S.C.
Allen Tate Realty has the best search engine, and is the largest realtor in town. I prefer the south side of town (best schools) but, that is the opposite site of town as Statesville (north.)
There are good schools in the North, but I am not as familiar with them. Huntersville is just outside of Charlotte and offers a lot of good neighborhoods (and is on the way to Statesville.)
There are many people renting their homes now, instead of selling them, due to the economy- so I still think a realtor will be a good choice. We rented a house recently, and I "googled" rental house in Charlotte, and found several rental companies. Once we decided where we wanted to live, the best way is to look in the paper (the Charlotte Observer classifieds- they are also online) and driving around the area we desired.
I posted on Craigslist, saying what we were looking for- but received no response. I also did not see many rental houses posted on there.
Good luck. Hope that helps.
S.