This is about a personal residential property purchase, not an investment, but I thought this group would be the best source of info.

My wife and I recently relocated from the SF Bay Area, CA and are looking at a residential properties for ourselves. We're looking in a sort of rural part of North Santa Barbara County and the believe the way we're going to find the place we want is by networking locally and making offers to an existing owners off market. We're willing to wait and do the legwork for the right place. We're experienced SFH buyers.

I have heard of folks using a real estate attorney to represent them as buyers, can someone explain more about how that process works, ideally with specifics for California if that makes any difference. We're hoping to be able save on agent fees and therefore make a stronger offer. Does the real estate attorney handle submitting the offer and manages the process during escrow, including coordinating with a title company?  

Does it matter if the attorney is in the same county? I assume they would need to be licensed in California.  

I would love referrals to actual people and firms, or recommendations for questions to ask when interviewing different folks.