — or the whole of French-speaking Switzerland — knows averages; the one you need knows the transactions in your neighbourhood and the buyers looking there.
The test is simple: ask what has sold recently near you. We publish this knowledge, municipality by municipality — from Cologny to the whole of the Left Bank — rather than simply claiming it.
2. Its sales can be verified — at the land registry
Every property acquisition is subject to an official publication: an agency’s sales are not a matter of trust, they can be checked. Be wary of unverifiable references and claims of “more than X properties sold” with no name or address.
Our sales are published, registered at the land registry, and the transactions map shows the real market they form part of — including other agencies’ sales.
3. Its valuation is based on transactions, not on your smile
The classic trap when choosing an agency: giving the instruction to the one that quotes the highest price. A flattering valuation is costly — the property becomes stale on the market, then has to be negotiated down from a position of weakness. The right question is not “what is my property worth?” but “which comparable sales is this figure based on?“.
Our valuation method answers with registered transactions, with the comparables that justify the range. And if your property is already listed elsewhere without success, the listing audit compares its positioning against the real market.
4. Its network of buyers exists — and off-market sales prove it
Anyone can post a listing on a portal. An agency’s value is measured by what it does without publishing: off-market sales only exist if the buyer network is real. Ask how many active buyer files it is following, and how it qualifies them.
Our off-market works both ways: sellers who do not want to be publicly listed, and qualified buyers who see properties before they are published.
5. Its agreement is clear — and everything is put in writing
The estate agency agreement is the contract that binds you: reading it says a great deal about the agency. It should set out the duration and the conditions for ending it, the marketing plan — not an intention, a plan —, what is included (photographs, viewings, files), and the commission. On this last point, our position is constant: the commission is negotiable, depending on the property, the agreement and the level of support expected; it is only due once the sale succeeds, and it is set out in writing. An agency that dodges one of these questions will dodge others.
What the Code of Obligations says about the estate agency agreement
The agreement you sign is not an in-house document: it is a named contract, governed by Articles 412 et seq. of the Code of Obligations. Knowing four of its rules changes how you read an agreement in ten minutes.
What triggers payment. The broker is entitled to their fee “as soon as the introduction they made or the negotiation they conducted leads to the conclusion of the contract”. This is a matter of causation, not paperwork: the broker who introduced you to the buyer is entitled to it, even if signature takes place later and elsewhere. Hence the importance of knowing who introduced whom — and noting it down.
The condition precedent protects the seller. Where the contract has been concluded subject to a condition precedent, the fee is only due once the condition has been fulfilled. Financing refused, a permit not granted: the sale falls through, and the fee falls with it. Check that your agreement does not exclude this rule.
Expenses are a separate item. If it has been agreed that the broker’s expenses will be reimbursed, “they are owed even where the deal has not gone through”. This is the clause worth reading twice: a fee tied to success can coexist with expenses owed in case of failure. Our answer is simple — we do not charge expenses to a seller whose property has not sold.
Two safeguards. The broker loses their right to the fee and to reimbursement of expenses if they act in the interest of the other contracting party in breach of their obligations, or if they have a fee promised to them by that party in circumstances contrary to good faith. And for the sale of a building, an excessive fee may be equitably reduced by the court, at the debtor’s request.
One last rule is worth knowing before signing anything: in the absence of an agreed amount and scale, “the usual fee is deemed to have been agreed”. In other words, writing nothing down is not free. A clear agreement primarily serves the seller.
The six questions to ask before signing
- What has sold in my municipality over the past twelve months — and at what prices?
- Which comparables is your valuation based on?
- How many active buyers are currently looking for a property like mine?
- What is your marketing plan, in writing?
- What exactly does the agreement contain — duration, exit terms, commission?
- Who will handle my file, from the first exchange to signature before the notary?
A good agency answers all six without hesitation. The sixth matters more than it seems: a single point of contact who knows your street is worth more than a rotating team.
An estate agency for every municipality on the Left Bank
The first criterion — knowledge of your municipality — deserves to be proven rather than claimed. Here are our local pages: observed prices, registered transactions and market analysis, municipality by municipality. Look for yours:
- Estate Agency Anières
- Estate Agency Carouge
- Estate Agency Chêne-Bougeries
- Estate Agency Choulex
- Estate Agency Collonge-Bellerive
- Estate Agency Cologny
- Estate Agency Conches
- Estate Agency Corsier
- Estate Agency Geneva
- Estate Agency Champel-Florissant
- Estate Agency Eaux-Vives
- Estate Agency Gy
- Estate Agency Hermance
- Estate Agency Jussy
- Estate Agency Meinier
- Estate Agency Plan-les-Ouates
- Estate Agency Presinge
- Estate Agency Puplinge
- Estate Agency Thônex
- Estate Agency Troinex
- Estate Agency Vandœuvres
- Estate Agency Vésenaz
- Estate Agency Veyrier
The full list can be browsed from the Left Bank market, with live figures.
Where to start, depending on your project
- You are selling — start with what your property is worth: confidential valuation based on real transactions, in three minutes;
- you are looking to buy — some of our sales appear nowhere else: access the off-market and be informed before publication;
- new-build appeals to you — our current developments on the Left Bank, from PPE (condominium) to house.
And where does Rousseau 5 fit in?
We apply our own criteria, and we set them out openly: an independent agency founded in 2012, a member of ACIGE, focused on residential property on the Left Bank — three areas of expertise, a single territory. Our answers to the six questions fit into a single visit: ask us. And if you are selling, start with the method and the valuation — technical terms are explained in the glossary.