[frankbreetz]

These are all edge case, for more complicated cases you could still hire an agent. Think of it like the current tax situation in the US. 90% of people use turbo tax and H&R Block, but the rest have to hire an accountant.

If I know how much houses go for in my neighborhood, and know what I want, I should be make an offer on a house without an agent. If you are getting a mortgage it is going to have to be appraised anyway, so no one is going to get terribly screwed over. You could also get an inspection to point any red flags.

The current situation you basically have to have two agents involved which is silly, especially if the buyer and seller can reach an agreement by themselves.