Broker claims of 'special deals' in Noida are just a myth

My kids moved out two years ago, and now my wife and I are finally selling our big house. We're looking for a smaller 2BHK in Noida, something manageable, maybe Sector 88. Honestly, it's been quite an eye-opener. I've spoken to so many brokers about projects like Capital Infratechomes. Each one has a different story about prices, 'special deals', or 'last unit discounts'. One guy even said direct builder won't give you the best price, only *they* can, because of their 'connections'. It's confusing. Are these brokers really getting better deals, or are they just adding a layer of commission I don't need? How do you guys figure out the real ground price? Should we just go directly to the builder and try to negotiate ourselves? We want to avoid any hidden costs later, especially since we're using funds from our old property's resale.