Do I really need a realtor?

[Frankie Betancourt]

ok i was just wondering as a first time home buyer would this be a big mistake going online and using websites like Trulia zillow etc to look for my house and just contact that listing agent and set up a meeting to look at the house and if i like just buy it at the listing price? 

Because i do not know why i would need a realtor if online websites provides all the data information like mortgage neighborhood recent sold houses in that area etc. as i can look for myself what im looking for online.and would a realtor have homes that are not listed online and send me homes  trough email based on what im looking for?

[Sharon Powell]

Jason is spot on. On top of all that, the listing price is usually just a starting point for negotiations. Your realtor will run comparables of other similar homes in the area to see how much you should really pay, and will go to bat for you to negotiate repairs, closing costs, etc to get the best deal possible. A listing agent will not.
Your realtor will also be able to hunt for deals that aren’t on the market. And by the way, Zillow and all the websites aren’t kept completely current. So often, I get calls from people asking about a property they found on realtor.com or trulia or Zillow, and I have to disappoint them and tell them it’s already under contract.
Then there’s all the transactional stuff...inspections, appraisal, working with the lender, coordinating with the title company, making sure the contract is executed correctly.. the list of ways a realtor provides value is long. And in nearly every situation, the realtor’s services are at no cost to the buyer, so why wouldn’t you want to be protected?