With my w2 job, the agreement we sign to work outside the office specifies that we will work at a designated specific approved location (our home).

I assumed once I signed the contract, I owned the property, just land at that point, and have a contract to build the quad.As for if they run out of cash at 80%, I could close the gap if absolutely needed but obviously that isn't the goal.The builder owns the entire development, minus the handful that have/being built, so they have a vested interest in this working, they want to do it a couple of hundred times at least.

You gain experience for the next one.Fear’s just a sign you’re growing.

They are no longer your connection once you sign up.   

Just contact a collections agency and send them proof of the debt owed (could be the signed lease agreement or a judgement if you have one).

But I expect you'd do better re-signing up for internet to get a cheaper rate or something else to reduce your real costs instead of playing with payment timing.

When you sign the contract, let them know that you are trying it for 1 year and read the contract to see how much notice you need to give if after 1 year you want to manage it again.

One thing that we were not prepared for was the new lender required that our tenants have a signed lease agreement before we could move forward with the new house.

Sign up for their card and save another 10% or something. 

What are you doing if they want to sign?