Not having my own realtor

Is the seller a FSBO or does s/he have an agent? Some lattitude in negotiating with the former, but not sure why you think you can negotiate differently for the latter. To ensure my best interests are considered, I'd always get a buyers agent. Not everyone agrees of course.

This should be in the Real Estate subforum where it has been debated to death.

It is possible that the sellers agents doesn't want to work with you because you don't know what you are doing. Given the choice between you and a professional agents, guess who they will pick? Not you. But hey, money's money right.

There is a thread already on this topic, what i understand is you can 1) Find a cash back agent. 2) Hire the 1% agent, i think comfree offers this service too 3) Get your re lawyer to act as the agent for a flat fee, they only write up the offer no negotiations.

If you a found a house and nobody's bought it, maybe something is wrong with it? Again a local agent might be useful in these situations.

When you decided to take the agents job and DIY it is assumed that you have similar level of knowledge or skills as the professional does, other wise you take your chances. As they say: only fools rush in. Many agents don't know much, it is not hard to imagine a civilian who has better knowledge on house construction, negotiations and marketing still there are rules you should know about being an RE agent (and you probably don't.)