What is the cost, and what does it cover?

At the end of the day; you need more money to do something like this.MAX LTV on new builds is 80% LTC, Meaning if the build is $550,000 and Land is XAdd ($550,000 + x ) * .8 = LOAN AMOUNTYou would need to come in with MINIMUM 20% of the cost in addition to closing costs and reserves, $80,000 is not going to cut it for this project.

It’s a cost, but it saves time and headaches.5.

I made a few thousand less than expected but I figure that's just the cost of doing business sometimes.Based on my experience I wouldn't let the remote possibility that a homeowner might go into greed mode dissuade you from doing these deals.

That's not the same as paying cash.According to a different post, your credit card debt costs you $600/month.

The best place to start is with a spreadsheet that has every every cost itemized. 

My money market funds are dedicated to go towards a down payment, closing costs, etc.

(Lower interest rate, easier to qualify and lower costs.)

A guy tries to buy a pizza in NYC and it ends up taking 5 hours, costs him something like $75, and there's like $15 in fees.Can this be fixed?

If any costs go up, developer eats it.