We moved here from out-of-state and didn't know the area at all.  As we toured homes we'd previously viewed online, it became clear that our agent had previewed the ones nearest her because she told us little details she wouldn't have known otherwise.  I was impressed that she did this and although she didn't see all of them, her efforts were much appreciated. 

I have a buyer moving to my area from another part of the country and she's been unable to make the trip to look at homes, though she's done a lot of online searching.  I've found that previewing homes on behalf of a buyer is so helpful because you can discover things the listing agent would never reveal otherwise.  For example, yesterday I toured a *gorgeous* house - six bedrooms, four and a half baths, almost a half million dollars. What the listing agent didn't tell us was there is a gigantic hole where the lot next door should be.

Honestly, the home is still beautiful and actually a great buy.  But if I had children I'm not sure I'd bite, especially if it serves as a drainage area for heavy rains.  This is exactly the reason I would NEVER encourage anyone to buy a home sight unseen!

Merry Christmas!