hi TS, any update? I'm also thinking of doing DIY, do share your experience!
Here's how I see whether you can DIY or not:
1. Paperwork - It's possible to learn what to do and how with some time investment. If you don't have the time, don't DIY.
2. Price your property - here's where it gets a bit tricky. There should be 5 different things to do before pricing. (i) Look at online valuations (ii) look at past transactions, (iii) comparable blocks, (iv) other listings, (v) condition of unit. For the owner, it a bit hard to dissociate themselves from the issues in the house. Eg: original condition unit cannot always market for same price as extremely renovated unit. But owners may not know how to price it differently from the average, and will find it harder to adjust the price based on certain circumstances (eg: it's been 6 months and only 2 enquiries - will they be able to drop the price? Do they know how to do those 5 steps?)
3. Negotiations - several enquirers start with low ball offers and point out defects in the unit. You need to be able to be strong and logical here, and not allow emotions to seep in. If you can do that, go ahead and DIY.
4. Exposure - this is the biggest factor. PropertyGuru, 99.co, SRX, iProperty -> these sites have the highest buyer eyeballs. All only allow agents to advertise. Without exposure on these sites, it will be very slow/hard to find a buyer on other sources. If you have the time, it's ok. If you don't, get an agent.
5. Paperwork for buyers - sometimes the buyer you find may not know what they're doing either, which could cause the deal to fall through. Agents can, even if it's not in their "scope", advise them enough to get the deal to go through.
6. Agent commission - $0 if DIY, 2% on regular market, 1% with Propseller.
Having said all this, I completely understand that incompetent agents are worse than DIY.
You should try
Propseller if you're considering getting a good and competent agent.
They do all the steps above, they do it well and you'll get a free valuation report first before you have to decide if you want to engage them, so at least you get something out of it if you eventually wanna DIY.