Like <mrfusion>, I did my own research, had my own spreadsheet of comps for the area, wrote my own personal offer letter to the seller, hired my own inspectors,

Like <mrfusion>, I did my own research, had my own spreadsheet of comps for the area, wrote my own personal offer letter to the seller, hired my own inspectors, and so on. The buyer's agent incorrectly said I didn't need to check the box saying as a condition of sale that the house have a working plumbing and sewage system; I did anyway and wrote it in, which saved me approximately $23,000 (the seller fixed it). Because I knew the market, we only looked at one house with this agent so his work was minimal. About the only thing the buyer's agent did that was useful was cart away some household debris away in his truck after closing. It had been left behind in the garage. It probably would have cost me $40 to have someone do the same.