i don't think a realtor is necessary, but a real estate lawyer to draw up contracts is.
They could also provide you with the necessary disclosure forms.

The most important things to remember are:

1) Never appear to be trying to discriminate against any protected class of people. You can certainly mention facts - ie, "news source rated the grade schools as 5th in the state" but don't say "better for childless couples". Even if it's true - it could be construed as discriminating against families, which is in violation of federal law.

2) Whatever you are required to disclose - DISCLOSE. Put it in writing. I was able to successfully sue the former owners of our house because they claimed that the house had no water problems. Turns out I found a receipt for water proofing buried behind a drawer in the basement cabinets - and the basement flooded when the water proofing failed. The former owners were required to pay for the lost items, cleanup and the new water proofing system. Don't let it happen to you!

3) It will take a lot of time. Just like being your own general contractor will. If you don't have the time, don't do it. Hire a realtor. If you do, and you are willing to spend the time doing things the right way, you can save some money and possibly enjoy yourself.

Many people don't realize that there are actually variety of different methods that you can use to sell your house, here's to name a few also with there downsides and benefits:
1) At Auction - Quick sale within 30 days but often 30 -40% discount.

2) Lease Option - Particularly helpful If you don't have any equity and don't expect to make any money from your sale, you can technically hand the keys over. A lease option contract could enable you to transfer the responsibilities of your mortgage to an investor.

3) A Internet house buyer - they can provide you with a sale either at a discount often 25% or a shared ownership purchase where you just sell a portion of your home, advice on this can be found at [spam removed]

4) Take on another agent - If your current agent isn't doing a good enough job you could always employ another agent once you leave your exclusive relationship often after 3 months. You can benefit by receiving more advertising, however a non -exclusive relationship will often cost you more once you achieve a sale.

A video on Taking on another real estate agent can be found here [spam removed]