The real estate salesperson is an agent of the broker. If you're a person who has what it takes then there's never a bad time to get into real estate. An acquaintance got her license in the early 1980s during one of the worst recessions in real estate in memory. On the other hand, if you're slightly above average and work hard, now's a good time to get into real estate. What I'm hearing from real estate brokers across the state is that if you can't make it now in real estate, you'll never make it.
Most brokers insist on an exclusive right to sell listing.
I have personally seen areas of the state where more than one broker lists the property. It doesn't work very well, and the yard looks awfully strange with three or four different realty company signs on display. The closing attorney represents the transaction, even though one of the parties may pay the closing attorney's fee. It is the closing attorney's job to facilitate the closing, not to represent the legal interests of one of the parties. If you feel you need to have legal representation, take your own attorney with you to the closing.