Every review here ends in one number out of 10, computed from a rubric you can read and check, plus a verdict in plain words. This page shows the math, and what the Class letter next to a building means.
Every review scores the same five dimensions. I score each one from 0 to 10 based on the evidence, and each dimension has a fixed share of the total that never changes from community to community. Multiply each score by its share, add the five together, round to one decimal. That's the rating. No black box, no vibes: the full worksheet, with my evidence note under every score, sits right under the number on every review page.
| Dimension | Share of the rating | What moves the score |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance and management | 25% | How fast things get fixed and how the office treats residents, from the review record and my own contact with the team |
| Location and walkability | 20% | What you can reach on foot, transit and drive times, Walk Score as a cross check |
| Noise and unit livability | 20% | Measured noise readings, highway and rail exposure, layout and light in the actual units |
| Value vs. the market | 20% | Net effective rent against the neighborhood, computed on a daily basis, specials included |
| Amenities and building | 15% | Whether the amenities work as advertised, building age and condition, security in shared spaces |
A worked example, straight from the Avenir review: 9.6×0.25 + 9.2×0.20 + 7.4×0.20 + 8.6×0.20 + 9.0×0.15 = 8.79, shown as 8.8. Open "How the 8.8 is calculated" on that page and you'll see the same equation with a note under each score saying why I gave it.
Next to the number you'll always find the verdict in plain words: what I'd tell you across a desk.
| Verdict | What I mean by it |
|---|---|
| Strong recommend | I'd send my own family here. The catches are small and I'll still name them. |
| Recommend | A great fit for most renters who want this area and budget. Know the catches, then go tour it. |
| Recommend, with caveats | A good building with real tradeoffs. If the catches don't apply to you, you'll be happy here. If they do, keep looking. |
| Right for some | Works for a specific renter: a certain budget, commute, or tolerance. I'll tell you exactly who. |
| Pass | Your money does better elsewhere at this price. I'll point you to the alternatives. |
Inside the rating worksheet you'll also find "What earns it" and "The catches." If a review ever names a strength without naming a catch, be suspicious. Every building has catches. Mine get printed.
Evidence. I read every resident review I can find on the major platforms (for Avenir that was 222 of them), I pull live pricing and public data (Austin PD, city permits, FEMA, EPA, measured noise readings), and I tour these buildings. Then I set each dimension score myself.
One rule I hold hard: resident reviews are evidence, never math. If maintenance praise shows up in review after review, that moves my maintenance score, and I say so in the note. What I will not do is take another platform's star average and convert it into my score. Their stars are their measurement. This score is mine, and I sign my name to it.
Who is "I"? Ross Quade, TX REALTOR®, license #679806 (verify it with the state), 500+ apartment tours across Austin.
"Class A / Class B / Class C" is how the whole apartment industry describes the physical tier of a building, and we use it the same way: it labels what you're renting, not whether you should. Ours runs the exact same 100-point formula for every community in our database, with zero editorial input, so "Class B+" means the same thing on every page and nobody can talk their way into a better letter. A B+ building with a great team beats an A+ building with a bad one. That's what the verdict is for.
| Input | Max points | How it's measured |
|---|---|---|
| Building age | 25 | Year built; newer scores higher |
| Building type | 10 | High rise, mid rise, garden, townhome |
| Rent tier | 25 | Median 1 bedroom rent for the comp set |
| Premium amenities | 25 | Count of amenities from a fixed list (pool, gym, coworking, and so on) |
| Recent remodel | 15 | Full or partial, and how recent |
90+ is A+, 80+ is A, 70+ is A-, 60+ is B+, and so on down the ladder. On the maps, the metals follow the tiers: gold for A, silver for B, bronze for C. The plus grades carry a metallic shine; the minus grades go flat and pale.
See it in action:
Read the Avenir review