A sale to a known buyer, a family member or a neighbour, is the clearest case, since there is no marketing problem to solve and often no negotiation in the usual sense. A lawyer still needs to close the transaction through Information Services Corporation, with legal fees of $800 to $1,500, but the work of finding a buyer is already done.
Selling to an unknown buyer without representation is a harder case, since it means being available for showings, pricing without an agent's comparable-sale access, and negotiating directly against a buyer's agent who does this daily. A seller on a retirement or health timeline usually has less room to absorb a slow or mispriced result.
Weigh the time saved against the risk before deciding. Get your hand-reviewed valuation from Joel Dyck.