Wetag Consulting Immobiliare is a boutique real estate brokerage in Locarno, Ticino, Switzerland with branch offices in Lugano and Ascona. The company features a broad selection of well selected properties focusing on the luxury segment of the real estate market such as luxury villas, apartments, penthouses and estates. This blog covers news, ideas, and information pertaining to this real estate marketplace and local lifestyle.

Die Welt, aus der Provinz gesehen, Teil 2 - Schweiz und Italien, Steuerflucht und Bankgeheimnis

Posted Thu Apr 22 00:00:00 UTC 2010

Die Welt, aus der Provinz gesehen , Teil 2

Der Autor lebt, weit von Zwist und Unrast der Hauptstädte, in der fernen Provinz Tessin, umgeben von Palmen und Sonnenschein. Nie dringen die wichtigen Details der täglichen Weltpolitik bis dorthin, und so muss er sich mit dem grossen Bild zufrieden geben. Werfen Sie einen Blick auf diese kuriose Welt, heute auf:

Schweiz und Italien, Steuerflucht und Bankgeheimnis

Wenden wir unser Augenmerk gegen Süden und vergleichen wir, wie die dortige Regierung mit demselben Problem umgeht wie unser nördlicher Nachbar. Das Problem, Sie erinnern sich, ist die traditionelle Schweizer Eigenheit der Unterscheidung zwischen Steuerbetrug und Steuerhinterziehung (letztere wird nicht streng bestraft). Dies gefällt auch Bürgern aus vielen umliegenden Staaten. Deren Regierungen legen daher ihre Stirnen in tiefe Falten, so auch in Italien.

Auch hier ist der Staat begehrlich auf Zusatz-Milliarden. Er vermeidet es aber tunlichst, es mit seiner Elite ernstlich zu verderben. Für denjenigen Leser, der vielleicht die Verhältnisse gar nicht kennt, muss beigefügt sein, dass „Steuern sparen“ in Italien als vielbewunderte Fähigkeit und Ausdruck von Intelligenz gilt, wie jedermann vom kleinen Mann bis zum „Cavaliere“ bestätigt.

Angelehnt an die in Italien jedermann geläufige Tradition des kirchlichen Ablasshandels - oder Beichte - erlässt der Staat nun alle paar Jahre (3 mal in den letzten acht Jahren, wenn wir in der Provinz richtig zählen) ein Dekret, nach welchem für jeweils einige Monate vergeben wird dem, der steuer-gesündigt hat. Die Sünder nehmen das Angebot je nach Lebensumständen dankend nicht an oder aber schon, wobei sie dann einen kleinen geforderten Obulus begleichen müssen. Natürlich, wer sich an die dazwischen geltenden Gesetzte gehalten hat und nicht profitieren kann, erhält gleichsam eine staatliche Bestätigung für seine Dummheit, alle paar Jahre wieder.

Die levantinische Flexibilität, Gesetze dem eigenen Handeln anzupassen, wird auch in vielen anderen Lebensbereichen von der Staatsführung vorgelebt. Ist das nicht Untergrabung der eigenen Autorität, Selbstmord eines Landes?

Hm. Der Betrachter in der Provinz betrachtet den friedlichen Ablauf und kratzt sich am Kopf. Langfristig doch erstaunlich unbeschadet geht das Land ja eigentlich seinen Weg als Leuchte der Kultur, und dies seit Tausenden von Jahren nun. Der Staat verbreitet die message, obrigkeitliche Autorität nicht so richtig ernst zu nehmen, sondern als eine Art Kasperltheater anzusehen - ob da bloss Opportunismus oder am Ende - eher ungewollt wohl - gar höhere Weisheit dahinter steckt?

Posted By: Ueli F. Schnorf

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Wetag Consulting receives an award at the annual conference of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World

Posted Mon Mar 22 17:35:00 UTC 2010

Leading the revolution has been the slogan of this year’s annual conference of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World. With 850 attendees, the enthusiasm at the conference was impressive, with so many industry leaders coming together to strategize and inspire. Affiliate brokerages of Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® representing annual sales production of $280 billion convened Tuesday through Thursday, March 9-11, at the Encore at Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas for LeadingRE’s annual conference. Approximately 40% of the network’s total member companies were represented at the conference by their principals, CEOs or other senior management. The conference audience includes over 100 of the nation’s top 500 companies based on REAL Trends data, as well as firms from eight countries around the world.

Ueli Schnorf (CEO/owner of Wetag) and Peter Rabitz (Director – International Division) represented the company. The conference was highlighted by a diverse list of speakers including Guy Kawasaki of Apple Computer fame; FHA Commissioner Dave Stevens; Ron Peltier of HomeServices of America; elite athlete Robin Benincasa; Adam Singer of TopRank Online Marketing; Scott Murphy of Sears Holding Corp.; Channing Dawson, Kelly Roark, Rich Lacy and Vikki Neil of Scripps Networks; Carter Maslan of Google; Sami Inkinen and Pierre Calzidilla of Trulia; Sara Bonert and Greg Schwartz of Zillow; Jennifer Baumann of DLA PIPER; Dustin Luther of 4realz.net; Randy LeBlanc of TIBCO; Ian Morris of Market Leader; Marc Davison and Brian Borero of 1000Watt Consulting; leadership coach Mike Staver; market game-changer Steve Harney; real estate technology coach Matthew Ferrara; and an impressive line-up of LeadingRE member and industry speakers.

With more than a decade successfully in business, Wetag Consulting has become not only the exclusive affiliate for Leading Real Estate Companies of the World and their luxury component Luxury Portfolio, but also the exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates for the canton of Ticino, the most southern part of Switzerland. Based on continued hard work, strong business ethics, knowledge of the local, but also world wide luxury real estate market – the company became leader in the luxury real estate market. Showcasing a broad selection of the finest properties available in Ticino and serving an elite clientele of seller and buyers alike – Wetag became number one choice for national and international clients to be chosen as their property specialist. Serving clients coming from almost 70 nations, Wetag understands the globalization of real estate business. Ueli Schnorf states: “You have to be internationally connected, not only to stay on top of what’s going on in the industry, but also to understand your clients’ needs and point of view on properties. The mixture of nationalities we serve reflects also a mixture of different tastes. An American buyer might look for totally different features than a Russian client and to knowing these different interests and also behaviour, we certainly feel comfortable to assist all of our clients. Our membership in elite networks like Christie’s Great Estates and Leading Real Estate Companies of the World also provide us with great global connections and ensure that our seller’s properties get represented in a very exclusive way. With that, we can truly say that we have a global reach what gives us an edge in our local business.”

Wetag Consulting’s international approach is being underlined by this years LeadingRE’s award ceremony where the company has been honoured with the RELO Home Search – Outstanding International Contributor award. The RELO Home Search Outstanding Contributor award recognizes exceptional contributions made by international LeadingRE members who have helped advance the development of RELOHomeSearch.com by providing an abundance of community content, property listings, and invaluable feedback to aid in the site’s growth. RELOHomeSearch.com is an exclusive service of the Leading Real Estate Companies of the World® real estate network. RELOHomeSearch.com is a community research tool that you can use to find information about cities, neighbourhoods, zip code areas and of course real estate listing from around the globe. In addition, Wetag Consulting just received LeadingRE’s Website Quality Certification.

Posted By: Peter Rabitz

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Intervista Falò: Viaggio nel mondo esclusivo del lusso

Posted Wed Sep 23 17:21:00 UTC 2009


Come emerso dall’intervista fatta a Ueli Schnorf (comproprietario della Wetag Consulting Sa) da Falò, trasmissione televisiva d’approfondimento andato in onda il 20 agosto scorso, i beni di lusso sono stati sfiorati dalla crisi. Ciò che è cambiato è l’approccio al lusso. Gli acquirenti sono più prudenti, sono più riflessivi e necessitano più tempo. Anche le motivazioni che inducono alla vendita della propria casa non sono più quelle di una volta. Generalmente si può dunque affermare che il mercato del lusso resta stabile è l’approccio al lusso che è mutato. Scritto da Deborah Fontana.

Posted By: Team Lugano

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Is Switzerland still attractive to foreigners? - Right for Residence (or Agreement on the free movements of persons) (Part two of Four)

Posted Wed Jul 22 18:40:00 UTC 2009

Considering the history of successful integration, it is understandable that Switzerland is reluctant to accept external advice (eg. From the EU) regarding the regulation of the relationship of different nationalities. Regardless, many Swiss claim to be afraid of being overrun by foreign influences, which they worry will lead to racial disharmony as has occurred in neighboring countries. In fact Switzerland was ‘overrun by foreigners’ long ago and has remained peaceful and well functioning.
In 2002 an agreement was established with the EU on the free movement of persons which has been implemented on a stepped approach and since 2007, every EU citizen is guaranteed the right of permanent residence in Switzerland. Excluding the right to vote, EU citizens are treated equally to Swiss in most other areas of life. This is on the condition of having already found a job or that a job will be found within 6 months; have sufficient financial resources and being of good character. In the last few years, tens of thousands of Germans have moved to Switzerland in order to live and work. To have your main residence in Switzerland, gives you the right to unlimited purchase of property (but does not extend to the letting of property and property speculation/investment).
Non-EU members do not have an automatic right to permanent residence (PR). Every request for PR for is a long procedure, and is judged on a case-by-case basis and must be found to be ‘in the interest of Switzerland’.
The ‘extended freedom of movement’ vote that took place in February 2009 referred to the question of whether all new EU member states or if only EU members as of 2002 should have the law applied as was originally implemented. Right-winged political parties were concerned that the more impoverished new EU members of Bulgaria and Romania would ‘rush’ to Switzerland to take advantage of our favourable social welfare system. The media used this situation internationally to accuse Switzerland of Xenophobia. Despite this, Swiss citizens voted in favour of extending the agreement to include all new EU member states. The canton of Ticino was the only canton to vote against proposal with a significant majority against. This may be because of Ticino’s close proximity to Italy, where already heated debate occurs on the issue of Bulgarian and Romanian Gypsies. Regardless of the new agreement, regulations require all foreigners intending to purchase a vacation home, to have permission, with the size of the property limited for the use of vacation in appropriate holiday areas.

Posted By: Ueli F. Schnorf

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Is Switzerland still attractive to foreigners? (Part One of Four)

Posted Mon Jul 20 17:23:00 UTC 2009

Ueli Schnorf - owner of Wetag Consulting Immobiliare in Locarno, Ticino - outlined his thoughts and some general information about Switzerland’s position and important aspects involved with purchasing real estate in Switzerland. He is talking about some key issues which has been heavily discussed within the last recent months such as lump-sum taxation and right of residence. His report will be featured as a series of four episodes in total, beginning with this on - a general overview about Switzerland’s past and present.

Switzerland is arguably the world’s oldest and most successful democracy, and regardless of what your opinion may be of it, there can be no denying the success that has been achieved by a small land locked, mostly mountainous country with no raw materials, no colonies and no agricultural land space. This developed over the centuries through individual fight for freedom and local control. The resistance to outside authority, has helped bring together the different regional and linguistic backgrounds. Switzerland’s modern constitution of 1848, of a federalist approach is based on the idea that the state is organized so that matters are dealt with at the lowest possible level. The advantage being that decisions are made by those affected, but the disadvantage is that general changes are difficult to implement.

Despite this unique system of government and lack of resources, Switzerland has managed to become the richest country in the world within 200 years, with the highest quality of life and the happiest people (as annual worldwide surveys confirm). It is not surprising that most Swiss consider their countries’ state institution as be superior to most other governments. This means they tend to disregard advice of how to improve their state institutions or criticisms from representatives of inferior systems.

Switzerland has moved from a country of emigrants to having the highest proportion of immigrants in the industrialized world (2008: 21.1%). Beginning in the 1830s, the favorable legal framework led to rapid industrial development, which in turn led to significant levels of immigration. Initially Germans, Italians or people from southern Europe, then later followed by people from Hungary and the Czech Republic. In the 1970s, there followed immigrants from Sri Lanka and in the 80s and early 90s from Ex-Yugoslavia. Currently most immigration is from Germany. Integration has occurred relatively quickly, in most cases within one generation. Generally, ethnically closed off districts are not found, in contrast to neighboring countries of France, Germany and England.

To be continued…

Posted By: Ueli F. Schnorf

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Wetag Consulting nimmt erfolgreich an der Jahreskonferenz der "Leading Real Estate Companies of the World" teil

Posted Mon Apr 06 21:58:00 UTC 2009

„The Power of the Bolt“ war das Motto der Jahreskonferenz der “Leading Real Estate Companies of the World” vom 26. bis 29. März in Scottsdale, Arizona. Wetag Consulting wurde durch Ueli Schnorf, Marco Fässler und meiner Person vertreten. In einer sehr bewegenden Zeit, mit weltweit spürbaren Turbulenzen, trafen sich rund 600 Immobilienmanager und Relocation Spezialisten aus den USA sowie 10 weiteren Ländern wie Australien, China(Hongkong), Canada und der Schweiz, um sich über die verschiedenen Marktsituationen und Lösungsansätze - wie man der gegenwärtigen Situation entgegenwirkt - auszutauschen. Verschiedene Redner, eine Reihe an Workshops und Gespräche abseits der Konferenz boten interessante Gelegenheiten, um sich von anderen Immobilienspezialisten über deren Marktsituation und deren Anstrengungen informieren zu lassen. Wetag Consulting war aktiv am Informationsaustausch beteiligt. Ueli Schnorf war Diskussionsteilnehmer und Redner in der Session „Global Marketing Strategies to Enhance and Expand Your Brand“ in der er die Rolle der Wetag in einem globalen Markt beschrieb. Marco Fässler referierte beim ‚International Forum’ zum Thema „Schweiz“ und informierte die Teilnehmer über die hiesige Marktsituation und Geschäftsgebaren. In gleich zwei Foren durfte ich über unsere Erfahrungen im Online Strategic Development berichten. Bei der Session „Dealing with the New Economic Climate“ sowie „Future Tense, Propopoly and the Marketing Power of Blogs“ informierte ich meine Kollegen über unsere sehr guten Erfahrungen mit der Verwendung von Blogs und wie wir die Wetag im Zeitalter von Web2.0 positionieren, um so in einem stark veränderten Geschäftsumfeld auf die neusten Einflüsse und Trends zu reagieren. Als Ergebnis unserer dauerhaften und erfolgreichen Weiterentwicklung, wurden wir bei der Galaveranstaltung gleich mit zwei prestigeträchtigen Awards ausgezeichnet. Zum einen erhielten wir einen Award für die „Beste Website“ in der Kategorie 1-50 Mitarbeiter (siehe Foto: Harold Crye, Marco Fässler, Ueli Schnorf, Peter Rabitz v.l.n.r.) und zum anderen den Award für den „Besten Immobilien Blog“, unterstützt von Propopoly. Die in Scottsdale erhaltenen Informationen und Meinungen sowie ein positiver Ausblick auf den weltweiten Immobilienmarkt, machten diese Konferenz zu einer der besten der letzten Jahre.

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Wetag Consulting is the exclusive affiliate of Christies Great Estates, Leading Real Estate Companies of the World, Luxury Portfolio for the canton of Ticino, Switzerland’s most southern state and is also founding member of EREN – the European Real Estate Network. The areas Wetag Consulting serves are the well-know three big lakes of Lago Maggiore, Lago di Lugano and Lago di Como which are famous for their Mediterranean climate and Italian influenced lifestyle and all of the surrounding valleys of the Southern Alps.

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