Welcome (soon) to BAH!
Take your time settling on a place and make sure the agents, if you go with them, are EXACTLY aware of what you are after, or they will waste both of your time, unfortunately.
The rates have jumped recently as well but there are plenty of places available with all the goodies. There are good places to be had though. Juffair has tons of flats..just be sure they are facing AWAY from any potential loudspeakers (you will understand once you get here...) and not too close to new or soon-to-be-new construction. You will be able to pass a coffee over to the workers at some places, thats how close they are putting them together. Considering the shifts we do in the business that gets annoying when you try to get a bit of sleep. But there are some nice places there too. Budayia or Sar have some great villas too (plus some not-so-nice...watch where they take you!). Depends what you are after.
Send the above gent (Sirwa69) a message about "hashing" here and one to myself about linking up with a few of us Canucks and others, sometime once you are settled in.
You should like it here. My wife and I enjoy it and it is simular to back home (a'la the English/French signs are replaced here with English/Arabic) and it's a peaceful place.
Talk with you on the radio soon at least.
Cheers.
C.O.
(spelling correction edit...oops)