My wife and I had a look last weekend in Winterthur and had good first impressions: a nice small town, more lively than Zurich on a Sunday, with a good variety of shops/restaurants and a few places to have a drink.

The atmosphere felt less tight, more open than Zurich (live here since 3.5 years). The responses in this thread are encouraging when it comes to making some english-speaking contacts in Winterthur.
We'll probably start having a look at the market to buy a house in Winterthur in about a year or so!
Any tips you have on real estate agents in Winterthur are much appreciated! Cheers from Zurich.