Hi
We plan to move to Zwitzerland. My husband has just got an offer to work in Zug. Because we plan to buy within the first year we don't want to pay an expensive rent (something about 3000-3500CHF/month). We would like a good commuting to Zug, very green area, next door school (two boys of 5 years old), 3-4 bedrooms, 2 bathroom and garden. I would like to avoid living in cities because the idea of going to Switzerland is to avoid the grey colour of the cities as much as possible. I know that taxes in Zug are lower, but properties are more expensive. Given the data above, where would be more efficient to live? Any suggestions about towns and villages? Zug or Zurich canton?
Thank you very much in advance
Judith
Check out
www.homegate.ch and prepare to be shocked with the house prices.
Towns in Zug to look at:
Oberaegeri
Unteraegeri
Allenwinden
Walchwil
Morgarten
Menzingen
Baar
Cham
Steinhausen
cheers
SC
Homegate lists most of the available properties. Additionally, if you already have a more narrow choice of towns you consider, you can also look here:
http://www.comparis.ch/immobilien/default.aspx
This site shows listings from 17 biggest immo sites in Switzerland.
As Swiss Cheddar mentioned, you're probably going to be shocked by the prices. My own recent experience tells me that it's going to be a tad difficult to find what you are looking for for the price you'd like to pay. You're best chances are if you find something temporary (i.e. the owner already knows that he wants the property back within a year or two) or if you find something old and not up to current standards.
Rotkreuz seems to be slightly more affordable than other towns in Zug, but the comute is still very short.
Good luck to you!
We looked everywhere round the lake and ultimately chose Immensee. My wife works in Steinhausen and it's a 20 minute commute.
Lots of advantages: Very Swiss village with a strong community spirit Fewer ex-pats than most places on the lake so you are forced to integrate, learn German etc. About 60% price per square m of Zug and a fair amount to choose from Much, much prettier - much less concrete Kanton Schwyz, so if you are married the taxes are even better than Zug! About 30 minutes closer to the ski slopes than you are in central Zug! The only disadvantages are if you are a fan of living close to big shops you need to drive. But then again, Lucerne is as close to Immensee as Zug is and Lucerne is a much nicer city.
You may also want to look at Kussnacht - slightly bigger than Immensee and on the Vierwaldstadtersee, but the same commune. Kussnacht is busier, very pretty and on the rail line from Goldau to Lucerne, but prices are midway between Immensee and Zug.
We looked at Walchwil, but it's dead. Full of ex-pats that don't talk to each other, no village shop and a pain to get up that hill in winter!
Oh, and I know of a nice 5.5 duplex apartment with garage that is available for about 3,500 CHF. We looked at it and nearly took it, but in the end opted to pay a bit more and get a direct lake view. To be honest, though, this apartment is about 75m from the boat stop and closer to the village shop.
Interesting points there Stephen, Immensee is probably good for a family, but how does it fair in terms of schooling etc?
I don't know that much about it apart from the times I cycled by, it's more dead than Walchwil in my opinion, and given the choice I would pick Walchwil as it's on the sunny side of the lake.
@StephenOliver This is exactly what I am looking for!! I want to be away from cities, shopping, material life and give my children the chance to freely ride their bicycles, ski at the weekends, walk and run on green grass, see wild trees, etc. Our moving from London is solely motivated for what we understand as a higher quality of life as a family --these are things that we will never have living in London. So a traditional town populated mainly with locals sounds just perfect. We are not looking for luxury in the material sense. For me luxury is something very different. We'll check these towns!! Many thanks.
My kids have grown up ... well, one still in sixth form boarding in the UK ... so I'm not an expert. The local middle school is slap in the middle and the kids walk right past us every day. Seems a happy place. There is also the Gymnasium (High School) at the top of the hill between us and Kussnacht. I gather that the Gym. is very highly rated. As for English schools, there is a minibus leaves every morning from the bus stop to one of them (don't know which).
I know what you mean about being on the "dark side" of the lake, but even in early Jan that didn't affect us. We get direct sun in the morning (Walchwil doesn't) and because we're north of the Rigi we get uninterrupted sun all afternoon (I have the blinds drawn at the moment so I can work). Mid-winter at midday Rigi will put you in shadow, I accept, but it isn't like Arth which is very dark.
I know a lot of people in Walchwil that love it, but it doesn't do it for me. I think that fact that Immensee is flat (not on the side of the mountain) and you can walk on the lake shore without having to cross a main road makes it more family friendly. It certainly wasn't sleepy during Fassnacht!!
http://www.reportair.ch/archiv/image...ensee_5072.jpg
I know exactly what you mean. We've settled here now that the kids are gone and I think this is one of the happiest times in my life. We can just jump on our bikes or walk 2 minutes and we're in countryside - beautiful forest in Chiemen, straight up Rigi, or just wander past the local farms. I buy my milk straight from the cow and there's even a resaonable vineyard in the village! Switzerland is like that ...
The area around Affoltern am Albis is also very nice and easily commutable to Zug. Schools are also pretty good.
StephenOliver
can i ask if you bought in Immensee? Would you recommend or consider it based on your experience so far? It seems very small to me but i want to move to the general area soon and am trying to get a feel for the options.
thank
Mettmenstetten is another place where we looked. It is in Canton
Zürich and has an S-bahn connection to Zug and Zürich.
Apartments are a bit cheaper, but taxes are a bit
more.
I would take Baar and Steinhausen out of that list if a green/not too urban environment is an important criterion, both of these places are already quite urbanised and the remaining green spaces are being built on. I have lived in Baar for four months and am already ready for something that does not resemble a building site/industrial estate.
Cham is a nice compromise inasmuch as the lakeside is lovely (way nicer than in Zug itself) and the riverside walk is nice too. Still very urban though.
If you have money, are looking for green surroundings and don't mind the commute, Unterägeri and Oberägeri are really nice. Walchwil also looks nice but I have only seen it from the train so far...
Another vote for Affoltern am Albis or anywhere else in the "Saeuliamt" region, depending on how much money you have in regards to making the tax situation a big deal (AaA has, IIRC, the highest tax rate of Zurich canton besides Zurich city, but the surrounding communes won't, and really, the taxes aren't that bad anyway, but that is another story for another thread).
What I like about the area (I live a bit closer to Zurich in Birmensdorf) is that you are in between Zurich and Zug, it is reasonably easy to get to both and AaA has city-type amenities, so you don't really need to leave town to go to a nice restaurant (nommm, Weingarten) or do shopping.
For job hunters, headhunters apparently like people who live along the Zurich-Zug section of the S9 because it makes them attractive candidates for Zurich or Zug jobs due to the easy commute. I've had the comment a number of times in interviews about how convenient Birmensdorf is.
Many Swiss towns have areas have pockets of green area. We are in Zug but have a green zone between us and town with no cars. Out of all our windows we see green - one side forest and the other over the treetops to the mountains. We have a farm 5 mins walk away where we can get milk, honey, the freshest eggs and fruit and veg too. The smell of cow poo on a sunny day is more than rural enough for me!
Living just across the border in Kanton Zurich will be around another 50% more in taxes for us and imo isn't worth the lower rent or lower house prices considering that we will have to get back into Zug every day for work. There is a heck of a lot of traffic in and around Zug from people commuting in to work there and quite a few of them drive back home for lunch. We walk to work and our kids will walk to school, or the town or the pool. My eldest is 5 now and we leave the house and he runs down to the park and plays until I get there. I also send him back to to daddy at home from town.
We wanted to buy as soon as we got here, but it ended up talking 2 years to find something suitable. My only criteria was no one above us, no main roads (quiet) and within a 10 minute walk to the train station. I didn't think I was being that fussy, but all the places for sale were on the main roads with car noise or worse, train noise.
How about Einsiedeln? 30 min drive from Zug, cheap housing, hospital, shops, schools... and n the middle of "Heidiland" with mountains, lake...
We've been living in Menzingen for 4 years now and absolutely love it! The community is very friendly and people have really gone out of their way to make us feel at home. It's a 20 min bus ride into Zug or 11km drive. There are some excellent local schools here and English or dual medium in the city. We're fairly high up so get more snow than the lower areas that just get the cold and wet!
Looks like to make a good decision you have to be there!! Also it is not the same if you have kids or not, if you plan to buy within 1-2 years or rent, if both working, etc. However all your comments are very useful. Thank you so much!!
My mine concern is not finding any job for me as I have already been at home for 2 years and I just don't like it. But my German is at level A of the Goethe Inst. --I can only ask for a coffee and the bill.... After reading some posts the outlook for me is quite grey (or black)
Well, we have until Monday (2 extra days) to decide !! Quite a difficult decision because if we decide to leave there is almost no possibility of going back to the UK while the current economical depression persists.
What is the cheapest place to live in Canton Zug?
I love living in Unterageri.
The walks surrounding the place are great.
