Does anyone represent themselves in unlawful detainer cases?

[Eddy Dumire]

My wife and I went to the courthouse to observe unlawful detainer (aka eviction) cases.  They seemed very straightforward and something we could tackle on our own.  In Virginia, things are pretty speedy and we think that worst case scenario, we would have to re-file and it would cost us about a month of rent.  In this case, that would be cheaper than an attorney.  Does anyone else have experience doing this on your own?  Any advice?

In Virginia, we have a 5 day notice to pay or quit.  After that, we can file for unlawful detainer.  At the hearing, if the defendant doesn't show up, we can get immediate possession which then we must take to the sheriff to schedule eviction.  If the defendant does show up, and they agree they are late, they have 10 days before we can get possession.  Otherwise, if they don't agree they are late, the judge sets a trial date.  100% of the cases we observed did not have a trial date set because one of the two other scenarios held true.