
Press
Real Estate Weekly, Curbed, New York Times, Brownstoner, 6SqFt, and other real estate publications.
Specialties
Education
Charity
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āWe've had the pleasure of working with Helen Chee since 2018, and thereās no one else weād trust with our real estate decisions. Thanks to her expertise, weāve successfully purchased two apartments in one of Brooklynās most sought-after neighborhoodsāno small feat in this competitive market.
Helen is the perfect blend of creativity, strategy, and integrity, and her negotiation skills are second to none. Whether you're navigating your first home purchase or tackling a more intricate deal, she brings the same level of dedication and care.
Above all, Helen is someone you can truly trustāand is highly respected by her peers in the market, always acting with the highest ethical standards. If you're looking for a real estate agent who will advocate for you and guide you every step of the way, Helen is the one.ā
- Julia & Martin, Buyers!
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āI had the great pleasure of working with Helen Chee and her SBN Team. First off, I do not write many reviews and although I have worked with various āotherā agents/brokers at large real estate firms, Iāve never felt compelled to say so many wonderful things about my experience with a broker. I cannot say enough great things about Helen and her Team. Helen was the broker for my Fort Greene rental property. As a Landlord that is very busy and not in NYC on a regular basis, I relied heavily on Helen to rent my unit out. Not only was she very responsive from Day 1, but she was also clear, direct, personable, detail oriented and was thorough and she rented it out very quickly! She delivered what she promised and got me a reliable tenant at the highest rental rate for the market despite various challenges along the way. Helen handled the marketing, the showings and the tenant leasing process diligently and effectively. I really appreciated her grounded and calm approach to potential barriers throughout this process and was grateful for her ability to problem solve and come up with workable solutions as well as her professional advice. I felt like I could really trust her opinion and didnāt think twice about following her advice because I felt she was listening to my needs and had my best interests at heart. I also appreciated the way she advocated for her tenant client in order to ensure her prospective tenant got all of her needs met, which said to me that she has integrity and ethics and really illustrated a level of equity and fairness on both sides of the transaction. In this day and age where many brokers only care about big money building commissions, I felt no differently than if I were a large scale developer and that says a lot. I truly felt like I received Bespoke Broker services with Compass via Helen Chee and the SBN Team . During the rare times she was not available, one of the members of her team quickly followed through and took on showings and any other tasks that needed to get done regarding my listing. Helen was proactive from End to End in the entire process. I would not hesitate to refer her to my fellow property owners and rest assured I certainly plan on doing so. I am so happy to have found this broker. Helen Chee is Brooklynās Best kept secret!ā
- Winifred, Landlord
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āWe worked with Helen Chee from compass twice: first when we sold our Co-op and again a few years later as we were looking for a new home. She has some of the best qualities youād want in an agent: immense patience, genuine empathy, deep knowledge, unshakeable integrity, among several others. The process of both selling and buying a home can be long and fraught, and Helen was a great partner to have on that journey. For example, as we went into looking to buy a new home, we were thinking we knew what we wanted, saw many places, flipped flopped a few times, and re-evaluated. Helen was always there to share her opinion without ever being imposing nor making us feel bad. She was always knowledgeable about the process, had some intuition that escaped us and helped us see things we may have missed. She gave us honest money saving advice! She has been in the industry for many years, and has a ton of referrals for lenders, inspectors, contractors etc. She works as part of the SBN Team and when she was out to visit her college daughter, she offered a āback upā just in case. We heartily recommend Helen!ā
- Ping & Alex, Buyers and Sellers
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āWhen we approached Helen and Rezwan, we were in dire straits after being mired up in a protracted failed deal. Having had experience with another brokerage, we can confidently say that the right agent is key to the transaction. You can have the most wonderful product, but if your agent does not market it correctly and capably, the property will not be sold for the optimal price to an optimal buyer. Helen and Rezwan are extremely competent, knowledgeable and organized. They guided us through the process in a very short time frame with minimal involvement. āYou donāt have to be there, we will handle itā was Helenās constant refrain, which was music to our ears, what with three kids and the pandemic. Within two short weeks of listing the house and only 2 open houses, we had 4 great offers from very highly qualified buyers (three were above ask!) and were in contract. Besides their incredible competence, what really stood out about Helen and Rezwan was their grace and warmth. Selling a home is an emotional transaction, and they went above and beyond in making sure we knew how much the potential buyers appreciated our property. The SBN team turned our nightmare experience of selling our home into a dream experience, and for that, we remain deeply grateful. In less than 90 days, our home was sold 51k above ask, leaving us with nothing but fond memories!ā
- Marie & Francisco, Sellers
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āI just want to thank you again for guiding us and advising us through this process. You were a joy to work with, really took to heart our dreams and desires, and went above and beyond to help find us a place. And then once we were interested, you did everything within your power to straighten out the permit bump. Thank you again so very much, you gave us a huge gift, the ability to be in a beautiful home for this next chapter. Thank you!!ā
- Jake, Buyer
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āHelen Chee was our stalwart advocate as we searched for a condo in a highly competitive Brooklyn market. Her experience and knowledge shone through in every step of the process ā from neighborhood research to open houses, from offer to closing, from inspection to renovation. She truly listened to us and our needs, and encouraged us not to compromise, even when the hunt felt discouraging. We loved her philosophy on making an offer that's both competitive and comfortable, and it paid off: we found a home we truly love that checks every single box. Through the home-buying process, you build a team around you, and having Helen on our team was the best move we made. Would recommend her to anyone!ā
- Cooper & Ellie, Buyers
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āWhen we found the perfect apartment in Brooklyn, Helen showed us the property more than once and diligently found answers to all of our questions. Once in contract, she worked tirelessly to keep all parties on track and regularly checked in with everyone. This was our first home purchase in New York City, and we had a lot of questions.
Helen is very responsive and does what she says she is going to do, when she says she is going to do it. She is incredibly knowledgeable. It was a great relief to know that we could rely on Helen for quick and accurate answers. She worked very hard to keep the entire transaction on track while managing everyoneās expectations. In the end, she went above and beyond to arrange a closing on a tight timeline.
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We also relied on Helenās expertise to assist us in finding a renter to take over our lease. From the photos to the listing which highlighted the advantages of the neighborhood and location, Helen and her team did a wonderful job marketing the apartment.
Helenās hard work ethic and her friendly, honest personality make her a delight to work with. We are happy to recommend the services of Helen Chee and the SBN Team at Compass.ā
- John & Taylor, Buyers
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āHelen is amazing - she tirelessly helped me buy my first apartment in Manhattan and expertly guided me through the challenging and demanding 5+ month-long process. She is a NY native (from Brooklyn) and has been in the game for decades, so she is super knowledgeable about NYC real estate, which is a completely different ballgame than other cities. She is also very organized and a numbers person, which is hugely important in the beginning stages of the search with setting budgets, securing finances, and looking at listings that are realistic with your budget. She prioritizes your interests and never compromises on your needs when going to bat for you in the process. She is also caring, empathetic, and an all-around amazing person. HIGHLY recommended!ā
- Olivia, Buyer
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āWe first met Helen almost two years before we ended up buying our condo. At the time we were viewing an open house out of curiosity rather than a serious interest in buying. Helen was very helpful in taking time to meet with us and explain the buying process and what some of the our options could be (condo versus coop, new build versus resale, tax abatements etc). She was never pushy and showed a genuine interest in our lives and what made sense for us. When we were more serious about buying over a year later, we got in touch and Helen helped us curate a search for
Throughout the search Helen provided useful input on any new properties that came up. When we found somewhere we were interested in, Helen guided us through the negotiation process and helped us secure a good deal. During the buying process she answered all the questions we had and connected us with great people (lenders, attorneys, inspectors) which made a big difference to the process.
Overall we were very happy to have met and worked with Helen. As first time buyers she was a huge help in clarifying the process and looked out for our interests at all times. Helen made the process much more enjoyable and we would strongly recommend her to anyone looking to buy their new home.ā
- Michael & Julie, Buyers
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"We recently sold our apartment with Helen and her team. It was our first time selling property and we were overwhelmed with all the steps and where to start. Helen and her team were amazingly clear and specific about how the process would go, which made us feel like we understood the steps and how to approach each stage. She made our apartment look absolutely gorgeous with the staging photos, and put every effort into getting the word out with both traditional and non-traditional means. She also took a lot of effort to get to know why the apartment was unique and special and how to make it stand out in a crowded market. Once we moved into the final stages she was totally on top of it every step of the way, made sure we had all our "ducks in a row" and was incredibly patient with our endless questions. All in all it went really smoothly and we were thrilled with the final results. Helen has my full confidence, and I would recommend her to anyone looking to sell or buy a home."
- Alaina & John, Sellers
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āRezwan and Helen were amazing! Even in the face of the COVID challenge, they handled everything with utter professionalism and grace, helping us navigate every conceivable twist and turn of preparing, showing, and completing the sale of our house under these unprecedented times. And they did it all for us remotely since we had relocated to the West Coast and could not travel because of COVID! From their expert advice on how to approach staging, photographing, and filming of the house, to their wise words on how to best conduct the open house (just before the lockdown) along with a video virtual tour, from pricing it correctly, to creating a truly creative and compelling marketing approach, they demonstrated tremendous knowledge and impeccable taste throughout. They were an absolute delight to work with!ā
- Sid & Jess, Sellers
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āMy husband and I were referred to Helen through a friend. This was our first time buying, so we felt completely inexperienced and intimidated with the prospect of buying an apartment in Brooklyn. In our first meeting with Helen, she walked us through the
apartment-buying process step-by-step and really took the time to understand what we were looking for, which helped to ease our apprehensions.
Soon after that initial meeting, after visiting an apartment that we quickly knew we wanted, Helen's deep knowledge of the Brooklyn real estate market was instrumental in helping us to get our offer accepted. Thanks to her active role in guiding us through
the rest of the home-buying process, we had a relatively seamless and straightforward closing, despite the coronavirus pandemic upending normal life soon after we were in contract.
Throughout the process, Helen was extremely reliable and approached everything with a calm but confident demeanor. We could always count on her to be available by phone, email, or in person to answer questions that came up or talk through any issues that arose. I always left our conversations feeling like we were in the best possible hands. My husband and I are now happily settled in our new apartment, and I'm so grateful to Helen for helping us get here.ā
- Meagan, Buyer
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āHelen and Rezwan, were amazing! Our co-op apartment sold quickly for significantly more than we expected and their expertise and experience both preparing our place to list and navigating competing offers added value. Weād recommend them to anyone.ā
- Dylan & Deborah, Sellers
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āHelen was my agent for both selling and buying properties and did an amazing job navigating complex transactions and getting the best value possible. Sheās reliable, honest and straight shooter. Highly recommend!ā
- Jamie, Seller and Buyer
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āAs an investor, I have worked with many real estate agents before, but Helen and Rezwan are the most creative, hardworking and effective ones I know. I had very aggressive price expectations, and they succeeded with a completely out-of-the-box strategy and managed to get more exposure than I thought possible. Their staging worked magic and their carefully planned popup art shows and PR campaign were the perfect approach to reach the right buyer.ā
Henry, Investor
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āHelen was an incredible help during the home buying process, especially navigating each step during COVID. She was honest, open, and steadfast about expectations and put in extra effort to make sure the process went smoothly. She was always happy to answer any concerns or questions I had, and was readily available whenever I needed information which was always conveyed in a professional friendly manner. Although buying a property can be extremely stressful, she managed to keep me calm when any hiccups arose. Thanks again Helen for all your help!ā
- Lauren, Buyer
Helen is a lifelong Brooklynite and true New Yorker. A graduate of the NYU Stern School of Business, she spent years building expertise in marketing, sales, and operations in a diverse array of industries. 16 years ago, she started a new career in real estate and quickly became a top performer at a local boutique agency.
While taking a break to raise a family, Helen devoted herself to community work, from mentoring children in local schools to leading record-breaking fundraising for vital programs.
Empowered by positive change, Helen returned to real estate with renewed passion and purpose: to elevate the practice through collaboration, creativity, and education. Over the past decade, she has guided hundreds of clients through buying and selling houses, condos, co-ops, and investment properties. She knows the nuances of each property typeāuniquely NY!āwhat to highlight, what to watch for, and how to navigate negotiations, financing, and board approvals. Known for her strategic thinking and precise execution, Helen ensures every client is positioned to succeed.
For Helen, real estate is more than transactionsāitās about people, families, and creating spaces where life happens. She brings both sharp strategy and heartfelt care to her work, guiding clients with honesty, patience, and a commitment to achieving the best outcome. Whether youāre selling or buying your first home, upsizing, downsizing, or renting, Helen is your partner every step of the way.




























