re: I have a dumb question about getting a real estate agent

Being that you are admitting to being new at the game, and don't know a lot, an agent is probably your best bet.

The problem with the contacting of a listing agent is this: They are representing the seller. So sure, they could sell you the house. But they are representing the seller, so in most states, the are also not allowed to represent you. That would be a conflict of interest.

You could represent yourself, but again, given your lack of experience, that might not be best for you at this time.

So what happens in my experience is that most of the time, the selling agent just won't return your call, or they will pass it off to someone else in the office, in the hopes they could be the buyer's agent.

The problem with many buyer's agent is that they will likely want you to sign a contract that indicates that ANY house you buy, whether they show it or not, they will get a commission. If you are buying a house listed by another agent, no problem. But if you want to buy a house FSBO, the seller may not want to pay any commission, and then you are on the hook for paying the buyer's agent (at least this is my understanding).

In the end I've never used an agent. I've bought two houses. First was new construction and I bought straight from the builder salesman. Second was FSBO, and I knew the seller, so we just hired an attorney and split the cost of it.