The one thing people seem to be forgetting is that there are real estate attorneys who can advise unrepresented buyers (in the event someone sees an advantage in not having an agent). Although their advice is not free, in general they’re going to cost less than an agent’s commission. More importantly they get paid whether the sale goes through or not, so they are more likely to be straight with any bad news about a property. My husband and I used one when we bought our first home in Univ. City (we actually had an agent but the relo package included $1000 in Attys fees). He was very useful (gave us general stats on the rate of slab problems with homes backing up to canyons, litigation involving houses on various streets, etc.). Just a thought.
