Agent compensation is openly negotiable and settled in writing up front, and neither an independent lender nor a bank automatically wins. On commissions: traditionally a seller negotiated a total commission with their listing agent, and historically part of that was shared with the buyer's agent. Since the NAR settlement, a buyer signs a buyer-broker agreement before touring homes with an agent, and that agreement spells out what the buyer's agent will be paid and who is expected to pay it. Who ultimately covers it is negotiable in every deal: the seller, the buyer, or some split, worked out as part of the offer. There's no blanket rule that a seller must pay the buyer's agent, and we wouldn't assume representation is free. On independent lender versus bank: they work differently. A bank or direct lender offers its own menu of loans, so you're limited to what that one institution can do. A shop that works across many investors can put your file in front of a lot of pricing at once (we shop nearly 100 investors), which tends to help on rate, on fit, and on tougher files. What matters most is the person handling your loan and whether they give you a real Loan Estimate you can compare, whatever the label on the door.