“Do I really have to prove I’m worthy as a potential client? Shouldn’t it be the other way around? ”

You don’t. However, don’t be surprised if the realtors who entertain you and your 25% off ideas, without qualifying you, don’t start steering you to what they want as soon as you start working together. Actually they are going to be qualifying you in every sense of the word . They are just going to be smooth about it. Look they are likely just fishing for your real level of anxiety or willingness to buy. Someone else pointed out the other day BUYERS ARE GOLD. The fishing agents don’t give a damn if you ever get 25% off a listed price, which is rare for mls shoppers or otherwise. You could probably get 5-10% with reasonable effort and that is what they are going to do for you. More perhaps, if you bid on/buy stuff other people don’t want. That is practically the only way to get more of a discount working in a traditional way with a realtor. Then you have to solve or deal with the issues that caused that discount. Not a bad idea but not everybody’s cup of tea either.