I am in the process of negotiating, and this guy wants an earnest deposit of 1k, which I do not have.  

If a client gave you a deposit and signed an approved bid, only to cancel over the weekend before your crew starts work Monday...

I don't want her to lose the escrow deposit I will be making with my offer simply because she can't get financing and the agreement is clearly not contingent.Anyone on here have experience with this type of situation?

Yes, I price match my groceries (using apps that do the leg work for me)...but why more people aren't economical about their personal lives is beyond me.

Definitely not pics that could be matched to the line items that they told me they were fixing, but enough to show that some work has definitely been done.

Just treat them like tenants after you close, keep some of the money in escrow/as a security deposit, etc. 

Discover offers rewards, Citi has a flexible auto pay and has a very accessible phone app while Capital One allow payments on your deposit.

Everything else was mostly a cosmetic fix.We discussed ways of collecting rent -  Social Security paychecks for rent are nice because there are no inspections involved and the check will be deposited directly to you each month it is due.  

I did let him know that I preferred the entire deposit up front.

Here are the terms : Transaction Details: Buyer will not be charged a Buyer's Premium for this propertyIf you are the Winning Bidder, an Earnest Money Deposit of 5% of the total purchase price or $2,500 (whichever is greater) is required.Buyer may receive a Special Warranty Deed or equivalent if Buyer is able to purchase title insurance without delaying the closing (title fees typically cost between $500 and $1500 and are based on the purchase price of the property).