Agreed. While Redfin, Realtor.com, etc didn't cut a realtor out of my RE transactions (1 purchase a decade ago, then 1 sale + 1 purchase last year), they did do a good job showing me what was on the market. And not just at a single point in time (when I was actively shopping), but over years, so I could see neighborhoods that were smaller or had less turnover. While actively searching, the often gave me a heads up as to what was coming on the market in the upcoming week - I wasn't at the mercy of the RE agent calling me with new listings.

Unfortunately, agents in my area still take a pretty standard % of any transaction, so those tech sites haven't made a dent in the cost of the transaction.