pre-qualifying MLS deals

[Jordan Solomon]

Is there any way to pre-qualify MLS deals? That is, I know that with properties you find from direct mail, online marketing, etc., the idea is to first speak to the seller over the phone and determine if it's worth going out to see the house. But with a listed property, it sounds like I can't speak to the seller directly. That being the case, is the only way to figure out if it's a possible deal or not to go with the agent to visit every property you're interested in? Just seems like that could be a lot of wasted time (for both me and the agent, not to mention the sellers). Thanks!