If it was a material defect and they knew about it you may have grounds for compensation.  

It turns out the buyer had no written agreement with the buyer's agent nor had they agreed on any compensation schedule.

We have a base salary plus commission model currently (that's in the range of your GA example), this compensation is tied to the amount of investors and capital they're dealing with, among other pieces of their job.

Assume they will want to be compensated for their time.

In my experience, investors typically want to know that the GP is getting adequately compensated.

Third, write a letter to your new lender of the compensating factors (not often used on conventional loans but can go a long way): great credit; 20% down; no debt; and owner occupied...I assume that this will be your primary residence, right?

Whatever your weakness is, find someone to compensate for them.

Just like 20 years ago, California was suppose to physically separate from the mainland US.Like it was said above, we have a large canal system down here to compensate for any threat of flooding.  

Everyone is in this business to make a living for their family, and if you want the agent to devote significant portions of their time to you, there needs to be something in place that will protect their compensation for the time spent with you.Maybe after you complete a few transactions with a particular agent, there will be trust established and they will not require the written agreement.

Another important tip on VA loans is that if you are a disabled veteran (and receiving VA disability compensation) you may be exempt from paying the VA Loan funding fee which could save you thousands of dollars on a home purchase.Also, if you have a disability rating from the VA, be sure to check with your county tax assessor because you may be exempt from property taxes.