Struggling to find apartment in Zug..looking for options

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1
Hi everybody,

Having arrived since 3 weeks in Zug I am still strugling to find a definitive place...Looking at Zug, Cham and Baar but the demand is so high that it is being difficult...This way I am adding Unterageri and Menzingen in my search.

Been to Unterageri..the distance to Zug is not a problem for me..my issues are all about the my wife and my baby (10 months kid). I would like a place with other kids to Interact...Unterageri has good offer in supermarkets and heard that it na indoor pool at Oberageri that would be nice.

Did not have time to go for Menzingen. Would be a nice place? Through Google Earth is looks kind of gray...while Oberageri is green and have a lake. Would be glad to hear opinions.

Best!

2
Considered Zürich?

3
What is your rental budget?

Perhaps this is the issue.

4
Can you detail a bit why you are struggling exactly? There are properties listed online. Are they too expensive? If so what's your budget? Are they in an undesirable location? If so, what location would you prefer? Etc.

5
OP wrote in a different thread that this is not possible because of work permit.

6
Yes, I find that a bit surprising

7
As if Zurich is any better...

If he can't find anything in Zug, it's probably because of unrealistic expectations and/or too low a budget.

Probably good to identify the issue before considering moving just about anywhere.

Aren't you also the one who came from Brazil and was worried about ending up in a tiny town (understandably)? I wouldn't move to Menzingen if I were even remotely interested in at least a little bit of energy.

Also, as a non-EU, if you're on a B, you can move cantons, though you do indeed need upfront permission (and it's not guaranteed they give it, but if you prefer to live in or near Zurich, it's at least worth exploring)

8
There is a greater chance in finding an apartment in Schwyz and vicinity. Is he bound by law to live in Canton Zug?

9
In my experience the chances of finding something in ZH are considerably smaller than finding something in ZG.

10
There are currently a dozen three bedroom apartments (assuming you will want a guest room) in that area that are within the normal price range for that region on homegate, are none of those any good? Also, if you like an area, consider checking out the local Migros / Coop notice boards, people often advertise flats there if they are urgently looking for someone to take over the flat. More time-intensive than going online but in a fairly difficult market, you have to get creative. If you are struggling with the prices, then you may really have to readjust expectations; the low tax rate attracts a lot of high-income people, making for higher prices overall.

11
As a short term stop-gap, there is a serviced apartment company in Zug caled Smart, which offers month by month leasing in Reidmatt near Chollermulli train station. They may even offer week by week, I am not sure. We used them when we first arrived in 2016 and it gave us breathing space to find a permanent place to live. The apartments are furnished and cleaned once a week. The website is

http://www.smart-apartments.ch/detai...apartments-zug

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Hi! Thanks everybody for the feedback. I will try to reply on it below...

When I say I am struggling to find na apartment in Zug and region is just because there is an impressive imbalance in terms of demand - offer...I have made a proposal for a flat and the agent told me they had received about 40 other proposal!! People told me that you send 5 - 7 proposals before you are lucky to be selected by some owner...

Think my budget is fair...A cap of CHF 4k...think it is reasonable..not?

I am the one who was concerned about little towns after coming from a 12 million people city in Brazil. In this sense a have a feeling that Zug or Menzingen would not be so diferente for me...Both cases are shocking. I just want a place with kids to Interact with my baby boy. Zug has the lake and many kids...but hard to find an apartment...

About Zurich...been there and loved...My wife is enchanted with people in Zug and said in Zurich is not that kind..May be..but much more energy..bars..restaurants..parks...But do not have time now to apply...Need to find something here and at least give Zug a chance!!

Thanks again for every comment!

13
Yes, it is exactly that: supply and demand. Many more applicants than flats available.

Here are some ideas to help:

Tell everyone at work that you are looking for an apartment. Your manager, your colleagues, the HR people, the staff in the canteen, the cleaners, the receptionist, the caretaker. Give them your name, phone number and mail address (there and then, on a card) and ask the to let you know if they hear of anything.

As you and your wife make contacts outside of your work, tell those people, too.

Design a "looking for a flat" flyer. Ask your most trusted work colleague to check it to ensure it doesn't have any serious cultural errors. Say something like: "We're a reliable, easy-going family (m aged 39, w aged 36, son 4, son 2), learning German, looking for a home in this area. Ideally 4 rooms, 3 would do, too. We'd be grateful for the contact details of anyone who knows of a rental opportunity near here. Thank you very much.". Go for lots of walks. Whenever you find a street in which you think you'd like to live, and you can estimate the rentals based on the ads you've seen (or the flats you've already applied for), put a flyer in each letter-box.

Put up an ad in the local supermarkets. Usually, you have to ask them for their pre-printed post-card sized form, and put your info on that, and then you are allowed to put it up on their noticeboard. Smaller shops may allow you to use your flyer.

In doing so, take care not to moan negatively about the Swiss system. I really liked your thread title, because you do not say "things are stupid here", but instead, with "looking for options" you are asking for advice and suggestions. Therefore, I'm sure you will be able to apply the same to your flat-search. Tell people how pleased you are to be working here, how amazingly beautiful you've found the lake, how glad you are of the excellent public transport... and that now you're looking for a flat to call your family home.

Many rentals are found though these kinds of personal conversations, rather than just through the ads published online.

I wish you all the best.

14
That is a very healthy budget, even for Zug. I think doropfiz made some excellent suggestions, not sure about the letterbox thing, though, I would find that irritating and/or presumptuous.

Another thing is to check out the websites of the rental agencies directly, look at your local newspaper, maybe consider a sublet as an interim solution (if permit rules don’t prohibit this in some way) while you are looking, although I would not go for one that is too long as you may find the right place in the meantime.

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Here's an website for sub-lets:

https://www.ums.ch/furnished-apartme...6167/8.515495/

16
Hve you considered this? https://www.ronorp.net/zug/immobilien Quite a few apartments get advertised on here and never hit the main sites such as Comparis and Homegate.

17
I'm not sure if I just live in a very unpopular part of Zug, but you could literally walk into a place you like and you will get it. For instance there is a nice place, within your budget and they are actually offering anyone CHF1,000, cash, if they take it.

https://www.homegate.ch/mieten/109051564?4

I have never heard about 40 applicants per place in Zug and I think that's rubbish.

I would just 'keep at it' and maybe, like you are doing, explore different areas. Zug itself can be reached in 10 minutes from basically anywhere in the Canton, so look at places like: Walchwil, Cham, Steinhausen, Baar etc.

Good luck though

18
At 4k, you should easily find something more or less wherever you want. It's not as difficult in Zug to rent property as demand is lower (compared to Zurich that is), and even though many rich live there, 4k seems at the upper end of what most people will be willing and able to spend on rent. What are your other demands?

Also, while I agree 40 applications in Zug for an apartment around that price is a very likely a lie, theoretically, that number of applications isn't particularly unusual for many areas of Switzerland.

19
OP, Perhaps there is some factor you are thinking of as a minimum, or obvious, which just isn't usual here in Switzerland. For example, 3 parking spaces. Or a large garden with a swimming pool. I'm not saying they don't exist, they're just not so commonly found.

Perhaps you could tell is more of what you have in mind, so we could help you judge which aspects are easy, moderate or difficult to find. Let's try.

Wherever you look, be sure to understand the public transport to and from there. That's the usual way that working adults, and school-going children, get around, and many, many people travel all over by bus and train.

20
Your problem is going through an agent. Don't do that, just websites and suggestions above. When I moved to Zug I saw several apartments and the average number of interested people was 3. With your budget I'm pretty sure that average goes down a bit