Once you've found the property that you want to pursue, you're going to want to make sure that it's not overpriced. The best way to do that is to have a market analysis done.
A good market analysis for homes for sale in Montpelier or homes for sale in Barre will use comparable sales (no fair using homes that haven't sold yet!) and give an estimate of value. It's probably going to come out in a range, since it's not an exact science. Also---bright big red flags should go up if you talk with a Realtor who is using town assessment values as data for market value, or if you talk with a Realtor who uses automatic valuations (think Zillow, Trulia, etc.).
Armed with the rough estimate of value, you can start planning your negotiation strategy. Come in too low, and the seller may be offended and put up their defenses. Come in too high and you're giving away money that doesn't need to be given away.
Assuming that both the buyer and the seller agree on a fair price, there's still going to be an appraisal (if there's a loan involved). That's going to be the official measure of value of a home for sale in Montpelier. But you don't want to be weeks into a transaction and find out the place didn't appraise high enough. You've wasted time, and other suitable properties may now be under contract. Woops.
A buyer broker will be able to prepare a market analysis for homes for sale in the Montpelier and Barre real estate market. A smart buyer's going to use all the resources available.
Know the Central Vermont real estate market. Be smart. Be Green Light smart.