An amount paid in advance by the purchaser to the developer or to the notary, at the signing of the preliminary contract or before the signing of the deed of sale, which shall be deducted from the sale’s price. Notwithstanding any agreement to the contrary, any deposit paid to a builder or a developer toward the purchase of a fraction of an immovable under divided co-ownership must be fully protected by one or more of the following means: a guarantee plan, insurance, a suretyship or a deposit in a trust account of a member of a professional order according to the terms and conditions determined by government regulation.