Real estate works surprisingly differently in different countries. In France real estate agencies are used for pretty much every deal (afaik), in Germany there'

Real estate works surprisingly differently in different countries. In France real estate agencies are used for pretty much every deal (afaik), in Germany there's quite a lot of local listings in papers or dedicated websites that cut out the realtor (standard contracts are freely available, the process is pretty standardized). I don't know how it works in the US but in Germany eBay classifieds for rental are becoming more and more popular so that may be a direct competitor down the line.