We're looking to buy and I was thinking we could do it without a buyer's agent, hoping to save some money by having the buyer's agent's commission effectively split between us and the seller. We've gone through the buying process twice and in both cases we felt like our buyer's agent didn't do anything except schedule showings (we'd find the homes ourselves by searching zillow or redfin). When it comes to negotiating, I feel like most buyer's agents are inclined to simply get a deal done so they get their commission, rather than actually trying to get us the best price.
With that said, I believe there are many well connected agents who can be aware of properties that are coming up for sale before they show up on zillow and similar services, and these sometimes end up under contract before or immediately after they are listed. We are looking in a specific, small area with limited inventory and where everyone in the business knows each other, so I don't think it's rare for things to happen behind the scenes.
I do believe there are good buyer's agents out there but without a personal reference from someone who has bought in this area, are there any suggestions how we could go about finding a "good" agent? Should we just contact 4 or 5 and meet with them and see who we like?