I used to prefer helping buyers, when you'd schedule a buyer to see a morning or days' worth of homes, lots of choices, maybe schedule a 2nd showing the next day for favorites, then negotiate an offer and be surprised with the occasional multiple bid.

That way the owner knows how much they are getting and there are no surprises at the settlement table.

EDUCATE YOURSELF - yes, it will take time, but will lead to a selection that better meets your expectations & avoids potentially costly surprises!

You'd be surprised how many times we've bought a property at auction and by the time we come around, the occupant has left.

This scenario is extremely common and while I exaggerated numbers for effect, I have had this conversation with clients and their CPAs and the client is usually surprised when you put the numbers on paper. 

I was just surprised the county overturned it without any notification of proceedings.

My tenants were late and a 50 dollar fee assessed and I was surprised when the 50 fee was kept by the management company.

This inventory level still places us in a seller's market which may be surprise to most people.

I was surprised that they sold it.

And if you assume that everything is automatically included, you're likely to have unpleasant surprises down the road.