Get an Agent
Once in a while a home buyer will approach me about one of my home listings that I am marketing for sale with the interest of buying the home. The buyer I'm writing about would be the buyer that doesn't have an agent to represent them. They may ask if they can get a break from us (the agents selling the home) because they don't have an agent to collect a commission from the sale. I will always answer yes to this question as it is good for my client ( he get's a buyer ), it's good for me ( I sell my clients home ), and it's good for the buyer (he get's a monetary break on his purchase).
At this point you might be saying to yourself that it's a win/win/win situation that is good for everyone involved. Unfortunately, this is only sort of true. While I will offer a monetary concession because the buyer doesn't have an agent, I make it crystal clear that while I will be doing the paperwork for both the Buyer and the Seller, I am only representing the Seller in the transaction. That means that while I will treat the Buyer fairly and do all of the paperwork for them, I work for the Seller and will be negotiating and work on the Sellers behalf. Not so for the Buyer's interests. So, if I see a situation where the Buyer could possibly negotiate for a better deal, or some other concessoin from the Seller, but the Buyer doesn't see it, I will have to keep my mouth shut. I work for the Seller, and telling the buyer he could get some kind of concession from my client (the Seller) would not be to my clietnts best interests. If the Buyer had his own agent, that agent would not only be able to let the Buyer know some strategies and negotiate for a better deal on his behalf, but he would be obligated to do so.
Getting $1,000 or 1% off of a purchase price would never convince me that it is a good idea to go into a transaction to buy a house without your own representation by an agent. In almost every case, an agent will more than make up for their cost.