About this site

Welcome! Since you clicked on the About button you probably would like to find out about me. My name is Faina Sechzer and I am the author/publisher of this site and a New Jersey Realtor. I share personal and professional information a little later in this artile, but first let me tell you about this site.

The site is all about you - present or prospective Princeton area home buyer, seller, or resident. Princeton Real Estate is the resource and guide for smart New Jersey real estate consumers in the greater Princeton NJ area. This site is about educating, conversation and building relationships.

I share my knowledge here to help you be smarter real estate home buyers and sellers, and anyone else interested in Princeton area real estate. Buying and selling real estate in today's market is financially, logistically and often emotionally challenging.

When you subscribe to this blog you will get insider tips and techniques to make this process easier. Information in "Princeton Real Estate" not publicly available anywhere else and would give you advantage over others interested in in Princeton, Hopewell, Pennington, Montgomery NJ, West Windsor, Plainsboro,Lawrenceville, and Cranbury real estate. 

This site is not just me preaching from a soap box. It's also about your real estate questions, needs, views, interests and opinions answered. I love hearing from my readers. Don't hesitate to call at 609- 553 -4175 or drop me an e-mail at Faina.Sechzer@HendersonSir.com. Your questions, issues and concerns would be addressed in complete confidence. We never spam, bombard you with unwanted e-mails or calls. To get every article automaticle delivered to your e-mail, leave your e-mail, press "Subsscribe" button, and we take care of the rest.

Here are the topics you could expect to find at Princeton Real Estate blog site.

• What are the differences between various communities, such as Princeton NJ, Hopewell, Pennington, Montgomery, West Windsor, Princeton Junction, Plainsboro, Lawrenceville, and other greater Princeton area towns

• What is it like to live in the greater Princeton area? What are the neighborhoods, such as Ettl Farm, Princeton Ridge, Littlebrook, Riverside, Russell Estates and which one suites your needs better

• What are the real estate prices and trends for the greater Princeton area

• What are the insider secrets to help me buy and sell Princeton real estate

• What do I need to know if I am relocating to the greater Princeton NJ are?

If you are interested in the Princeton area homes for sale, considering selling your home, or relocating from another area, we could help you make important home buying and selling decisions.

Meet Faina Personally

I love Princeton and have lived in the area for 20 years. We moved here for the convenience of commuting to New York and Philadelphia, where my husband and I worked at the time. We lived for many years in West Windsor, and later moved to Princeton.

We have four wonderful kids, two are already on their own; the youngest two let just say, keep us young and working. Having raised my kids in the greater Princeton area, I have first hand knowledge of area public and private schools.

I was born in the Far East, raised and grew up in Europe, and came to this country as a young woman. I speak Russian and Ukrainian. In my spare time I love reading and belong to a local book club. Reading is my escape, release, and best therapy. I love to travel and lived, traveled and worked in many countries. I like many sports, and wish I were better at them. I love dancing, and wish I could do it more often. I walk 5 miles every morning (OK, its almost every morning, and mostly 5 miles).

Meet Faina Professionally

Read a few articles on this Princeton Real Estate web site and you will quickly learn that I practice real estate differently. When we have an opportunity to meet in person and talk, you would meet the same person, you met through my articles. My practice is all about my clients. I am not #1 in anything - my clients are #1 in everything. After many years of corporate life, I became a New Jersey real estate agent to provide the kind of service I wanted when I was a client.

I sometimes joke that I am a "secret" agent. I do not advertise myself in the local publications, like Princeton Packet or Town Topics. I don't have my picture on benches, shopping carts, or even my business cards. I don't push real estate sellers or buyers, because I dislike aggressive sales tactics. to give my clients every possible advantage, I invest in identifying and implementing the best available home selling and buying technologies, marketing strategies and tools. My focus is on helping real estate buyers and sellers, rather then talking about how great I am.

1. Adviser and Consultant

Although real estate is often considered sales, for my clients I function more as an adviser and consultant. Real estate buying and selling could be stressful. I try to make it as stress free and enjoyable experience for you as possible.  This is what I offer my clients:

•  Listening and understanding your needs
•  Telling you as I see it (not always what you may want hear)
•  Knowledge of the local real estate market
• Superior marketing skills
• Knowledge and investment in the latest technologies
• Putting your interests interest above all
• Having someone you could trust
• Having the time and being available or you
• Advising, informing, and presenting options
• "Holding" your hand through the rough patches

2. Trust is about relationship

Marketing knowledge, integrity, trust, and dedication are essential for a good real estate agent. The challenging part is how could you tell. Did you ever meet an agent who said they were not an expert, were untrustworthy, and did not have time for you because they had to many other clients? Of course, not. So many real estate agents proclaim their greatness on their web sites; its hard to tell them apart. Its even harder to get to know the real person behind the web site.

Trust is developed through a relationship and knowing another person. Read this blog and you will get to know me. You will know if I am the right real estate agent for you. Its impossible to fake the blog. My clients tell me that I am the same person in real life as who I am in my blog. That is not always the case with the sale and hype type web sites. This site is about educating, conversation and building relationships.

3. Career Highlights

I prefer to talk about my clients. I am making the exception for the About page, because, it's kind of expected, to talk about myself here. With that in mind, here are a few points of my professional career.

• 25+ years professional marketing

• Corporate technology management

• Senior Principal - management consulting for Fortune 500

• Certified Interior Decorator

• Ran a private publishing company

• MS Electrical Engineering

NJ Home Buyer Benefits  

1.Real Estate Market Knowledge

The declining real estate market has many home buyers confused as to what should they do. Knowledge of the market and educating the clients is key benefit a real estate agent could offer. I spend a lot time analyzing the Princeton real estate market trends, so my clients could make the right decisions when buying their home now.  I publish them in this blog as well, to help those who are not working with an agent yet.

2. Time for the search limiting the number of clients

The second most important benefit for the clients is feeling free and not under sale pressure to take their time in the search of Princeton homes for sale (as well as Montgomery homes for sale, Hopewell homes for sale, and West Windsor homes for sale among others).

Unlike most Princeton NJ real estate agents, I limit the number of clients I take. This doesn't get me to the "top producers" clubs, but it gives each client the time and attention they deserve. My method makes the search process as efficient as possible, but often, finding the right home takes time. I believe clients need to see as many homes, as it takes, until the right one is found.

NJ Home Seller Benefits

1. Broadest Internet exposure.

Consumers start their search on the Internet and most brokerages and agents have web sites, use MLS and Realtor.com. This alone is not enough in today's competitive market. I use the latest advances in social media networking and blogging to expose your home to the largest pool of most likely buyers and to make it stand out from the competing properties.

2. Staging for all homes.

I provide staging consultation without additional fees. My clients homes often sold quickly, in large measure, due to staging. In the age of Internet exposure and the short attention span of prospective buyers, special talent and skill is needed to make homes appealing and desirable on the Internet. As important is how the home is presented for the target buyers in home showings. As an Interior Decorator, and sometimes with an assistance of a professional stager, I help my clients present their home at it's best.

3. Professional Photography.

Pictures of your home are what potential buyers see first and is often what makes them decide to see your home or not. My experience proves the advantage of your home being professionally photographed. No matter how good we, as agents, think we are as photographers - we are still amateurs. Let me show you the kind of photography needed to attract prospective buyers. Your home deserves it.

4. Latest marketing techniques.

Technology and market change daily. You as a Princeton area home seller need the best available to beat the competition. This is the reason I invest time and money into new marketing strategies, techniques and tools to give your home an extra edge in the crowded market.

5. Presenting Your Home To Selling Brokers.

It is critical that local area agents are made aware of how your home is better then the others. All the Internet exposure notwithstanding, it is often the local area agents who bring the buyers, and selling your home to them is something that is very important. I do it by in-person presentation of your home to major local brokers. Is it time-consuming? Yes. Does it work? Certainly.  MLS listing or a Broker Open House alone will not do that.

About This Blog

This blog, just like my real estate practice, is all about YOU, not about me. It is about sharing my knowledge with you and arming you with information  not available anywhere else, yet critical to your success as a home buyer or seller. You will realize reading this blog I practice real estate differently. I do not declare myself #1 in anything. My clients are #1 in everything.  You would have an advantage over other Princeton, Hopewell, Montgomery, and West Windsor real estate buyers and sellers, if you read this blog. I will share with you information not available anywhere else: insiders secrets to buying and selling homes and real estate in the Princeton area, the latest strategies, real estate prices, the condition of the Princeton and national real estate markets, latest market statistics and reports.

You will get the insiders view of different communities and neighborhoods in Princeton, and surrounding towns. What is it like to live in Princeton? What are the schools like? What are the neighborhoods like?  What are the good restaurants, shopping or things to do? What are the differences between living in Princeton and Montgomery, or West Windsor? You will get the answers to all these questions and more.

This blog is about you, your real estate needs, views and interests. It is also about having a conversation.  I am interested in your opinions, ideas, questions and thoughts. Please subscribe to the blog, comment, drop me an e-mail, and call 609-553-4175.  Your privacy is most important to me. Your information will not be released to anyone and no one will contact you unless you ask for it.

I would also like you to meet my clients. So please read:

Meet My Clients and Their Stories

For more information about Princeton Real Estate, West Windsor real estate, Princeton Junction real estate, Montgomery real estate, Hopewell real estate, Pennington real estate, and Lawrenceville real estate, read these articles:

Princeton Mercer County NJ Real Estate - Secrets to selling your house like an agent.

Princeton Mercer County NJ Real Estate -Secrets To Buying A Home Like A Realtor

Princeton Mercer County NJ Real Estate Sellers- 3 Things That Sell Houses Now

Princeton Mercer County NJ Real Estate - 5 Deadly Mistakes When Selling Your House

Princeton Mercer county NJ Real Estate - Prices of Houses Sold in Princeton -January 2008

Princeton Mercer County NJ real estate statistics -2007 summary 

Princeton area Mercer County NJ real estate housing prices - review of prices for the period of 2004-2007  for Princeton, Hopewell, Pennington, West Windsor, and Montgomery Township.

5 comments » Princeton Real Estate - an interview with me (MeMe) MeMe is fun interview-like way for people, in the sometimes impersonal Internet world, to get know each other by answering questions about themselves. It works a bit like a chain letter, in that one gets tagged to write a MeME, and passes on the tag to others. I was tagged by a good friend Irina Netchaev from Pasadena in her MeMe. She asked the following questions. 1. Who is your favorite musical artist? (post a youtube video) I am really going to show my age on this one. Please understand, Russians are a sentimental lot:) My first and forever love are Beatles. Amazingly, my kids of various ages love them too. My recent discovery also goes back in time - Mike Brant (Israeli/French singer) Read more » Posted on Jun 01, 2008 @ 8:22 pm by faina.sechzer Posted in About

1 comment » Princeton Mercer County NJ Real Estate - Meet My Clients My clients are the best. It is a privilege to be a New Jersey Realtor and work with such wonderful people to help them buy and sell homes in greater Princeton NJ area. I would like you to meet some of them. Family downsizing in Princeton NJ. This family raised their children in Princeton After the kids were out of the house they found themselves in a house that was to big for the present needs. We found a wonderful community of Governors Lane in Princeton, where all outside maintenance is taken care of by the association. This left my clients more time to enjoy their tome traveling and visiting their children. I found the house that was underpriced. Right after their purchase the house was valued for $200,000 more the what they paid. Here is what they wrote: “To Whom It May Concern:   I am very pleased to be able to write a very positive endorsement for our realtor, Faina Sechzer, of Sotheby International, with whom we have been working for several years on all of our properties in Princeton, NJ.   Faina has demonstrated a high level of professional knowledge and expertise, is prompt in responding to all of our needs, and does so in a warm and friendly manner. Her professionalism as well as her pleasing and warm personality have made our transactions extremely comfortable and efficient, as well as pleasant and successful. She has worked hard to promote our properties when we were selling, and to find tenants when we were renting. Not only has she done very well for us, but through her successful and efficient efforts we have saved a great deal of money.   We highly recommend Faina with no reservation to anyone interested in buying, selling or renting a property.   Sincerely, Rabbi Dr. Dov Peretz Elkins & Maxine G. Elkins Here are a few more comments from my clients.   Read more » Posted on Apr 15, 2008 @ 3:07 pm by faina.sechzer Posted in Neighborhoods, About