We are a couple having office jobs that allow coming to the office in Lausanne once or twice a week. I was thinking about moving to the Sierre area because,
- views are magnificent
- properties are significantly more accessible
- there is more sunshine
- the long commute that rare is bearable
- taxes are probably a tiny bit lower
Cons I could think of,
- it's more isolated, perhaps over time it could start feeling very lonely there
- it could be risky financially: having a mortgage and depending on a job in Vaud, it could be difficult to find another one with similarly good conditions if anything goes wrong
- no magnificent Geneva lake there
- the housing market seems to be less volatile and therefore risky from the mortgage pov but I may be wrong on this one
Has anyone also been in a similar position and decided to move? Have you been happy about your decision so far?
If you are non-EU B or L you likely require approval from both cantons. If you are EU B or L you need to advise both Cantons. Valais will issue your new permit. Same with C permits.
Totally understand your predicament. Not easy making such decisions when you don’t know how much you will like the new place and the impact of potential job loss / financial stability of owning a home in such a place.
BUT (and this is a good “but”), I don’t see any show stoppers from the cons you listed. It sounds like you are pretty mobile and your downside could be mitigated by simply trying things out in Sierre for let’s say a year or two to give yourself a reality check and then decide how to proceed further.
Would you be living in Sierre- which is quite a nice town, with access to shops, and rail travel to both Italy and Lausanne, etc. Or up in a ski resort above (for those views)? Do you already have property in or near Sierre? The Valais starts a long way before, so Sion or some of the lovely villages before would be closer. And Sion is nicer too, and with access to Spas (Saillon is re opening soon after a fire, and Ovronnaz above) and access to the 4 Vallées area, and some other great ski resorts.
From the tax point of view, yes, it is cheaper. Going to Montreux and Lausanne is so easy, and as said, quick access by train and car to Italy too, at either end of the Rhône valley.
Keep in mind taxes for dual income and no kid couples are practically the same as Vaud - Valais becomes interesting for taxes as soon as you start having children (it is CVP territory after all). Health insurance is marginally less, with the aforementioned downside of healthcare options.
Real estate in Valais is not the best of investments, you will have a hard time reselling when time comes with practically no increase in value (excluding high-end resort bubbles).
Also check fiber optic connection if working remotely, you would be surprised how little reach the 10 Gbit/s network has outside the main cities.
I wouldn't bother about the job point. If you're allowed to work three times a week from home, your job could be fully remote. Let me guess, it's just that your job used to be stationary (office) before the lock-downs and now your employer still can't fully change the office culture, i.e. you have bosses who don't know how to manage, who knows only how to micro-manage.
I've been considering Valais too in terms of property purchase. However I came to the conclusion that when living in Valais, it either has to be a fully remote job or most likely I'd be renting something Monday to Friday close to the work. With that in mind I started exploring the whole Switzerland for a nice place to settle. I fell in love with Locarno area, Lugano as a second choice (Paradiso is nice and tax attractive).
To be honest, my choices are driven by language preference. Italian is so cute whilst French is horrible, German somewhat in the middle. Perhaps I'm just too old to adjust. It boils down to the way how the language is spoken. In my mother language, and Italian/German, every word is separated by a tiny pause. Person speaking French sounds to me like a person in a mortal danger or having a serious speech defect. There's nothing worse than meeting a French speaker on a nice relaxed day. When I hear "Hell'nic'to's'you! Ho'bou'havin'a'coffee" my mind suddenly releases adrenaline "where's the danger, where's the lion chasing us" and the day is ruined!
Also think about it, jobs are in Zurich! From Ticino you've got ~2h to Zurich whilst from Valais... ~3h?
Thanks for your reply, as for the above quoted question I am rather reaching a modest point where I could get a mortgage for something nice in Valais and I am still fair far from being able to get one for something tolerable in Vaud.
I have many friends who moved from Geneva and Riviera to central Valais, Saxon area, where new build houses were affordable. Otherwise, anything between valley floor and upper resorts. Have you also looked at the Martigny region? Much closer to Leman and Lausanne. Quick access to 4 Vallées, and even Chamonix or Courmayeur/Aosta.
I am thinking about it too but it seems a bit less picturesque than the Sion/Sierre area (I like this grey-white-brown-blue color scheme there, you know), a bit industrialized and a bit more expensive First world problems
I am positive about my employer. Without going too much into details, indeed my job could be fully remote, but it would definitely not be my preference. I enjoy coming into the office 1-2 a week. As far as I know, the culture was like this before the pandemic.
I understand your way of thinking. I wouldn't like to live in Ticino, although I also find both Locarno and Lugano impressive.
As for languages, I like French, German and Italian and I am finding French the most difficult to learn due its grammar (too many small rules and exceptions, and idiomatic ways of saying things). However, I'd actually like to stay in Romandie as I find the way of life, the sound of the language, the architecture, the nature and the density of population the most attractive. Maybe not the way to work, but it also depends on an org.
Take a look at Sion. It is 10 minutes closer and a lot bigger. Sierre has a small lake 20 minutes away and a couple of good bars but there is a lot more going on in Sion.
And yes, there is a big difference in weather from Sion/Sierre (much sunnier) compared to Vaud.
Honestly, I'd give Martigny a go. It was a very important Roman town, as Romans crossing the Alps to go to Gaul or Britain just had to cross over the mountains from Aosta (quick access by car and St Bernard Tunnel nowadays- a massive and dangerous trek then) and arrive in Martigny- exhausted and in great need to recouping and resting. So it is truly at the crossroad between 3 countries- with quick access to Verbier-Le Châble by train, and over the top to the West for France and Mont Blanc, and then down the Rhône Valley by car or train to both Sion and Sierre and all the Spas and ski resorts on either side, and on to Italy and Domodossola. And of course, fast access by Mway and train for work in Vaud or to spend days or week-ends in Montreux, Lausanne, etc, and for the GVA airport.
And learn French asap. If you don't like it after 6 months, you can always reconsider.