A mortgage broker and Movement Mortgage are built differently, so a fair comparison needs a method, not a verdict. This guide gives Virginia buyers and homeowners a repeatable, seven-step way to see how a mortgage broker compares to Movement Mortgage, ending with two real Loan Estimates and a choice you can defend with numbers. Before you start, have a rough credit range, the loan type you are leaning toward, and about 30 minutes. A soft credit pull mortgage check through Duane Buziak’s NoTouch Credit Pull lets you begin without a hard inquiry, so the first round of comparing costs your score nothing.
Step 1: Understand the Two Business Models Before You Compare
A mortgage broker does not fund loans. Duane Buziak is an independent broker who takes your file and shops it across hundreds of wholesale lenders, then places the loan with the one whose pricing and guidelines fit you. Movement Mortgage is a retail lender: it funds loans under its own name and offers its own product menu through its own loan officers. That is a structural difference, not a quality ranking. Both are legitimate ways to get a mortgage, and Movement is a real national option. For a deeper look at the structural tradeoffs, see our breakdown of mortgage broker vs. bank direct lending.
Compensation works differently too. A broker is paid through compensation that must be disclosed on your Loan Estimate. A retail lender recovers its costs through the rate, origination charges, and other fees that also appear on the Loan Estimate. The CFPB explains the rules in its loan originator compensation resource, and its Loan Estimate explainer shows where each cost lands on the form.
Correct one common misconception now: a broker is not automatically a middleman who adds cost. Neither model is automatically cheaper. Do not assume either way. The Loan Estimate is the only fair referee, which is why the later steps lean on it.
Movement’s strengths, as of 2026, generally include retail loan officers and, on many loans, servicing handled in-house. Details change, so confirm its current loan menu, servicing practices, and Virginia licensing on Movement’s own website rather than relying on a third party, including this article.
Step 2: Pick the Loan Program You Are Actually Comparing
Decide on the program first, because you can only compare like with like. A 30-year FHA quote from one company set against a conventional quote from another tells you nothing. Use these decision rules to narrow the field:
- VA: for eligible veterans and service members. Many lenders add credit overlays above the VA’s own rules, and Duane Buziak has VA options for scores as low as 500 FICO, subject to underwriting.
- FHA: for lower credit scores or smaller down payments.
- USDA: for eligible rural parts of Virginia, with property location and household income limits.
- Conventional: for stronger credit and 3% to 20% down, with mortgage insurance below 20%.
- Jumbo: for loans above the conforming limit. FHFA set the 2026 baseline at $832,750, and FHFA’s conforming loan limit tables list higher limits for high-cost counties. Check the Northern Virginia counties there, since their ceiling is well above the baseline.
- Refinance: rate-and-term or cash-out. Name which one, because the pricing differs.
Some situations depend on lender overlays: lower-credit VA files, down payment assistance, and Non-QM options such as bank statement or DSCR loans. This is where a broker’s wider menu matters, because a file one lender declines may fit another’s guidelines. Read more on our VA loan, FHA loan, and conventional loan pages, and see our guide to low down payment mortgage programs if cash to close is your constraint. Then write down your program, loan amount, and term. Every quote you request from here on uses those same three inputs.
Step 3: Get Quotes Without a Hard Inquiry (Dare to Compare)
Start with a mortgage pre approval without hard pull. Duane Buziak’s NoTouch Credit Pull works as a soft pull mortgage broker option: you see where you stand through a no credit hit mortgage application, with no score impact. That makes it a no hard inquiry mortgage pre approval you can use as your baseline before anyone pulls your credit formally.
The fear that shopping always damages your score is a myth. The CFPB notes that scoring models generally treat multiple mortgage inquiries in a short window as one, and the window varies by model, commonly somewhere between 14 and 45 days. Read the CFPB’s home-buying guidance and confirm the window with whichever lender pulls your credit. Treat the number as a range, not a promise.
Then ask Movement, and any other company you are considering, one direct question: Is your first quote based on a soft pull or a hard pull? Write the answer down. It belongs in your comparison table in the next step.
Finally, run Dare to Compare. Request quotes from both sides on the same day, with the same program, the same loan amount, and the same lock period. A quote with a 15-day lock set against one with a 45-day lock is not a fair test, because longer locks often cost more. Duane Buziak will also review any competing quote you bring, which keeps the comparison honest in both directions.
Step 4: Build a Side-by-Side Comparison Table
Copy the table below into a note or spreadsheet and fill in the last column from your own quotes. Movement entries are marked for verification because company details change; confirm each on Movement’s website as of 2026.
| Factor | Mortgage broker (Duane Buziak) | Movement Mortgage | What to ask or verify |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lender access | Hundreds of wholesale lenders | Funds loans under its own name; verify on Movement’s website as of 2026 | Can the file move if the first lender cannot approve it? |
| Loan programs | Conventional, FHA, VA, USDA, jumbo, refinance, Non-QM | Verify current menu on Movement’s website as of 2026 | Is your exact program offered, and with what overlays? |
| Credit pull method | NoTouch Credit Pull, a soft pull for the first look | Verify on Movement’s website as of 2026 | Is the first quote soft or hard? |
| Rate sourcing | Wholesale pricing from multiple lenders | Retail pricing from one lender | Is the rate tied to points or lender credits? |
| Fee disclosure | Broker compensation shown on the Loan Estimate | Costs shown on the Loan Estimate; verify structure as of 2026 | Compare Sections A, B, and C line by line |
| Local Virginia service | Statewide: Richmond, Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Hampton Roads, Fredericksburg | Verify Virginia licensing and local officers as of 2026 | Who is your contact in your county? |
| Servicing after closing | Servicing set by the funding lender, which can be sold or transferred | Verify whether it services its own loans as of 2026 | Who will you pay, and could servicing transfer? |
| Speed to close | Depends on lender chosen, appraisal, and file | Verify typical timelines as of 2026 | Get the target closing date in writing |
| Special programs | VA to 500 FICO, down payment assistance, Non-QM, 90% cash-out refinance, Homes for Heroes | Verify current programs as of 2026 | Do you qualify, and what are the minimum FICO and CLTV? |
The same retail-versus-broker framework applies if you also look at Rocket, NFM Lending, or Alcova. These companies generally operate as direct lenders with their own menus, so run each through the same table and verify each one’s current details. You can see how the same method plays out in our Virginia mortgage broker vs. Rocket Mortgage comparison. The goal is a filled-in grid, not a ranking.
Step 5: Run One Worked Dollar Example on Real Loan Estimates
The numbers below are illustrative, not current offers. Suppose a $400,000 Virginia purchase with 5% down ($20,000), leaving a $380,000 30-year loan. You receive two Loan Estimates:
- Quote A: 6.25%, with $2,000 in origination charges and $3,000 in Sections B and C, so $5,000 in total loan costs. Principal and interest: about $2,340 per month.
- Quote B: 6.125%, with the same $5,000 plus 0.6 points of discount ($2,280), so $7,280 in total loan costs. Principal and interest: about $2,309 per month.
Quote B saves about $30.74 per month. The break-even math: $2,280 in extra upfront cost divided by $30.74 in monthly savings is about 74 months, or just over six years. If you keep the loan seven years (84 months), you save about $2,582 and spent $2,280, a net gain near $302. If you sell or refinance in three years, Quote A wins. This is why total cost over the time you will keep the loan matters more than the headline rate.
On the real Loan Estimates, compare three things: the APR, which folds many costs into one percentage; Section A, the origination charges; and Sections B and C on page 2, the services you can and cannot shop for. Line them up item by item, since two companies may group the same cost differently. Our guide on how to reduce mortgage costs and fees shows which line items are most negotiable.
Also ask each company about no-out-of-pocket closing options. These usually work through a lender credit, which raises your rate, or a seller concession, which depends on the contract. Either one trades monthly cost or negotiating leverage for cash at closing, so run the break-even math on it too.
Step 6: Check Fit, Service, and Credentials
Verify every licence yourself on NMLS Consumer Access. Search Duane Buziak by NMLS #1110647, and run the same search on any loan officer you are considering, at Movement or anywhere else. Confirm an active licence in Virginia. You can read more about Duane Buziak’s awards and recognition on our site.
For reference, Duane Buziak’s record includes:
- Virginia Broker of the Year 2024 and 2025
- Scotsman Guide Top Originator 2025 (#114 nationally, $44.4M) and 2026 ($51.2M)
- UWM PRO ELITE 2025
- More than 1,400 five-star reviews, including 488 on Google, 975 on Experience.com, and 72 on Zillow
- Access to hundreds of wholesale lenders
Awards do not replace your own check, so also read recent reviews and ask the same service questions of everyone you interview. Our guide to the best mortgage broker in Virginia covers what else to look for.
- Local coverage: Does the company regularly close in Richmond, Northern Virginia, Charlottesville, Hampton Roads, and Fredericksburg? Ask what appraisal and closing timelines look like in your market, since they differ from Loudoun County to the Northern Neck.
- Point of contact: Who answers when you call at 6 p.m. the week before closing?
- Plan B: What happens if the first lender cannot approve your file? A broker can move the file to another wholesale lender. A retail lender has one set of guidelines, so ask what its options are if you fall outside them.
Step 7: Decide, Lock, and Start Your Pre-Approval
Score your finalists on four things, in this order: total cost over the years you expect to keep the loan, program fit, closing timeline, and confidence in the service. Use your Step 5 break-even numbers, not the lowest advertised rate.
Before you lock, get these three items in writing:
- The lock length, and whether it covers your closing date with a cushion.
- The float-down policy: whether you can capture a lower rate if the market improves, and what it costs.
- The lock extension cost, per day or as a percentage.
A retail lender like Movement may fit if you want one company to handle origination and servicing, you like working with a single loan officer on a straightforward file, and the Loan Estimate wins on cost. A broker’s access to hundreds of wholesale lenders matters more when your situation is unusual: lower credit, self-employed income, a rental or second property, or a program that many lenders overlay. Both are reasonable choices, so match the model to the file. If your file is unusual, see our guide to Non-QM mortgage loan options and our walkthrough on how to prepare for a mortgage application.
If you are ready to build your baseline, request a NoTouch Credit Pull with Virginia Mortgage Broker by Duane Buziak. It is a soft credit pull mortgage review, so you can see your options before any hard inquiry.
The Right Choice Is Whichever Loan Estimate Wins on Total Cost and Fit
Put your two Loan Estimates side by side and let the numbers and the service answers decide. If you want a no hard inquiry pre-approval to anchor the comparison, Duane Buziak offers one with no hard pull, so you can explore your options with no credit impact. As an independent broker with access to hundreds of wholesale lenders, he can shop your scenario across a wider market than one company’s shelf. Get your free mortgage review today.
