Real estate agents being shady

[have$cantbuy]

What is the name of your state?I live in NY. I know the real estate market is crazy here, but I can't seem to buy a house. I just put an offer on a house where 2 other people offered the same price. I was told I lost out b/c I will mortgage some of it and apparently there are a lot of people walking around with large sums of cash to pay in full for a house. The whole process just seems shady. The sign went up outside the house and there was no listing to be found on the MLS for days. When I finally did get a hold of the sellers agent I was told the house was a mess and not worth it. I went to see it anyway and loved it, it wasn't a mess at all. Why would they try to turn me away from seeing it? It seems like the house was sold before it was listed so why bother listing it? I was told I was the first to see the house and I am pretty sure I was the first offer since I saw it before the listing hit the MLS. What laws or regulations are real estate agents required to follow and do I have any rights here? Thanks for any input!