I think it depends on a few factors. The culture where you're searching. The laws. And the economy. And the available services. Where I'm from the law works pretty well, and there's really only one de-facto site that most people use for selling their pad, though Facebook has tried to take over some of the competition. I don't think you can get away from the stress of viewings, but IMHO it sounds like it's a lot more difficult to search where you're situated.