Hello everyone! I'm looking to become a first time home buyer and I'm hoping for a little advice. The Bigger Pocket podcast has been very informative so far , but i haven't heard a podcast yet that  addressed my particular question.  Is it really possible to find a good deal on the popular realty sites such as Realtor.com & Zillow?

I have been spending a lot of time on both of these sites recently and have found that anytime i see something that has potential, it is already under contract. I have a feeling that real deals get scooped up before they even make it to these popular sites. I understand having access to the MLS would be beneficial, but is MLS access necessary to find deals consistently? A realtor friend of mine told me he is having to pay roughly 2k a year to remain an active agent with his broker. Since Im not really interested in selling homes would such a high cost be worth it for access to the MLS? I would love to here everyones thoughts on this topic!