“The other part of it is that the pricing in Brooklyn and Queens has always been significantly lower than Manhattan,” he says. “So you’re looking at a larger pool of prospective buyers. As the economy has gotten better, more people are back in the market for properties that are more moderately priced.”

Top building features and amenities for the quarter, as reported by the brokers surveyed, were doormen, laundry in the building, private storage and an on-site fitness center.

An important consideration in judging the results is that the fourth quarter is an historically light period as far as transactions are concerned. Also, the fourth quarter of 2010, the report says, “saw a higher than average number of sales due to the continuing impact of economic stimulus incentives and pent-up demand.”

Slattery says that, overall, the report “points to a more stable market.” After being battered for the last couple of years and then buoyed by government programs, the brokers’ optimism regarding the housing market is, indeed, a bright sign.

“I think there is a little more traction here in our economy, that things are getting better,” Slattery says. “There seems to be less volatility in the stock market, a little more improvement on the jobs front. And the Fed talking about keeping interest rates low for two more years has provided a little more edge of confidence that people can move forward in a more predictable and thoughtful way making housing purchases.”

For the full report, click here.