Who pays my real estate agent?
Normally the seller, out of the commission set in their listing agreement, which is then shared with your agent. If a listing offers less than your representation agreement specifies, you can be responsible for the difference.
The seller agrees a total commission with their brokerage and the listing publishes what portion is offered to a cooperating brokerage. Your agent is paid from that.
That is why the number in your buyer representation agreement matters. If it specifies a percentage and the listing offers less, the agreement typically obliges you to pay the shortfall in cash on closing. Read that clause and ask directly what happens on a reduced-commission or a private listing.
It is also worth being honest about the incentive: the commission is a percentage of price, so your agent earns slightly more when you pay more. It is a small effect, and a good agent ignores it, but you should know it is there when you are being told to go higher.
Next questions
What am I signing in a buyer representation agreement?
An exclusive contract making that agent your representative for a set term and geographic area, with a holdover period afterwards during which you may still owe commission on properties they showed you.
Ontario
What should I ask before hiring a buyer's agent?
Ask how many buyers they closed in your target area and price band in the last year, how they price a property, whether they will ever represent both sides, and what the shortest term they will accept is.
Market practice