Honestly, I had this exact same attitude before my last home purchase. We began by assuming that Redfin was good enough. By the time the deal closed, we really appreciated what an experienced agent with at least a vague awareness of real-estate law could do. When the FSBO seller tried to back out at the last minute, our (obviously motivated) buyer's agent was able to set him straight. Without his help, I'm certain the situation would have turned into a nightmare scenario involving actual lawyers.

That doesn't mean I won't try the easy/cheap way first next time, but it does mean I no longer dismiss all realtors as useless parasites who need to be "disrupted" at all costs.