Do you need to be a real estate agent to view the MLS

[Stephen Settanni]

Hi there fellow Bigger Pockets members!

I stumbled on this oasis of community knowledge from experts like yourselves about a week ago and so far I'm loving it! I'm exploring the possibilities of investing in real estate, so far I'm interested in single family or multi famiy homes in Raleigh, NC (I live in New Jersey, but wanted to try somewhere not too far that was cheaper). 

I've been looking at sites like trulia and zillow, but are there any other sites you would recommend for initial scouting? I have been hearing a lot about the MLS, do you need to be a real estate agent to view that? Any advice for a newbie like me is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!