You bargain searching investors are the sharks, not the agents.
I'm going to disagree here.
An offer is merely a suggestion (comprising of a price, and sometimes conditions) from someone who wants to buy a property.
The vendor is free to accept or reject any offer as they see fit.
The agent works for the vendor.
Though not a valuer, a competent agent should know approximately what the property is worth.
Agents are required to present all offers to the vendor.
However if they are professional they should also inform the vendor whether the offer is (i) very generous so should be accepted forthwith (after the buyer has been qualified as genuine), (ii) reasonable and hence worth a counter-offer or (iii) too low and should be rejected.
The vendor, having received this information can then make an informed decision to accept, counter-offer or reject based on their circumstances and how they like the buyer's price/conditions.
The vendor has the final say. If they accept an outrageously low offer then it is either due to their urgent circumstances and/or being too trusting of an incompetent agent who prefers a quick commission to a good outcome for the vendor.
The former is acceptable if the agent has warned the vendor that the offer is very cheap and the vendor has accepted it regardless. In this case the agent has done their duty since accepting their client's instructions takes a higher precedence over negotiating the highest price.
But if the vendor has no particular urgency to sell and the agent has recommended an 'ultra cheap' offer be accepted then the agent is guily of preferring a quick commission over obtaining the best result for the vendor.
A low offer from a purchaser does not constitute shark-like behaviour as it means nothing until it is accepted and both signatures are on the contract.
But if the agent recommends acceptance of same, despite them knowing it is very low, then that is most certainly shark-like behaviour on the part of the agent since the agent is supposed to represent the vendor.
You display a sharp disdain for the real estate proffesion but continue to invest in property. You want the world, but it has to be given to you on a silver plate.
I don't know who the 'you' is, but it's not me.
My attitude is agents are a part of the scene and investors need to go through them to have any chance of buying the majority of properties offered for sale.
They are neither good nor bad - they just 'are' and you need to deal with them. Winning friends & influencing people and all that.
Though they work for the vendor agents need to treat buyers with courtesy, and this includes things like returning calls. Without a buyer there can be no sale. But time spent worrying about bad agents is time not spent on finding value IPs so agents are hardly worth time whinging about.