# Off-plan: buying before it is built

> Off-plan means buying before completion with milestone payments. The discount, the delivery risk, and the contract terms that matter.

Source: https://canakeys.com/glossary/off-plan
Publisher: Cana Keys (A&M Caribbean Group SRL), Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Last reviewed: 2026-08-27
Language: en
Licence: quote and cite with attribution and a link.

Off-plan means buying from a developer before the unit is finished, usually with a reservation, a down payment and milestone instalments through construction, with the balance due at delivery. You get a lower entry price and payment spread over time. You take construction, delivery and specification risk, and your individual title is issued only after the building is registered.

## Why a Punta Cana buyer should care
A large share of the corridor's new supply — Vista Cana, Cana Bay, inland Bávaro, parts of Cap Cana — sells off-plan. Discounts are real, and so are delayed deliveries. The contract is where the protection lives: permits in place, a defined delivery date, a late-delivery penalty, escrow or trust for payments, and a specification annex so the finished unit is the one you bought.

## Common mix-up
"Pre-construction price" is not the same as guaranteed appreciation, and a rendering is not a specification. Buyers also assume a payment plan is a mortgage; it is not — it is unsecured exposure to the developer until title transfers.

## FAQ

### Is off-plan cheaper than resale?
Answer: Usually at entry, yes. Compare on delivered cost including furniture, HOA start-up and the months of no rental income before handover.
Permalink: https://canakeys.com/glossary/off-plan#is-off-plan-cheaper-than-resale

### What if the developer does not deliver?
Answer: Your remedy is whatever the contract and escrow arrangement give you. That is the reason to negotiate them before signing.
Permalink: https://canakeys.com/glossary/off-plan#what-if-the-developer-does-not-deliver

## Related

- [Guide: buying off-plan](https://canakeys.com/guides/off-plan)
- [Off-plan red flags](https://canakeys.com/diligence/off-plan-red-flags)
- [Resale vs off-plan](https://canakeys.com/resale-vs-off-plan)