I can't stress enough my personal philosophy that professional advice is worth professionals' fees. We were incredibly lucky to make friends with someone who became a real estate agent/broker after deciding that law practice didn't agree with him. He is not "salesy" at all and, because we were friends first, I felt very comfortable being honest with him. He helped us with our first home purchase, and was really encouraging and helpful throughout the verrrry long process (we ended up buying into a townhome community, and it took about two years until we could close). I fully intend to utilize his services again when we purchase our next home.

I think it's great if you have the resources and knowledge to do it yourself, but feel more comfortable having an insider in the process.