Coming from somewhere with only a handful of brokers and being lucky to have sold my home in "only" 8 months, when I have seen and experienced how quickly desirable homes move here in TV, I would take a shot at trying to sell FSBO before listing with anyone. That's not a knock against VLS or MLS agents at all. But selling without a commission to pay leaves a lot more room for negotiation between you and the buyer. There is information and even tools to use here for FSBO so you don't have to be an expert as long as you take the time or make the effort to determine what the market value is for your home. If the FSBO thing doesn't work out over a short period of time, you aren't bound to any contracts and can always list with an agent at that point. Doing it the other way around is not so easy.
As far as what you were told, the agents were probably just telling you the facts as they see them. I'm sure they are more than happy to sell a brand new home or a pre-owned home that is listed on VLS. Of course a seller wants to get value for the investments they have made in a home. But they only have value to the buyer if they are changes and upgrades that the buyer wants, so it can be a challenge. It's usually a good deal when you can find a home that has been done already like you would want it. On the other hand, if things have been done that you want to change, you feel, as a buyer, that you are paying extra for things that you don't want and then have to spend even more money changing them. We kept tabs on pre-owned homes for months while we waited to sell our old house. Clearly, the homes that were "done right", came and went in the blink of an eye, while others that weren't done right or done at all continued to sit there. So, we faced a double challenge - first, find the right home for us and, second, being the first ones to get a chance to buy it. Ultimately we just went with a new home that we can do to our liking.
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