Mico, I would definitely recommend renting first, even up to a year. Every area is so different so unless you know exactly where you want to be then I would always advise renting first. Some of the things we discovered when renting were:
1. Lack of phone lines
2. Lack of nearby facilities
3. Noisy complex, more for holidaymakers partying
4. Quiet urbanisation, no one around....
5. Awkward access, eg, too many steps
etc
We lived in several different areas and urbanisations when we moved over and really got a feel for what we liked and didn't like. Everywhere is so different and as urbanisations are run as small communities then these can all vary too.
Hope that helps.
Justin