From what I know and have experienced it is the buyer's choice of title company.You may be interested in this link from the NAR website (National Association of Realtors):http://realtormag.realtor.org/law-and-ethics/law/article/2013/03/respa-rules-agents

Turnover hasn’t been at this high of level since 1987 when 32 percent of respondents reported the same, according to NAR.Adam DeSanctis, a spokesman for NAR, says the increase is partially due to new agents joining the ranks but the numbers also reflect agents switching firms.Some agents say they’re being lured to the technology and the marketing support of other brokerages.

If you abandon the golden rule and treat your realtors like the scum of the Earth you seem to think they are, then I'm not surprised by your bad experiences.I think the Pareto principle applies in real estate just like it does in any field, with 20% of the realtors causing 80% of the problems, and 20% of the realtors doing 80% of the business - and these statistics have been verified by NAR to some extent.

Washington, Oregon, Colorado, and Georgia real estate professionals expect median price growth to be 4 to 5 percent – the next highest expectations across the country.REALTORS® surveyed by NAR say that sharp price increases in recent months have made homes unaffordable for many potential home buyers and that they expect prices to moderate in the coming weeks.The median price of all existing homes sold in the U.S. as of July was $234,000, a 6 percent increase on an annual basis.

I was listening to a webinar on NAR and a few of the webinar hosts said that a second is not an automatic deal breaker as the long as the second doesn't demand too much and they've even heard of the first giving the second up to a few thousand dollars or possibly forcing the seller to contribute to the second for a couple of thousand.My ultimate goal was to get some experience and develop systems so I could have an assistant take care of all of this for me. 

going through the courses and spending the money is brain damage, but if you can afford the time and the association dues (everything about NAR and being a realtor all comes down to paying dues) and you're serious about doing this for yourself and you're smart about it, having access to more information than the general public will give you a competitive edge.However, very few things will ever beat good'ol fashion hustle.

@Det Zabat I can assist you in locating a qualified agent in your area are you still looking?

If you think Zestimates from 2013 are spot on, then believe the numbers (or publications) from NAR.

NAR has a summary of litigation related to this http://www.realtor.org/law-and-ethics/mls-access-litigation-summary Once you have become a Realtor you can apply for MLS access, which also requires some additional coursework.  

I however will need to pay the dues when I join the NAR and activate my licenses by working under a broker, which then fees are due to him.