My Farm by 50 challenge began with a fairly simple question:
**Can I find a farm for around CHF 50,000 before I turn 50?**
Switzerland was never the obvious place to look. Cheap property and Switzerland do not normally belong in the same sentence—especially if I want a building, usable land and somewhere I can legally live.
But I looked anyway.
Then, while searching for something completely different, I came across a property in a Swiss ski resort.
And suddenly I thought:
Maybe I should go and see this instead.
So I am.
This is not me giving up on the farm
The farm is still the goal.
But I have also learned not to become so attached to one version of a plan that I ignore an interesting opportunity sitting in front of me.
A farm gives me land, space and the possibility of a quieter retirement life.
A ski property offers something different: immediate usability, potential rental demand, an established destination and perhaps a clearer future buyer pool.
That was enough to make me curious.
The cheap farm may not be the cheaper option
A CHF 50,000 rural property can sound wonderfully inexpensive. Then come the real questions.
Can I legally live in the building? Is it residential? Does it need major renovation? Is there water, electricity, heating, wastewater and reliable winter access? What work is permitted? Is the land subject to agricultural restrictions?
The purchase price may be the smallest part of the problem.
A small ski property may have almost none of the land I originally wanted. But if it already works and the complete numbers make sense, the comparison becomes much more interesting.
It is not simply farm versus apartment.
It is:
**What am I receiving for all the money, time and attention I will have tied up?**
The ski property has a different job
The farm is mainly a lifestyle goal. It is where I imagine eventually slowing down, growing things and creating a retirement home.
The ski property would need to justify itself differently. I could use it. I may be able to rent it when I am not there. And, if I later decide it is not for me, it may have a more recognisable resale market than an unusual rural building.
That matters because I no longer ask only:
“Can I afford to buy this?”
I also ask:
“What will it cost to own?”
“Does it fit my life?”
And:
“Who might want it after me?”
I am not buying a ski holiday
A mountain view can make a property feel like a wonderful idea very quickly.
So when I visit, I want to look beyond the snow and ask:
- What are the recurring charges?
- What condition is the building actually in?
- Are major building works or owner contributions expected?
- What exactly is included?
- Can the property legally be rented, and under what conditions?
- Are there restrictions on use or ownership?
- What happens outside the ski season?
- What would the property be worth without today’s emotional mountain effect?
For a foreign buyer, the ownership and intended-use questions may also need checking under Lex Koller. The separate Lex Koller article explains the existing framework and the changes Switzerland proposed in 2026.
The lesson I carried forward
Farm by 50 may not be a straight line.
An unexpected property does not have to replace the goal to deserve investigation. But it should be compared according to its real purpose, total cost, workload and exit—not because it appeared while I was looking for something else.
That is what my Property Viewing Companion is for: a listing gets me to the viewing; what I verify there decides whether the property deserves another step.
If the ski property does not work, I keep looking for the farm. If it does, Farm by 50 may simply have taken an interesting detour.
Read the original Swiss Farm by 50 search.
**Trust. Check. Document. And occasionally follow the unexpected listing.**
This is my personal property search and thought process, not investment, legal or tax advice. The property has not been purchased; I am documenting the decision as it happens.