Open RedFin, check the houses for sale, go to the open house when there is one? That’s at least how it works in the Bay Area. We never had to schedule or book anything, and only after seeing a house we liked, we asked our agent to check it out and submit an offer.
Showings aren't an event unless the seller (perhaps through their agent) decides they should be.
> They plug in a smart lock and (at least to my understanding) you can tour the minute the listing goes up.
A lockbox with a key that buyers agents can get access to has been routine for sales of homes where the seller doesn't actively choose to limit showing for a long time; changing the technology doesn't fundamentally change anything. If access is made directly to buyers that would be a slight change in accessibility (also an increase in risk for the seller), but not, in practice, a huge difference.