TexasCHLforum.com

You really should look at the mortgage/financing separate from the shopping/closing. If you can afford to pay cash, you don't need financing. If you drive through neighborhoods and find a FSBO you love at a price you like, you don't need a real estate agent. Not that either situation is very common, but they do happen.

I had my financing lined up through a mortgage broker before I started looking with a Realtor. I also narrowed down the areas I liked, and the must-have and deal-breaker home features, so the shopping wasn't a big hassle either. Some of that was having a good Realtor who emailed me new listings (and price reductions) 1-2x/week that were a fit on paper, and I applied my subjective filter, and then we'd look at the ones that passed.

It's true that closing is a hassle, but compared to maintaining a house...