Native Tulsan looking to come back home...........

[Tulsa Twister]

Hello folks...........

First time poster here.
I'm seriously entertaining the thought of moving back to the Tulsa area within the next 12 months or so and wanted to get a "feel" for what's changed since i left in '87.

I currently reside in Phoenix and have been for the last 15yrs. The job market here is lukewarm right now, but the real estate market is hot-- seller's market--with home values set to increase by a whopping 35%. The market out here is still relatively cheap compared to other western cities like Vegas, LA, San Fran, San Diego and Denver, but for not much longer. There's been a mad dash of California investors in this area--something recently experienced in Vegas where home values shot up by 50% last year-- and the demand has outweighed the supply as builders cant build homes fast enough. My home for example is valued at almost 300K and only 2.5 yrs ago was valued at 150K. So im sitting on a ton of equity with the hopes of maybe holding off on selling and milking as much time as i can with the possiblity of selling for maybe 350K by this time next year. This would provide me a very nice nest egg in which to purchase land along with a nice home on that acreage in the Tulsa area.

What is the job situation like currently in Northeast Oklahoma ? My professional background is in Information Technology (Network/Lan Administration).

The major advantage to moving my family to Tulsa is the livability......low cost of living, real estate affordability, short commute times.

My biggest and maybe only concern at the moment is employment. Whats the outlook for me ? Am i making a mistake by considering this move this moment or has Tulsa rebounded economically ? I figure with the amount of money I'll have stashed after the sale of my Phoenix home i can probably afford to go without employment for maybe 10-12 months if i have to.

Lookin forward to any input, comments or recommendations. This kid's ready to make the move back to Green Country!!!! []