If you find it time consuming, difficult, or feel you would have gotten a better deal with a realtor, then use one. 

There really is more to painting than slobbing paint on walls and it can be time consuming to fix a bad paint job. 

There are governmental consumer affairs entities and housing authorities that are good places to intitiate remediation activities.Finally, start a media blitz via the print and electronic media's consumer help units. 

@Tyler Kursh Hello Tyler, I actually work in banking and here where I work we offer something called a  Consumer First Mortgage where the closing cost are only $389, we group your current mortgage with a cash out option and then with a HELOC right now we are offering a rate lock promo for 3.99% for 10yrs, most HELOC's are variable products so if you were to go that route now would be a good time do something like that with the rate lock option.

Their true purpose seems to be as a roadblock to any interaction between consumers and the company. 

If your product is what the consumer wants then you can probably sell on your own and save a little not paying that listing agent. 

The relatively low resale prices here mean that rehab consumes a more outsized percentage of the value of the property.

Sounds like the processes you mentioned are very time consuming, not sure the property is worth all that time and effort.  

This will be great in that it lowers costs of goods for consumers, but it's going to put a lot of well-paid middle class workers out of a job overnight.

(from experience from ecommerce and other online sales, I can tell that the consumer's behavior changes a lot based on the size of the merchant).