I have tried working with a few different agents in looking for a home, and invariably I’ve found that I’m actually more knowledgeable about the comps, the neighborhood, etc because I am pretty diligent in my research and the agent doesn’t specialize in the neighborhood I’m looking in….Im looking across a number of neighborhoods. Clearly I need to find a better agent. In the meantime, there are a few properties specifically that I want to see. How does it work if I just want to contact the listing agent so I can gain access to the home? If ultimately I want to put in an offer, do I ask for the credit that would have been paid to a selling agent that I can use towards closing costs?