Here, I get the impression that the best houses are sold "under the table" and only the rest, which are hard to sell, end up with the real estate agent.
It’s like that everywhere, especially in rural areas.
The real estate agent often comes into play when the owners (or heirs) don’t live locally. These don’t necessarily have to be dilapidated properties.
The agent sometimes calls good acquaintances in advance before putting together a listing. However, he also needs good properties for his advertising.
The vast majority of house sales, however, take place without an agent – which already suggests that buyers and sellers find each other by other means.
Buying through connections is usually cheaper, so it’s always important to find out who the owner is. If you have a mutual connection there, e.g., mutual acquaintances, that’s worth its weight in gold. In my parents' street, a young couple with a child now lives who bought their house for a bargain price. It was never listed anywhere and went completely quietly. The seller and the buyer’s father are former coworkers...