I think that it honestly does not even make that much of a difference. In terms of "can the astronauts survive", the answer is probably a "yes" anyway, whether you send robots there first or not. Consider that the ISS (International Space Station, launched in 1998) has been in space for 28 years and has housed around 300 people in that time(source), so we definitely know how to keep people alive in a tin can for extended periods. Basically, the practical approach to housing people on Mars would be to have them live in the spaceship upon arrival and for the next years onwards, because the spaceship naturally already includes a complete live-support system and you can re-use that on-site.

So in terms of "should we build houses there before people arrive?" the answer is simple: "the house arrives with the people", namely in the form of the rocket that is being used to get them there in the first place, because that rocket necessarily includes a live support system anyways for the 6-months travel to get there.

does that clear up some questions for you?