How to avoid "expat" hike? (Amman)

HI all, my husband and I are moving to Amman shortly (first him then I'll join in a few months). I have Jordanian friends currently living outside of Amman who have been advising me and one thing I've heard over and over is about the "expat hike" for apartment rentals. Meaning you see a Western expat and automatically charge them a premium. They also all said to avoid real estate agents and drive around looking for rental signs since an agent charges a lot and base it on the rental price, so has little incentive to give us the lowest price.

A couple actually suggested that we hire our own local person and pay him/her separately to approach the owners and negotiate on our behalf - and then only show up to sign the contract.

What are some thoughts?

We're talking about a nice unfurnished 4-bed place in Abdoun or Um Uthaina, for instance, so worth it to negotiate better pricing.

Thanks in advance