Relocating to Tulsa area - need rental home or realtor advice (Broken Arrow: hardwood floor, for sale)

[tRdoc]

My family and I are moving into the Tulsa area the first week of June and are looking for a home to rent. If you do not have a home to rent, perhaps you know of a good realtor who deals in rentals? I would appreciate any contact information you could provide me as a lead, including websites for specific realty companies and/or phone numbers, etc.

I am a physician moving into Tulsa to pursue a Family Practice residency. My wife is also a physician. We have 1 son, 2 years old, and he is generally VERY well-behaved... he doesn't write on walls, spill things on carpet, etc. We currently have no pets, but might like to have the opportunity to get a cat or dog sometime.

We are looking mainly for a 3-bedroom/2-bath home or bigger. Our budget is about ~$800/month, as resident physicians don't make a lot of money, and since my wife and I both went to medical school, we have an enormous amount of debt. We are somewhat negotiable on the rent, if the place is just right. Our main concern is the neighborhood be clean, quiet and SAFE SAFE SAFE.

I will be spending most of the next year working at Hillcrest Medical Center, so I'd like to be within 20 minutes commute of there, if possible... maybe to the north, as my clinic will be north of Tulsa. I've been told that as a whole "North Tulsa" isn't the nicest area, but I am not too familiar with the area. I know BA, Jenks and such are very nice... I think ideally something nice in the Owasso/Skiatook area would be good. We would like to live in the country if possible, so long as we're within a short drive to at least a decent grocery store... an hour round-trip for milk gets annoying. lol

So anyways, I'd appreciate any help you can give me... it's going to be a tough year on our family financially and domestically, but having a nice home to come home to and relax in seems to make a lot of difference, in my opinion. We've always been great tenants, although due to school we have moved around quite a bit. Please contact me through PM on this board and I'd love to get pictures.

Oh, a few things we'd like to see:
3 BR/ 2 bath (this is a requirement)
No condos, apartments, or townhomes. Duplexes are a possibility, if it's WELL-BUILT and a nice neighborhood.
Carpet - we're not hardwood floor people, although a small amount isn't too bad
central heat & air (absolute requirement)
Open floorplans are nice, as is lots of light
Big kitchen, lots of counter and cabinet space
fenced yard
big closets
big bedroom(s)
plenty of storage (storage building, closets, etc.)
garage
large porch/deck (BBQing ROCKS)

So anyways... that's a little about who we are and what we like... we're a quiet, clean, Christian couple with a well-behaved young child (not near school-age yet) who need a neighborhood we'll feel comfortable and safe in. If you're a landlord who is dreaming of tenants like us who won't be giving you problems every month, then we'd love to hear from you!

Thanks!
Danny

[Synopsis]

The best advice I can give you is to google search "Homes for rent, Tulsa" and see what you can find. You've been very specific on what you want, but for 800 a month I'm not sure a place will meet all of your criteria. You're basically asking for a house very similar to the one I own (although I'm not in Tulsa) and to find a place like that for 800 or less might be a tad difficult. Goodpasture! Where are you? GP is the local expert on housing in the Tulsa area. You might try and DM him. He's always very helpful.

[Synopsis]

Let me know when you look at the post above. I will then take it down because it could be construed as advertising.

[tRdoc]

Ok, I've checked it out, you can remove it now. Thanks a lot. I have bookmarked it for future reference.

I appreciate the advice, folks. I realize my asking price may be on the low side, especially in the nicer neighborhoods, but we are somewhat flexible on rent... I just hate getting emails for homes that are $1400/month and such. It's totally unrealistic on the salary I will be making, and would be well over half my income.

8 years of public undergraduate school and 8 years of private medical school takes its' toll on a family.

I'm just praying and hoping that perfect house will be out there for us.

[tRdoc]

Also, unfortunately, the home listed above is the only home available under $1000 and it's only 1.5 baths, which isn't enough.

Thanks for the help, though, I do appreciate it, and I'll keep looking!

[Synopsis]

Geez, you think as a Dr., you'd be paid more. I've always been pro-doctor when it comes to salaries. You go to school for a LONG time and now they are paying you about 1/4 of what I make (or made, I was laid off)? That's not right.

Originally Posted by tRdoc

Ok, I've checked it out, you can remove it now. Thanks a lot. I have bookmarked it for future reference.

I appreciate the advice, folks. I realize my asking price may be on the low side, especially in the nicer neighborhoods, but we are somewhat flexible on rent... I just hate getting emails for homes that are $1400/month and such. It's totally unrealistic on the salary I will be making, and would be well over half my income.

8 years of public undergraduate school and 8 years of private medical school takes its' toll on a family.

I'm just praying and hoping that perfect house will be out there for us.

[moabnut]

Don't forget he is a resident. That is not to justify his salary. Residents work there butts off and get paid nothing!! I think it is crap but there is nothing you can do about it. My husband is also a resident and we are struggling financially and I never see him. Plus we have the stress of paying off his student loans when he is done with his residency (over 250 thousand). I wish you luck, we got lucky and scored a nice place for 950 a month.

Have you thought about talking to people in the residency?? Sometimes residents that are leaving are renting or looking to rent the house they live in, or sometimes the preceptors rent out houses to residence for a good deal.
good luck

Originally Posted by Synopsis

Geez, you think as a Dr., you'd be paid more. I've always been pro-doctor when it comes to salaries. You go to school for a LONG time and now they are paying you about 1/4 of what I make (or made, I was laid off)? That's not right.

[tRdoc]

Originally Posted by moabnut

Don't forget he is a resident. That is not to justify his salary. Residents work there butts off and get paid nothing!! I think it is crap but there is nothing you can do about it. My husband is also a resident and we are struggling financially and I never see him. Plus we have the stress of paying off his student loans when he is done with his residency (over 250 thousand). I wish you luck, we got lucky and scored a nice place for 950 a month.

Have you thought about talking to people in the residency?? Sometimes residents that are leaving are renting or looking to rent the house they live in, or sometimes the preceptors rent out houses to residence for a good deal.
good luck

No kidding... it's pathetic. My wife and I are pushing $700k in total debt right now, neither of us have ever owned a home, and in this market, it looks like we won't until we both finish residency.

We've been through the program and one resident leaving is selling their house that I know of, but that doesn't help me at all.

Anyways... I'll keep looking and hoping and praying. Thanks for the help, guys!

[Synopsis]

Originally Posted by tRdoc

No kidding... it's pathetic. My wife and I are pushing $700k in total debt right now, neither of us have ever owned a home, and in this market, it looks like we won't until we both finish residency.

We've been through the program and one resident leaving is selling their house that I know of, but that doesn't help me at all.

Anyways... I'll keep looking and hoping and praying. Thanks for the help, guys!

You'll be in my prayers. The country needs more good Doctors. I admire the fact that you went into medicine knowing it's not as lucrative as it once was.

I'm on YOUR side!

[tulsarelo]

Have you tried craigslist classifieds: jobs, housing, personals, for sale, services, community, events, forums ?
We use primeproperties.com when we found ours
there is also The Property Manager Put your land in the hands of The Property Manager!
and Houses and Condos for Rent in Tulsa and Broken Arrow, Oklahoma • Vicki Berg Property Management Inc.
I reguarly checked all of them until I found the right house for us.
I also know that McGraw Realtors McGraw Realtors Search Rent/Leasing Properties and ERA John Hausam ERA John Hausam Realtors® | Rental & Leasing Properties list rentals as well.