sddude: “Furthermore, I think Real Estate Agents themselves have contributed to making the process as convoluted as possible”

I see the same conflict of interest happen in IT departments. System administrators who maintain linux machines, for example, want the system to be difficult to use and want users to rely on them to get things up and running. For RE to be difficult is exactly what keeps these experts employed–it is not in their interests to simplify. This is exactly why I react when I hear them telling me that “it’s not as simple as I give it credit for” and “I need them for the deal to work out right.” Whether or not any of this is ultimately true in any RE transaction is beside the point–it’s the fact that you have an industry that supports an inefficient system out of economic self-interest.