My employer has been trying to build a front end team recently, and willing to pay whatever it takes and remote work is fine.
Like most people on the internet, you're talking like "remote work" is an actual benefit. Personally, I don't think that it is. Everything is harder when you're working remotely. Not only I would prefer not to work remotely, but I would also like to not have my coworkers work remotely either (unless it's no more than one day per week let's say).
If your company is located far away from talent, please consider offering an attractive temporary relocation package for the length of the contract. That being said, don't just offer something that sounds good and hope that they bite. Get to know your target first. Find out if they have a family, what hobbies they have, etc. Then offer a temporary relocation package that's uniquely suited to their needs and circumstances.
The keyword here is "temporary". Nobody wants to move permanently away from their existing professional network to a place where it's nearly impossible to get a good job (should the initial job fall through, or naturally comes to an end).
But even getting in touch with some of these people to be able to say "Hey, name a number, we'll give you that number" is near impossible, because they shut themselves out with all of the normal recruiters trying to reach them.
I can't say I'm a rockstar developer, I am not, but I find myself forced to shut out recruiters as well. External recruiters are the worst. So-called "talent agents" are usually just external recruiters in disguise. Internal company recruiters are better, but not by much. The only people I don't shut out are fellow developers.
If you're looking and have an actually useful recruiter under your belt, its helpful, but at the end of the day they don't work for you. Having someone who actually does? Why not.
People who get a commission from your salary do not work for you. They work for themselves.