By David Arkin

For years, Jennifer Magro walked past the same house in her Valley Stream neighborhood, drawn to its front porch and the way it sat on the block.

“It was always my favorite house,” she said.

She had seen it countless times while walking her dogs, never expecting it would one day be hers. But when the home came on the market, she recognized it immediately. The 1940s house was being listed by Joseph DeVito of Douglas Elliman.

Magro reached out and saw the house that same day. By the next afternoon, she had made her decision.

“I went to see it probably that afternoon,” she said. “And by the next day, I knew I wanted it.”

The home had belonged to the same family for decades and was well cared for, but it was clear to Magro that the house needed a few upgrades.

Shaping the house into something new

As the process moved forward, Magro said her working relationship with DeVito began to take on a different shape.

Rather than stepping away after the sale, he stayed closely involved as she began thinking through what the house could become. He connected her with a construction firm and other professionals, and the two began walking through the space together, talking through ideas.

“We decided to sort of go into that project together,” she said.

Magro said she came in with a clear sense of what she wanted but valued having someone to help refine those ideas and translate them into practical decisions.

“We walked around and decided what would be useful, what wouldn’t be useful,” she said. “His taste and my taste, it’s just like perfect.”

Opening up and rethinking the layout

On the main floor, the kitchen and dining room were completely reworked. Walls came down, and the space was opened into a single, larger area that better fit Magro’s desires.

“We took that wall down and made it one big space,” she said.

Working with a kitchen designer DeVito recommended, she planned out details she had always wanted but never incorporated into her previous home, including an island and updated appliances.

Upstairs, the layout changed as well. One of the bedrooms was converted into a bathroom and connected to the primary suite, creating a more functional and private space.

“It just really changed from its original design to what people look for now,” she said.

Extending the work beyond the interior

Compared to her previous home, the property offered a larger yard, which had been one of the factors that drew her to it in the first place. Once the interior work was complete, she turned her attention to the exterior.

The backyard was redesigned, and the landscaping and hardscaping were rebuilt.

“We did everything soup to nuts,” she said.

Even now, she said, the process hasn’t entirely stopped. She and DeVito still meet to look at plants or talk through small updates, especially when the weather allows.

“We have a great time going to the nurseries together and picking things out,” she said.

A process that didn’t end at closing

Looking back, Magro said the experience changed how she thinks about working with a real estate agent.

“He doesn’t just sell you the house,” she said. “He wants to continue that work with you and bring it to your vision.”

Taking on a home that needed that level of renovation could have felt overwhelming. Instead, she said, the process felt manageable from the start.

Now that the work is largely complete, she finds herself noticing the details, sometimes unexpectedly.

“I sit here sometimes and think, ‘Look at my wallpaper,’” she said. “We did it.”

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