All,

Having read extensively I request once again for all to give me their inputs before we take the plunge....

We are a family of four and have just moved to Zurich and have been house hunting. We have narrowed down 2 properties - One in Enge and the other in Horgen. We are keen on living in Horgen as the property has a lot of space and gives all the ticks in terms of our requirements. Besides it being a 30 minute commute to work via the train (work near Zurich Bahnof) which I wanted to avoid, it is very nice.

I wanted to hear everyone's view on living in Horgen for a young family. Also we have seen properties in Rushlikon though they are not our 1st choice.

Also when we make applications for properties- can we make multiple applications (fear that we may lose properties if we wait for each response to come back)? Or should we/are we supposed to make only one application at a time?

Help is much appreciated.

Rgds

If you haven't made the applications yet, as you've implied, then don't worry about it - you'll be quite likely to have either one as an option once they've processed all the other applicants.

You can - and should - make multiple applications.

So if I make multiple applications and 3 get accepted, can I then tuen 2 down and choose one or is that breach of contract or considered inappropriate?

Hi, we are a family of four living in Rüschlikon. We like it, it is very quiet. School seems good and apart from one slightly busy road on the way to school it seems safe for the kids to walk to school on their own. Has a Coop and Migros etc.
They are on the small side. There is a bigger one with a Denner and Garden Centre at the top of the hill. Also its great to have the parc at the top of the hill to take the children to play in and have a really good explore and run around. Plus its quick to get into Zurich be either Bus or Train.
Our experience of flat hunting (and we had help from a relocator) that is less about the flat that you like but rather the flat that you get! But do hold out for what you want and you should get it, or near to it. We wanted Thalwil and got Ruschlikon which was a good enough compromise for us.

Chances are that turning down an application will incur a small administrative charge, usually around CHF200 ( discussed elsewhere in this subforum ) aka time-wasting fee.

Fined CHF 200 for declining rental offer

Just a data point as you decide among the towns:

Are you aware of the tax difference between the three areas?

If you are on Quellensteuer it won't matter, as QSt is cantonal. But if you must file a tax declaration, you could see an interesting difference, depending on your individual circumstances.

Anyway, as the others say - apply for all three and hope for the best.

Thanks...my question is if all 3 get accepted can I decline 2 without any problems??

Rueschlikon is very staid...full of very rich Swiss who will never give you the time of day. The village center is virtually non-existent.

Horgen is bigger, more diverse, much more variety in terms of restaurants and shopping, and better facilities on the lake front.

Thalwil is actually the better choice between the two, but if you don't have that, I would take Horgen.

The Glencore guys live in RS. So very high net worth folks there as pointed out above.

i would imagine in terms of tax level, it would go Enge Horgen Rüschlikon in order of most to least expensive.

Horgen is very family friendly. And the commute from horgen to zurich hb is only 18mins with the s2, which is the same as rüschlikon would be with the s8 or 24.

i would pick horgen over rüschlikon; better super markets and services, just a bit more of everything in the town. rüschlikon is just sleepy. enge would be fantastic locationwise if you wanted to have a more urban experience. To me tho, the best part of CH is about living by the lake and the fields and the mountains, not about living in a city.

Both Rüschlikon and Horgen are nice places.

We used to live in Horgen but live in Waedenswil now. We have young children and my wife takes them to the fantastic park in Rüschlikon, to the Badi in Horgen and to the Wildlife park at Langau, and to be honest, everywhere in between.

The Woods above Horgen are great but they continue on above Rüschlikon too and it's not too far to walk from one end to the other.

Basically, it doesn't matter which one you choose - I'd try and go for the house that you like.

If you put taxes before your children then live in Wollerau.