Short answer: price an off-plan project between two limits: a floor, the price at which the project earns your required profit, and a ceiling, what buyers pay for comparable product. Then design the payment plan so buyer installments help fund construction while still leaving the buyer a realistic way to pay the balance at handover. In Punta Cana the most visible structure is 10% at signing, 30% during construction and 60% at delivery, but it is a starting point, not a standard, and the 60% balance sits at or above what many banks lend to non-resident buyers.
Want to talk about your project? Message us on WhatsApp.
What are the price floor and ceiling?
The floor comes from your feasibility study. If the revenue needed to cover costs and your target profit cannot be reached at the price per square meter you hoped for, the project is not ready to launch. That is why pricing starts before you buy the land (see our feasibility guide).
The ceiling is set by competing supply. There is no official house price index and no MLS-style closing database for Punta Cana, so what exists is asking-price data. The largest sample with a published method is CLIC’s, with a cutoff of 23 June 2026: median US$2,278/m² in Punta Cana–Bávaro (12,854 apartments) and US$3,465/m² in Cap Cana (1,294), which the source labels asking prices, not closing prices (CLIC, July 2026).
| Data point | Source and date | Limit |
|---|---|---|
| New-build US$2,600 to 3,100/m² versus resale US$2,000 to 2,500/m² (new builds 10% to 25% above comparable resale) | LatinVestor, data as of June 2026 | Investment portal; asking prices |
| Pre-construction units sell roughly 20% to 30% below completed property | Dominican Lifestyle Realty, April 2026 | Agency guide; does not define the comparison base |
| 4 to 6 months of inventory for well-located finished resale; 8 to 12 months for generic new-build condos; 15% to 25% of listings need a cut, incentive or negotiation room | LatinVestor, data as of June 2026 | Author’s estimate, not an official count |
These look contradictory (new builds above resale, yet off-plan below finished) but measure different things. Completed new product trades at a premium over resale; a unit on paper is discounted against the finished product for the waiting time and delivery risk. For pricing, the lesson is that the off-plan discount compensates buyers for time and risk, and you earn the right to hold price by reducing that risk (a real trust, permits in hand, verifiable construction progress), not by advertising volume.
How do you get from floor and ceiling to an actual price?
- Compute the floor per unit and per m²: required revenue divided by saleable area.
- Build a real comp set: five to ten off-plan projects in the same zone, type and delivery window, with price per m², payment plan, amenities and sales pace. Calling sales rooms is part of the job.
- Adjust for visible differentiators: location, view, unit size, finishes, legal structure, operator or brand, and tax benefits in force.
- Choose phased pricing rather than one price for the whole project.
Why phase prices?
Because uncertainty falls as you progress. A common off-plan approach is to open early units below the target average, step the price up by tranche as sales and construction advance, and hold premium units for last. This is general sales practice, not a Dominican rule.
Hypothetical example (own calculation): 60 units averaging 65 m² saleable (3,900 m²), target average US$2,600/m².
| Phase | Units | Saleable m² | Price/m² | Sales (US$) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Launch | 20 | 1,300 | 2,500 | 3,250,000 |
| 2. Mid-construction | 20 | 1,300 | 2,600 | 3,380,000 |
| 3. Final | 20 | 1,300 | 2,700 | 3,510,000 |
| Total | 60 | 3,900 | 2,600 average | 10,140,000 |
Early buyers get a clear incentive (about 4% below the average) and you capture value as the building rises. The risk: if phase 1 sells slower than modeled, the ladder breaks. Decide in advance what you do then, for instance holding phase 2 at the phase 1 price instead of raising it.
How should the payment plan work?
A payment plan has two customers: the project’s cash flow and the buyer. Design for both.
What does the common Punta Cana plan look like?
The 10/30/60 shows up repeatedly in listings of under-construction projects:
- An AlterEstate listing of Punta Cana apartments (one-bedroom from US$82,750): US$2,000 reservation, 10% at contract signing, 30% during construction, 60% on delivery (AlterEstate, Save Real Estate).
- Another listing (Model 2, 52 m², from US$106,000): US$1,000 reservation, 10% down within 30 days, 30% during construction, 60% on delivery (AlterEstate, GAR Properties).
Two cautions. These are intermediary ads, not contracts, and their prices and delivery dates are internally inconsistent, a reminder that any portal number needs confirmation from the sales room. They show the structure exists; they do not make it the market standard. Other structures, with larger down payments, monthly installments or construction milestones, are also used.
How do you compare plans?
Hypothetical 65 m² unit in phase 1 at US$2,500/m² (US$162,500):
| Plan | Reservation and signing | During construction | At delivery | Collected before delivery |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A: 10/30/60 | 10% = US$16,250 | 30% = US$48,750 | 60% = US$97,500 | US$65,000 (40%) |
| B: 20/30/50 | 20% = US$32,500 | 30% = US$48,750 | 50% = US$81,250 | US$81,250 (50%) |
B brings in more cash before delivery and lowers the balance the buyer must finance. It also asks more of the buyer upfront, and its effect on sales speed has to be tested. No plan is optimal without knowing your buyer.
How does the plan interact with buyer financing?
This is the point most often missed. Under plan A the buyer needs 60% of the price at handover. A CLIC guide dated 1 July 2026 says banks typically finance 50% to 70% of value for non-residents, some only 50% to 60% for pure non-residents, at roughly 9% to 13.5% (CLIC). A 60% balance is therefore at the edge of, or above, what many banks would lend a foreign buyer; a 50% or 40% balance is easier to finance. That is our inference from those ranges, not a specific bank’s policy.
Rates also moved: the Central Bank raised its policy rate to 5.50% on 30 September 2026 (Diario Libre). If your buyer’s closing depends on a loan, part of your commercial risk is that loan’s risk.
What do buyers now demand?
Protection for their payments. A CLIC buyer guide (August 2026) advises asking for the trustee’s name and confirming directly that the project and the unit are included; requiring delivery dates with penalties, not just “estimated” ones; knowing what happens to payments if the project is delayed or canceled; and a payment schedule tied to verifiable progress (CLIC). An agency guide suggests buyers not put down more than 30% until they see vertical construction (Dominican Lifestyle Realty).
A March 2025 opinion column in Acento describes buyers who paid 50% to 60% with no trust approved (Acento). It is one lawyer’s opinion, but it shows the objection a sophisticated buyer will raise. A plan where payment milestones match construction milestones and money sits with a trustee is not just safer; it sells better.
Which costs and 2026 tax changes should the pitch reflect?
- Buyer closing costs: a Century 21 Perdomo guide (28 August 2026) estimates 4.5% to 5.5% of price on a standard purchase (3% transfer tax, 1% to 1.5% legal fees, about 0.5% registry) and 1.5% to 2.5% with a valid CONFOTUR exemption (Century 21 Perdomo). If your project has CONFOTUR, document it with the resolution; it is a selling point.
- Law 30-26: 10% capital-gains tax for individuals with the base awaiting regulation, and the 2% mortgage-related tax stepping down (2% in 2026, 1% in 2027, 0% from 2028) (inmobiliario.do, 24 June 2026). If your pitch says “sell at handover,” the buyer’s math changed. Do not present a net figure that nobody yet knows how to calculate, and do not promise returns.
How do you review the price after launch?
Set three indicators and the response to each before you open sales:
| Indicator | Signal | Possible response |
|---|---|---|
| Reservations per week in the first 6 to 8 weeks | Well below the model | Check product and comps before cutting price; adjust the plan or launch offer |
| Reservations that fail to sign | High | Review the down payment and the closing process |
| Visit-to-reservation conversion | Low with qualified traffic | A product, price or trust problem |
When sales are slow, touch what does not destroy perceived value first: payment plan, time-limited incentives, clearer communication of the legal structure. Open list-price cuts are hard to reverse and hurt those who already bought.
Pre-launch checklist
- [ ] Price floor computed from the feasibility study, with target profit.
- [ ] Comp set of at least five projects, with sales-room calls.
- [ ] Phased pricing and the rules for changing phases.
- [ ] Two or three payment plans tested against project cash flow.
- [ ] Check on the share buyers must finance at delivery.
- [ ] Trust or fiduciary account defined and shown in sales materials.
- [ ] Permits and, if relevant, the CONFOTUR resolution ready to show.
- [ ] Buyer exit math net of Law 30-26, with no return promises.
- [ ] Tracking indicators and pre-agreed responses.
FAQ
How large should the reservation be? There is no standard. The two listings we reviewed show US$1,000 and US$2,000. Set it to filter casual interest without scaring serious buyers, and state whether it counts toward the down payment.
Is 10/30/60 required? No. It is the structure visible in several Punta Cana listings, but the right plan depends on your cash flow and your buyer.
Should I offer off-plan discounts? Prefer a clear launch incentive limited by time or units over open-ended discounts. Off-plan pricing already embeds a risk premium for the buyer.
Can I raise prices during construction? Phased increases are common, but state the logic from the start and tie increases to real milestones such as permits and progress, not just the calendar.
What if competitors are far cheaper? Check comparability: location, size, delivery, legal structure. A price far below the comps is also a signal sophisticated buyers read as risk.
Need help?
Netix works with developers on project sales. Its page on marketing, advertising and sales for real estate projects lists market study, commercial structure with KPI tracking and qualified lead generation, among other services.
For information only; not legal, tax or financial advice. Numerical examples are hypothetical and our own calculation; portal prices are asking prices. Figures as of 13 October 2026.
Do you have a project or an investment in the Dominican Republic?
Message us on WhatsApp and tell us about your case. We reply the same business day.