Here in St Louis we ran into the same problem of houses disappearing soon after listing. Luckily it happened to our house when we sold it. I didn't hire an agent, I bought some signs, built a web page, and put a big ad in the paper. Had first contract in 7 and a non contingent contract in 13 days. We sold it for 2.5k more than an agent recomended asking too. So we needed a house right away! We bought a house that had been on the market for 6 months. Old folks had old paint and decorating that we thought prevented the sale, but after getting in we found a structural problem and termite damage that the home inspector missed. We are dealing with their insurance co. right now. Had he discovered the problem, we wouldn't have bought the house which we really love.