Just to add, even if you put a note through the door and arrange to sell privately, it's likely the estate agents will still charge the vendor the fees as they were involved in the process, even if they don't agree the sale. (Vendor should check their Ts and Cs). I once listed a property with an estate agents but subsequently found my own buyer and negotiated my own sale. However, as I was at work when the buyer wanted to view the property, I got the agent to show them round. That 10 minutes meant they could charge their 1.5% fee (£1000+, nice work if you can get it).