Here is a little of my insight on brokers. If you decide to use a broker, I would find a guy that is an expert in THE model airplane you are looking to purchase. He would then be able to provide insight on the market trends of that particular model over the years, and can give you a really good idea on how it does in regards to value retention vs. just scouring the market and getting an idea of current prices (anybody can do that). There are a lot of brokers that will represent everything from a 150 to a King Air, and you just have to ask, how much does he really know about all of those airplanes?
While I'm on my rant, there is one other thing to be cautious about. It's what we call double-dipping. You are paying this broker to assure you get a good airplane. You would be astounded to learn how many of them also ask the dealer or owner for a "finder's fee" which will not be disclosed to you. That finders fee, which is typically $2,000 or more, ends up coming out of your pocket as it gets budgeted into the negotiations. I've had a couple guys tell me in the past that if we pay them a finders fee, they will also help "push the sale through pre-buy". Now who are they working for? Hearing that made me want to throw up in my mouth at the sheer thought of the deception to their client.
As far as inspections, unless that broker is an A&P or IA, I don't know that I would trust that person solely with the reviewing of the logbooks. Let a good mechanic do that. Damage history is easy to spot, and again, just about anybody can do that, but also knowing the status of ADs, SBs and good routine maintenance is very important. A mechanic that knows that airplane well will be very familiar with its intricacies/ recurring issues in regards to maintenance and will know what to look for.
Lastly, in my opinion, purchasing an airplane is definitely something that can be done yourself. Get an agreement at the price you are comfortable with, get the airplane to a shop that knows THAT airplane, use escrow to assure clear title (we find a lot of old liens hanging out there from decades ago), and fly off into the sunset!