[J.A.Sucker]

This is often right to a degree, but not necessarily. I'm in the SF Bay Area (very expensive market, too) and have seen a bit of this. If this is the case, then keep looking. If you're a puss about standing up for yourself, they will run over you. If you let them know that you are new the market, a good realtor should understand that you may buy other houses in the future - and maybe if they're lucky you'll call on them.

A young realtor should be hungry for business. Seek them out, but make sure they're with a decent outfit (Coldwell Banker, Century 21, etc).