Your Home, Your Inheritance: What Most People Leave Too Late to Plan. With Dr Nicolas Dommer
Episode description
What happens to your home if you want to transfer it to your children during your lifetime? What tax pitfalls should you be aware of, and why does this topic so often lead to family disputes?
In the first episode of Grundriss fürs Leben, Daniel Schweizer talks to Dr Nicolas Dommer, a Basel-based notary and lawyer, about estate planning, transferring property during your lifetime, and the common misconceptions that can lead families into costly mistakes. Nicolas shares real-life cases from his practice, debunks widespread myths, and explains why an advance care directive is one of the most important documents everyone should have. An episode for anyone who wants to protect their home and their family’s future.
In this episode, you will learn:
-
Why transferring property during your lifetime can have serious consequences for supplementary benefits, and why the financial impact may last for years.
-
What happens when a gifted property doubles in value by the time of the donor’s death, and how a contract can help address this.
-
Why even families who get along exceptionally well can fall out over inheritance, and how transparency and an inheritance agreement can help prevent disputes.
-
The tax differences between selling and gifting property, particularly for unmarried couples and blended families.
- Why Nicolas recommends an advance care directive to everyone, and why estate planning should start early.
Myth or Fact?
Daniel and Nicolas examine three common claims:
-
Is gifting property more tax-efficient than inheriting it?
-
Can the state reclaim property that has been transferred to someone else?
-
Does the land register really contain everything you need to know?
Guest: Dr Nicolas Dommer, notary and lawyer in the Canton of Basel-Stadt, specialising in estate planning, succession arrangements and property transfers.
Host: Daniel Schweizer, property expert and founder of Immobilien-Team Daniel Schweizer.
Book mentioned in this episode: Atomic Habits by James Clear, a book that recently inspired Nicolas.
