The February edition of the ORA Power Rankings spotlights the top multifamily REITs for 2017 by online reputation. (We first featured public REITs in the ORA Power Rankings in 2015.)
In general, the online reputation of the public REITs has been fairly static since last year: The average ORA score of the top REITs increased from 65 in 2017 to 66 in 2018. The firms' scores rose 2%, trailing behind the national average growth of 4%, during the same period. The national average ORA score is 60.
For the second-consecutive year, AvalonBay Communities takes the No. 1 spot in the top REITs ranking. AVB’s ORA score jumped up a point, from 79 in 2017 to 80 this year.
MAA and Camden Property Trust also maintained their status quo. MAA is in second position, with an ORA of 76, having upped its score 4% from last year. Camden ranks third, with a score of 74. Camden increased its ORA 5% over last year.
Equity Residential (EQR) continues its upward swing in online reputation, registering the biggest growth among the ORA cohort for the past two years. The Chicago-based REIT raised its score 8%, from 57 in 2017 to 61 in 2018. EQR also moved up a notch in rankings this year. Close on its heels is Steadfast Cos., with a 7% increase in ORA, from 56 last year to 60 this year.
Monogram Residential Trust, which ranked No. 4 last year, was acquired by Greystar; hence, the company is not included in the 2018 top REITs ranking.
| Rank | Company | Last Year Rank | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | AvalonBay Communities | 1 | 80 | 79 | 77 | 1% |
| 2 | MAA | 2 | 76 | 73 | 71 | 4% |
| 3 | Camden Property Trust | 3 | 74 | 71 | 66 | 5% |
| 4 | Aimco | 2 | 72 | 73 | 71 | -1% |
| 5 | Equity Residential | 6 | 61 | 57 | 51 | 8% |
| 6 | UDR | 5 | 61 | 63 | 58 | -3% |
| 7 | Steadfast Cos. | 7 | 60 | 56 | 53 | 7% |
| 8 | Essex Property Trust | 7 | 55 | 56 | 54 | -2% |
| 9 | Monarch Investment & Management Group | 8 | 53 | 50 | 46 | 6% |
About the ORA Power Rankings
Developed by J Turner Research, the ORA Power Ranking is a monthly, independent ranking of apartment properties and management companies based on various parameters. A property or management company is not required to be a J Turner Research client to qualify for the ranking, which is published by J Turner’s media partner Multifamily Executive. To learn more, or to find your ORA™ score, visit www.jturnerresearch.com/about/what-is-ora-score.
Methodology
The ORA score is an aggregate compilation of a property’s ratings across various review sites. Each month, J Turner Research monitors the online ratings of more than 71,000 properties nationwide. Using a statistical model, a single score based on a scale of 0 to 100 is assigned to each property. This score serves as a benchmark to compare and contrast a company’s individual properties and portfolios nationally, regionally, and against the competition.
Questions? Please contact the J Turner Research team at [email protected].
