I've moved to Vegas two different times (both times to work for the same company, oddly. I got laid off once, then re-hired about a year later). Both times I rented a place SIGHT UNSEEN. I literally just found a place on Zillow or something similar, contacted the real estate management company, and sent them my info and deposit without ever having visited the place. Generally, this is a terrible idea, but both times the company needed me there pretty quickly so I took the chance. Thankfully, both times it worked out fabulously and I arrived to Vegas to find a clean, functional place in a nice neighborhood ready for me to move in. I do think I probably got pretty lucky, but I also think this is more likely to happen in Vegas than in most cities because so much of Vegas' development is relatively recent. Many of the suburbs or outskirts of Vegas are 15 years old or less, so you can at least be somewhat sure you'll get a place in relatively decent condition if you move to one of those places simply because the houses/apartments aren't that old. The first time I moved there I rented from Brady Real Estate Management group and the second time from Marshall Stearns Real Estate Management Group. I have nothing bad to say about either of them. They both were super nice and knowledgeable and fixed any problems as quickly as they could with little trouble. Vegas is a very transient city, so I think the real estate companies are used to these types of situations. So to answer your question, personally, I would rent before I move because I've had great experiences doing exactly that TWICE, but, if you're the careful cautious type it can't hurt to feel things out once you get there.