The $1,074 median tells you the aggregate. The neighborhood table tells you what you're actually competing in. For the decision framework on where to buy given your budget, the guide to Brooklyn neighborhoods by budget breaks it down specifically.

Brooklyn's 13.4% year-over-year PPSF gain sounds dramatic. The mechanism is more nuanced: Q1 2026 saw a higher concentration of premium transactions relative to Q1 2025. When the mix skews toward premium, the median rises even if no individual property appreciated 13.4%.

What has genuinely appreciated across the board: well-located, move-in-ready condos in neighborhoods with strong school access and transit. What has not: renovation projects, co-ops in buildings with pending assessments, and listings in neighborhoods where inventory is building.

The distinction matters for sellers pricing their specific home. The borough average is a reference point, not a comparable. For buyers evaluating whether Brooklyn's price level is justified, the Brooklyn–Manhattan price gap analysis gives the comparison context that matters most.

The Interborough Express — a planned light rail connecting Bay Ridge through Brooklyn and Queens — has become a specific demand driver for Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn. Buyers in these neighborhoods are pricing in infrastructure appreciation before a single track has been laid.

For buyers specifically evaluating Fort Greene as an IBX play: the appreciation potential is real, but the timeline is uncertain. These neighborhoods are compelling on their own merits — walkability, cultural density, Downtown Brooklyn amenities — and the rail line is a potential bonus, not the primary rationale. The open house observations from spring 2026 capture how buyers are responding to IBX corridor listings in real time.