Buying off-plan or completed: which suits your goal

It's the first question almost everyone asks when they start investing in property: do I buy off-plan, cheaper but waiting for construction, or do I pay more for something completed and get in right away? There's no single answer — there's an answer for your case. It comes down to two things: how much capital you have today and how long you can wait. Let's sort it out.

What each option means

Buying off-plan means acquiring a unit while the building is under construction (or before it starts). You buy at construction price and the unit is handed over when the development is finished, typically within 2 to 3 years.

Buying completed (or “brand-new with immediate delivery”) means acquiring a unit in a building that is already finished. You sign the deed and get the keys: you can move in or put it up for rent from the first month.

The advantages of off-plan

• Lower entry price: you buy below the value of an equivalent completed unit. It's the most accessible way in.
• Appreciation during construction: as the building progresses, the unit tends to be worth more. By handover it is generally worth more than you paid.
• Financing: most are bought with a down payment (usually 30–40% in dollars) and the rest in instalments during construction. You don't need the full amount upfront.

The cost of those advantages: you wait. You don't collect rent or use the unit until handover, and you take on construction risk (timelines, cost adjustments through CAC on the peso instalments).

The advantages of completed

• Zero wait: you collect rent or move in from the first month. Your capital starts working immediately.
• Zero construction risk: what you see is what you get. No timelines slipping, no surprises on progress.
• No CAC adjustments: with no construction instalments, you avoid the uncertainty of how that index evolves.

The cost: you pay more than for an equivalent off-plan unit, and you need a larger share of the capital at the time of purchase.

How to decide: two questions

It isn't about which is “better” in the abstract, but which is better for you. Answer these two:

• Do you need the capital to generate cash flow now, or can you wait two years? If you want income from the first month, completed. If you can wait and you prioritise entry price, off-plan.
• How much do you have today? If you have part of the capital and want to finance the rest, off-plan allows it. If you have the full amount and don't want construction risk, completed.

In a portfolio, besides, they aren't mutually exclusive: many investors combine a completed unit (earning from day one) with an off-plan one (building value for the future).

Two concrete cases in the city

If your profile is completed / immediate delivery: MOOD Amenábar, in Colegiales, is an already finished building. You sign the deed and move in, with no construction timelines or CAC adjustments. Brand-new studios and one-bedrooms, with a rooftop and grill.

If your profile is off-plan with financing: there are Rosbaco & Partners developments in Belgrano, Palermo, Villa Urquiza and Núñez, with a dollar down payment and peso instalments during construction.

Not sure which one fits your case? Get in touch and we'll help you work it out with concrete numbers.

Marketed by BIEF Realtors · Public Auctioneer & Real Estate Broker: Ulises Solanas · CUCICBA CPI 8351.