That extra cost "went away" btw...I'm posting as an observer looking at both sides thinking it's a good lesson for everyone to either carefully choose a VERY trustworthy agent to tend to one's business OOS or meticulously monitor the work being done. 

You need to do your homework, make a decision and then monitor how things turned out.

I've been actively monitoring prices around Dallas for the last few months.

Thanks  I don't monitor my BP PM's so you can either tag me on the forums or check out my BP profile for ways to get ahold of me.

I also monitor Loopnet and Zillow. 

Does anyone here monitor the official monthly housing data like existing home sales, building permits, etc, etc?

Zach,Here in Texas we put a sign on the door and in the front and back yard saying smile, you are being monitored, and entrance to the property will trigger a police response.Joe Gore

All agents will tell you they have your best interest at heart and they do have a fiduciary responsibility to you but, there really is no way for you to monitor that.

Everything is optimized for remote monitoring these days - I even learned about some cool phone app-operated mouse traps in another thread I posted.

I have monitored this site for several years and have found the majority of the information and discussion quite useful.