If you have no connections, you will unfortunately have to buy in the expertise. There is no way around it. For that, you then also have someone neutral by your side. Friends/relatives with half-knowledge are emotionally too close, from my own experience I can only advise against it, unless the person is really an expert and up-to-date.
It is pointless to just read the moisture level. For a purchase decision without an upset stomach, you need unequivocal information about the cause and the expected costs. Otherwise, it threatens to become a bottomless pit.