# Apartment Renderings vs the Real Unit at New Austin Builds > Renderings, model units, and your actual unit differ on view, floor, and finish. What to ask for, and how a live video walk helps. URL: https://newapartmentsaustin.com/guides/renderings-vs-real-unit/ Last-Modified: 2026-10-25 Guide · New Build Board # Renderings vs. the Real Unit: What a New-Build Listing Doesn't Show Renderings, model units, and your actual unit differ on view, floor, and finish. What to ask for before you sign, and how a live video walk helps. Written by New Austin Apartment Team [/about/#new-austin-apartment-team →](/about/#new-austin-apartment-team) · Reviewed by the team, Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC · Updated October 25, 2026 · 5 min read - Free to you, and your rent is the same either way - 144 new communities tracked (as of Oct 25, 2026) - Prices pulled every morning ![Real new apartment living room with floor-to-ceiling glass and oak floors](/images/featured/real-new-apartment-living-room-with-floor-to-ceili.webp) - Licensed Texas brokerage Spirit Real Estate Group, LLC, TREC #562021 - Free to renters Communities pay the brokerage. Your rent is the same either way. - Prices pulled every morning Every card shows the date and time it was pulled - Score can't be bought Commission rates never affect score, sort, placement, or picks ## What’s the difference between a rendering, a model, and your unit? A rendering is a computer image made before or during construction. A model unit is a finished, staged apartment the leasing office shows everyone. Your actual unit is the specific apartment, on a specific floor, facing a specific direction, that your lease names. On the New Build Board [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) we label every rendering as a rendering, because the three can differ in ways that matter to you every day. ![Labeled rendering beside a real photo of the same view](/images/content/side-by-side-layout-of-a-labeled-architectural-ren.webp) ## Where renderings and real units differ | Feature | Rendering or model | Your actual unit | | --- | --- | --- | | View | Ideal angle, often from a top floor | What’s outside your window, which may be a garage or a future phase | | Floor height | Often shown from upper floors | Your floor, with its own light and noise | | Orientation | Soft, even light | West-facing glass gets afternoon sun and heat | | Finish package | Sometimes the upgraded package | Standard or upgraded, per your floor plan’s tier | | Furniture | Scaled to make rooms look larger | Your furniture in the real dimensions | | Surroundings | Landscaping mature, phases complete | Young trees, construction possibly next door | None of this means a listing is dishonest. Renderings are made before buildings exist. But you’re leasing the real unit, so that’s what you should see. > **What it means for you** > > Two units with the same floor plan and rent can feel very different. The view, the floor, and the direction the windows face often matter more than the finish package. ## What to ask for before you sign 1. **The actual unit number.** Not “a unit like this one.” 2. **The floor plan with dimensions**, so you can check your furniture. 3. **Photos or video of that unit**, including the view from each window. 4. **The finish package** for that unit: flooring, counters, appliances. 5. **What’s being built next door**, and the construction noise hours. 6. **Which direction the windows face**, especially in summer. ## How a live video walk helps If you can’t tour in person, a live video walk is the next best thing. Unlike a recorded tour of the model, it’s the unit you’d lease, in real time, and you can ask to see what matters to you: - Open closets and appliances - Look out every window - Check water pressure and how fast hot water arrives - Listen for hallway, elevator, or street noise We run live video walks for renters relocating from out of town, and the steps for signing remotely are in our guide on leasing sight unseen [/guides/lease-apartment-sight-unseen/ →](/guides/lease-apartment-sight-unseen/) . ## Pre-leasing: when there’s no unit yet In pre-leasing, you may sign before your unit is finished. In that case: - Ask for the floor plan, the unit’s location on the site plan, and the finish package in writing. - Ask what happens if the unit doesn’t match, or if a different unit is offered. - If a hard-hat tour is available, take it. Our guide on how pre-leasing works [/guides/how-pre-leasing-works/ →](/guides/how-pre-leasing-works/) covers holding deposits and delays. ## How we handle images On our board, renderings are labeled. Community photos appear only with permission and credit. Illustrative photos are marked as illustrative. When we send a shortlist, we tell you which images show the actual unit and which don’t, so you can compare new apartment buildings [/guides/compare-new-apartment-buildings/ →](/guides/compare-new-apartment-buildings/) on what’s real. If you’d like to see the real unit before you decide, book a live video walk [/contact/ →](/contact/) and we’ll schedule it once the community confirms the unit is ready to show. Learn more about New Build Board Every ground-up building in the five-county metro on one map and one set of cards, each priced on net effective, required fees, and year two. Open New Build Board [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) Why it goes wrong ## Why headline rent is the wrong number to compare Problem 1 ### Specials don't compare The board median was 10.8 weeks free on Oct 25, 2026. On a 12-month lease that's about 21% off base, spread across the year, not a discount you see every month. Problem 2 ### Fees sit outside the rent Required fees ran $78-$228 a month at 12 market-rate board buildings, median $120.50 (Oct 25, 2026). That's $1,446 a year the headline rent doesn't show. Problem 3 ### Year two resets to base Renewals price from base rent. At the median special, year two jumps about 26% at the same base, before any increase. So we show net effective, true monthly, and year two on every card, with the date we confirmed it. Straight answers ## Questions about this topic Direct answer first, then the source and date. If your question isn't here, ask us on the form or by text. ### Is the model unit the one I'll get? Usually not. The model is a staged example, often on a better floor with upgraded furniture and lighting. Ask for your actual unit number and a walk of that unit. ### Do you label renderings on your board? Yes. Every rendering is labeled as a rendering, and community photos appear only with permission and credit. ### What should I ask for if I can't visit? The unit number, the floor plan with dimensions, photos of the actual unit, and a live video walk that shows the view, closets, and appliances. ### Can you guarantee a price or approval? No. We confirm both before you sign, and the community sets them. Keep reading ## More guides on this topic ![Phone on a tripod filming a walkthrough of a sunlit new apartment living room](/images/featured/phone-on-a-tripod-filming-a-walkthrough-of-a-sunli.webp) ### Leasing a New Apartment Remotely: Video Walks and Sight-Unseen Leases Live video walk of the actual unit, a written fee sheet, e-signing addenda, and scam checks for leasing a new Austin apartment from out of town. [Leasing a New Apartment Remotely: Video Walks and Sight-Unseen Leases →](/guides/lease-apartment-sight-unseen/) ![Aerial view of new apartment buildings along a Central Texas highway corridor](/images/featured/aerial-view-of-new-apartment-buildings-along-a-cen.webp) ### Where New-Build Vacancy Is Highest in the Austin Metro Far North 25.0%, San Marcos 19.9%, Northeast 17.0%, Southeast 16.2% (Matthews Q2 2026). What vacancy means for room to ask on a new apartment. [Where New-Build Vacancy Is Highest in the Austin Metro →](/guides/austin-new-build-vacancy-by-submarket/) The 60-second form ## Tell us what you need. We make the calls. You don't have time to call 20 leasing offices. We do, and confirm the unit, the special, and the written fee sheet the same day during hours. 1. 1 Same day We call or text during hours with a shortlist plan. 2. 2 In writing Unit, special, end date, and fee sheet confirmed before you tour. 3. 3 Year two shown Every pick shows year two at 0% and +3%, plus a 24-month total. Prefer to talk? Call or text 512-000-000 [tel:+1512000000 →](tel:+1512000000) , Mon-Fri 8 AM-8 PM · Sat 9 AM-6 PM · Sun 12-5 PM. Free, same day during hours ## Get my shortlist Step 1 of 3 ### Thanks, we have your details. We'll call or text the same day during hours with your shortlist plan. Related pages ## Related board views Board view ### New Build Board Every in-scope community on one map, with base rent, the special, net effective, true monthly, and year two pulled every morning. Open New Build Board→ [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) Board view ### Specials Specials confirmed within the last 7 days, each decoded to net effective and year two, with base rent shown beside every discount. Open Specials→ [/apartment-specials/ →](/apartment-specials/) Board view ### Lease-Ups Buildings already open and filling, sorted by stage and fill estimate, with what's finished and what the special does to your monthly cost. Open Lease-Ups→ [/lease-up-apartments/ →](/lease-up-apartments/) ![](/images/misc/dusk-view-of-new-limestone-and-glass-apartment-tow.webp) Free to you, and your rent is the same either way ## You don't have time to call 20 leasing offices. We do. Send us your move date and all-in budget. We confirm the unit, the special, and the written fee sheet the same day during hours, then show you year two before you tour. Get my shortlist → [/contact/ →](/contact/) See the New Build Board [/new-construction-apartments/ →](/new-construction-apartments/) Call or text 512-000-000 [tel:+1512000000 →](tel:+1512000000) We don't guarantee pricing or approval. The community sets both, and we confirm them before you sign.