There is a free service called AgentQuote.co.uk that seems to be making a real effort in their model to gather consumer based-feedback on estate agents. This is in the form of a 5 star rating. They also ask agents to display their profile, typical fee and number of potentially interested parties on their books to sellers, whilst preserving the seller's identity. The seller can then compare their local agents, looking at their 5 star rating (based on user feedback), the profiles (what services the agents offers), fees and number of possible interested parties. I don't think that trying to sell your property without an estate agent is really a sensible thing to do; the problem is finding the right estate agent, and a great service like AgentQuote.co.uk really helps.