Thanks everyone for their responses. Generally speaking, would using an agency of some sort be a good idea? It would seem the logical thing to do since I do not know the areas and won't have a lot of time to learn the city before needing to sort out accommodations. Do agencies charge a fee to the person looking to rent? If so - what is typical?

Also - I've been told that you sometimes have to pay all 12 months up-front. Is this typical?