In no other subject I've received more categorical advice from fellow artists. Some favor payment beforehand, payment for every sketch previous to the final piece, a staged plan, etc... I am lucky that I do not make my living from art just yet so I am very loose when it comes to commitment, basically, "you don't like it, you don't have to buy it " is my rule. And "liking" it is impossible to predict , unlike, say, plumbing. Naturally, if it was a hefty commission as far as the work involved I might have to add some safeguards. Most importantly, the client must have seen something in your style that he/she likes.
I painted this view of a Baltimore street using Google Earth. The client asked for the addition of certain details like the specific cars seen here. It is not the first piece of art I see using Google by the way.
This other piece was painted on location, the house of the client. He liked the view of downtown Los Angeles from the porch, and it was quite a view. He only asked for some minor adjustment to the sky color after he saw the final piece.