Buying house with no realtor

[Brandon Ellis]

So I found a house down the street from me and I noticed nobody seemed to be living there.  Good Neighborhood.  I checked the local govt tax records and found an address where it appears the owners are in Florida.  So say I contact the owners and they decide to sell.  What do I need to do to purchase this property?  Would I still need a realtor or some kind of agent?  (FYI I'm located in NC.)

Thanks for any help.

[Seth Ferguson]

@Brandon Ellis

You could have a lawyer represent you and prepare all the documentation...and if we want to get technical, the lawyer would be your agent in a legal sense. There's no requirement to use an real estate agent.

However, like @Anthony Dooley said, if you're new to the process or want some additional market guidance, a real estate commission is cheap for expert knowledge.