Estate agent fees can easily run into thousands of pounds, so it's no surprise that more homeowners are asking whether they can sell their house privately.

We've sold two homes, both through estate agents, and I've seriously considered going it alone. Partly to save on fees, and partly because of some really frustrating experiences with estate agents.

So is it possible to sell your house privately, and is it worth it? Here's what you need to know.

Can you sell your house without an estate agent?

Yes. In the UK, you don't need to use an estate agent to sell your home.

You can market the property, show buyers around and negotiate the price yourself. The only part you can't really skip is the legal side, as you'll still need a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to handle the transfer of ownership.

Do you need an EPC to sell a house privately?

Yes. You'll need a valid Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) before you start marketing your home, just as you would with an agent.

Why sell your house privately?

The biggest reason is cost. High street estate agents usually charge somewhere between 1% and 3.5% of the sale price, and the average is around 1.4% including VAT.

When we sold our last home, we paid our estate agent about 1%. The house was listed for £300,000, so that was around £3,000.

Selling privately can work particularly well if:

• You already have an interested buyer, such as a friend, neighbour or tenant
• You live in a popular area where homes sell quickly
• You're confident negotiating and happy to put the time in
• You want to test a higher asking price before going to an agent

Why I've thought about selling privately

Honestly, we weren't impressed with our estate agent, and we handed over that £3,000 very begrudgingly at the end.

The listing was awful and had mistakes in it. We asked them to correct them, but they ignored us, and those same mistakes then kept coming up in the questions from our buyers' conveyancer.

They also forgot to tell the buyers' surveyor to collect the keys, as we weren't going to be in. The surveyor turned up, couldn't get in, and was so busy that the survey had to be rearranged for around six weeks later.

We were ready to go, with no chain at our end, and wanted to move before our children started their new school in September. But our buyers later said they were never told this, and had no idea we wanted to move quickly.

We had to chase the agent constantly, and by the end, we genuinely thought we could have done a better job ourselves.

When we relocated, the whole move cost us around £20,000, including solicitors' fees and stamp duty. And that was moving ourselves! We hired a van and storage and moved a family of four three and a half hours away, which was pretty crazy, and it would have cost much more with a removal company.

We'd much rather have spent that £3,000 on moving costs than on an estate agent we weren't happy with. Here are some of the hidden costs of moving house to plan for.

The downsides of selling a house privately

Before you decide, it's worth being honest about the drawbacks.

You won't be on Rightmove or Zoopla

This is the big one. Rightmove, Zoopla and OnTheMarket only accept listings from estate agents, so you can't list your home there yourself, even if you're willing to pay.

The way around it is to use an online estate agent, like Yopa or Purplebricks, who will list your home on the portals for a fixed fee.

Most buyers search these sites first, so without them, far fewer people will see your home. When we sold our first home, it took around eight months to find a buyer even with an agent and the big portals.

It takes time and effort

You'll need to take photos, write the listing, answer enquiries, arrange and host viewings, and chase the sale once an offer is accepted. That's a lot to fit around work and family life.

You need to be available for viewings

Hosting viewings yourself means being at home whenever buyers want to see it, including evenings and weekends. If you work full time, that can be really tricky.

You deal with buyers directly

When you sell privately, you meet your buyers face to face, rather than keeping everything through an agent and solicitors. That's fine if everyone gets on, but it can get awkward if either side becomes difficult.

A friend of ours sold privately, and their buyers kept messaging them directly with questions, rather than going through the conveyancing solicitors. It's much harder to keep things professional when the buyer has your phone number.

Valuing and negotiating is harder

Estate agents know the local market and deal with buyers every day. Without that experience, it's easy to price your home too high, so it doesn't sell, or too low, so you lose money.

Negotiating face to face can feel awkward too, especially if a buyer pushes for money off after their survey. I've seen buyers try to knock money off at the last minute for things that weren't real problems, and an agent can help handle that.

Chasing the sale is down to you

A lot of the hard work happens after an offer is accepted. Agents chase solicitors, mortgage lenders and other people in the chain to keep things moving.

When you sell privately, that's up to you and your conveyancer. You'll want to educate yourself in house buying and selling, so you know what to expect at each stage.

Selling a rental property

If you're a landlord, selling privately can be even more complicated, especially with tenants still living there. Understanding the options to sell a rental property while tenants remain in place can help you plan the sale more effectively.

How to sell your house privately

If you decide to give it a go, here's how to do it.

1. Get your home ready

First impressions matter, so declutter, clean and fix any small jobs before anyone sees it. Here are some smart ways of preparing your home to go on the market.

2. Work out your asking price

Check what similar homes nearby have sold for using the sold prices on Rightmove, Zoopla or HM Land Registry. You can also ask two or three local agents for a free valuation, even if you don't plan to use them.

3. Get your EPC and paperwork ready

Book an EPC if you don't have a valid one, and gather documents like your property title, guarantees, planning permissions and any work you've had done. Having everything ready makes the legal side much quicker.

4. Market your home

Take good photos in daylight, write a clear, honest description and include a floor plan if you can. Then share it on Facebook Marketplace, local community groups, social media and with friends, neighbours and colleagues.

5. Host viewings safely

Show buyers around yourself, but never do viewings alone. Ask for the buyer's full name and contact details in advance, and have someone else at home with you.

6. Negotiate and accept an offer

Before accepting an offer, check whether the buyer is a cash buyer, has a mortgage agreed in principle, or needs to sell a home first.

A slightly lower offer from a buyer who's ready to go can be better than a higher one stuck in a long chain.

7. Instruct a solicitor or conveyancer

Once you've agreed a price, instruct a solicitor or licensed conveyancer to handle the legal work. Here's whether a conveyancing solicitor is worth the cost, and more on when you need a solicitor.

What about online estate agents?

If selling completely on your own feels like too much, online estate agents are a great middle ground, and often the cheapest way to sell a house. They list your home on Rightmove and Zoopla, but usually charge a fixed fee instead of a percentage.

Some include hosted viewings, or offer them as an extra, which solves the problem of needing to be available yourself. At the time of writing:

• Purplebricks charges a fixed 0.5% including VAT, from £999, with nothing to pay upfront.
• esale charges £695 upfront, or £190 upfront plus £1,200 on completion with no sale, no fee. Both options include arranged viewings, viewing feedback and sales progression.
• Emoov offers fixed fee packages from £395, where you manage your listing, viewings and offers through an online dashboard.
• Sold says selling is free for sellers, and also offers to buy homes for cash.
• Yopa offers fixed fee packages, with hosted viewings costing more.

Just check exactly what's included, as cheaper and free packages don't always include things like accompanied viewings. And check whether you pay upfront or only when your home sells, as some fixed fees are paid even if your house doesn't sell.

Is it worth selling your house privately?

Selling privately can save you thousands, especially if you already have a buyer lined up or live somewhere homes sell quickly.

But you'll miss out on the big property portals, and you'll be doing all the work yourself. For many people, an online estate agent offers the best of both, with a much lower fee but the reach of Rightmove and Zoopla.

Honestly, after some of the experiences we've had with estate agents, selling privately is something I've definitely thought about. And if you don't want to do it all yourself, it's worth looking at an online agent before paying high street fees.

Whatever you choose, get a proper valuation, keep on top of the sale and always use a good solicitor. Here are some more financial things to consider when selling a house.