oregonpapa,
"Your colleague should study the difference between perfect and imperfect markets. :-)"
I will let him know, but I suspect what he will ask. What is the benefit of using a real estate agent in the times of the Internet? Things get checked very quickly and facts are readily available. Even car dealers have been seriously affected. Well, most anything has been affected and, in many cases, made simpler and more straightforward.
I will ask him tomorrow, maybe I guessed his response wrong.