Prospects of 1-2 yr. lease/purchase in Riverdale

I recently moved from the Midwest to the NYC region with wife and child. I work in Harlem and we're looking for a 2BR coop unit in Riverdale in the 300K range. We like what we've seen of Riverdale, but we're not totally convinced that the area (and coop life, in general) is right for us. Obviously, we could rent for a couple of years before we make a long-term commitment. Another option would be a 1-2 year lease/purchase arrangement which would allow us to test drive a promising building/unit with some flexibility. I realize that such an arrangement has its pros and cons. We've seen a couple of listings in Riverdale that offer such an arrangement. I'm wondering how common lease/purchase arrangements are in Riverdale and if any local real estate agents have this kind of experience. Thanks.