How we do the math
Every number on our board comes from a formula on this page. If you can follow the worked example below, you can check any building we send you.
- Free to you, and your rent is the same either way
- 73 new communities tracked (board, Oct 25, 2026)
- Prices pulled every morning
- Spirit Real Estate Group, TREC #562021
- Ground-up new construction only, first move-ins 2024–2027
- No paid placement. Commission never affects score or sort.
- Equal Housing Opportunity
The formulas
The same six formulas apply to every building, every area, and every guide on the site.
Weeks free in dollars
N weeks free = base × 12 ÷ 52 × N
Turns a monthly rent into a weekly rent, then multiplies by the weeks.
Net effective
Net effective = (base × months − free rent) ÷ months
The average monthly rent after the special, across the whole lease.
True monthly
True monthly = net effective + required fees + utilities + parking
The number we compare buildings on.
Year two
Year two = base × (1 + change) + fees, shown at 0% and +3%
Renewals price from base rent, not the discounted year.
Renewal jump
Jump = 1 ÷ (1 − weeks ÷ 52) − 1
At 8 weeks free on 12 months, about +18% at the same base.
24-month total
Move-in cash + year one + fees + tolls and parking + year two
How we rank a shortlist. Includes a payback warning for concession repayment.
Worked example
Domain Benbrook, Benbrook, as of Oct 25, 2026: $1,320 base, 6 weeks free on 12 months, and $106 in required fees from the Greystar calculator.
Step by step: $1,320 × 12 ÷ 52 × 6 = $1,827.69 in free rent. ($15,840 − $1,827.69) ÷ 12 = $1,167.69 net effective. Add $106 in fees for $1,273.69 true monthly. Year two at the same base is $1,320 + $106 = $1,426, a $152 jump (+12%). At +3%, it's $1,359.60 + $106 = $1,465.60 (+15%).
The address setup is part of the example too: Oncor (you pick a plan), Benbrook Water Authority, Fort Worth ISD, and a geocoded point in FEMA Zone AE, stated as a fact. We'd ask for the §92.0135 flood notice. The minimum term is still being confirmed.
The Fort Worth New Build Score
A 0 to 100 score that ranks buildings on the deal and the risk, using six weighted factors.
It never uses location, schools, reviews, or people. It never uses commission data. Nobody pays for placement, and commission never affects the score, sort, or alerts.
| Factor | Weight | What it measures |
|---|---|---|
| Deal depth | 30 | How much the special lowers year one, per month. |
| Price vs. nearby | 20 | True monthly against similar new buildings in the area. |
| Year-two risk | 15 | How far year two rises from year one. |
| Stage | 15 | Pre-leasing, lease-up, or stabilized, and what that means for you. |
| Fee disclosure | 10 | Whether the fee sheet is complete and published. |
| Build complete | 10 | Which amenities and phases are finished. |
| Total | 100 | Location, schools, reviews, people, and commission: never used |
Pulled every morning
Prices come in from each building's published pricing each morning. A pulled price carries its pull time. Stale prices hide.
Confirmed with the office
For a shortlist, we confirm the unit, special, end date, and fee sheet with the leasing office. Specials must be confirmed within 7 days to show. Expired or unconfirmed specials don't show.
Read our numbers
One entry for each live value on the site: what it means and where it comes from. When a live value is missing, it reads "We're confirming this price."
| Value | Token | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Base rent | feed.base_rent | The rate printed in the lease before any special, for the unit or floor plan shown. |
| Special | feed.special_text | The current special as the community words it, with its term and end date. |
| Net effective | feed.net_effective | Our calculation from base, special, and term, using the formula above. |
| True monthly | feed.true_monthly | Net effective plus every required fee on the fee sheet, plus utilities and parking where known. |
| Year two | feed.year_two | Base plus fees at the same base, with the +3% version beside it. |
| Pulled / Confirmed | feed.pulled_at | When the price came from the morning pull, and when we last confirmed it with the office. |
| Area "from" | area.from_net_effective | The lowest studio or 1BR net effective among market-rate buildings in the area. Restricted and 55+ never count. |
| Typical special | area.median_weeks | The median special, in weeks, among market-rate buildings in the area. |
| Communities tracked | board.count | Ground-up communities with first move-ins 2024 to 2027 on the board today. |
| Board median special | board.median_weeks | The median special across all market-rate communities on the board. |
| Renewal jump at the median | board.renewal_jump_at_median | The year-two jump at the board median, at the same base. |
Found an error? Community corrections are made within one business day and logged on our corrections log.
Why we publish the method
Specials use different units
Weeks free, months free, and look-and-lease offers only compare once they are monthly numbers.
Fees hide outside the rent
Required fees ran $36 to $199 a month at 12 board buildings on Oct 25, 2026.
Year two is left out
Renewals price from base, so year two can rise about 18% after 8 weeks free.
So we publish every formula and show our work, so you can check any number we send.
Questions about the method
Where do your prices come from?
A morning pull from each building's published pricing, then a confirmation call or email for anything that goes on a shortlist. Each price is labeled pulled or confirmed, with a date.
What happens when a price is missing?
The cell says "We're confirming this price." We never fill a gap with a guess or an old number.
Does commission affect the score?
No. Commission rates never affect the score, sort order, placement, recommendations, or alerts, and that rule is enforced in our code.
What if a number on the site is wrong?
Tell us. Community corrections are made within one business day and logged with the date on our corrections log.
Why do you show year two at +3%?
Because base rents can rise at renewal. The +3% line shows what year two looks like if they do, beside the version where the base holds.
Do you guarantee the price or my approval?
No. The community sets both pricing and approval, and we confirm them in writing before you sign.
Read before you tour
All guides
How a Weeks-Free Special Works Out Per Month
N weeks free equals base × 12 ÷ 52 × N. Here's the math on a dated example: $1,320 base with 6 weeks free on 12 months is about $1,168 a month (Oct 25, 2026).
How to Compare New Buildings Side by Side on 24-Month Cost
Rank your shortlist by what you'd actually pay over two years: move-in cash, year one after the special, required fees, tolls, parking, and year two at 0% and +3%.
Free to you · Your rent is the same either way
Get the whole price before you tour
Tell us your move date, budget, and where you need to be. We'll make the calls, collect the fee sheets, and do the math for every building that fits.
What happens next: We'll text you within minutes during our hours, then send a same-day shortlist.
We don't guarantee pricing or approval. The community sets both, and we confirm them before you sign.