Hi,
Suppose it’s a case of not getting too far ahead, without receiving payment. Be wary, as you mentioned.

We were in the building industry for about 40 years, and the horror stories from some of the poor contractors were heartbreaking. Builders leading the contractors on, getting them to work, promising payment, then they’d file for bankruptcy, and the ones left holding the bag were the owners and contractors .

There are rotten people out there, but the good ones , do help make up for it.

Good luck.