Mara was absolutely amazing! I have been a real estate attorney for almost 30 years and in the real estate industry for a number of years before that and she is absolutely the best of the best. Honest, straightforward, hard-working, etc. You couldn't ask for anything more out of a real estate broker. read more

I was very disappointed by my experience with Mara Realty. One week after the death of my child, Mara came to my home unannounced. The visit was presented under the auspices of a grief group she was running with her husband, but given the circumstances and the timing, I found the unexpected visit very difficult and upsetting. I was grieving an enormous loss and was not prepared to have a real-estate professional come to my home so soon afterward. Whatever the intention may have been, I felt the timing and circumstances were insensitive. I hope Mara Realty will be more mindful of families who may be experiencing a recent and devastating loss and exercise greater sensitivity in approaching them. read more

I just can't say enough about Kenny. When it was time for me to (finally) buy my own place (long story, buy me a drink to hear it!), I wanted to get it done. I tried a search with someone else, but ended up feeling like a customer in a diner. Just giving my order. If I asked an opinion, I got "it depends on what you like" in reply. I hate that. Kenny took the bull by the horns. He asked my priorities, preferences, and budget. He built out a search based on our discussion. Importantly, he went outside what I THOUGHT were my preferences. I thought I wanted a house. I was wrong. After a day of showing me houses in my price range (they were nice, but needed work...), he took me to a townhouse. Gated, pool, clubhouse. Separate bathrooms for me and my daughter. Like he said, townhouses are like minivans...once you decide to get one, you realize it has everything you want...and you didn't even know it. Thanks Kenny. Thanks for helping me take the next step forward. Thanks for having an opinion. Thanks for pointing me in the right direction. Just...thanks! read more

She was just plain great. We decided to move after the lockdowns. She was able to successfully navigate marketing, negotiating, and selling my house. She also helped me find our house out in Greenlawn. She was an advocate, telling us what to expect, and what was a surprise. Some may be wary about going to the biggest broker around (her picture's on the back page!). I would be too. However....she's the biggest for a reason. She's the best! Two thumbs up! read more

There is only word to describe our realtor - Jackie Dworkin of Homes by Mara and that word is...love. You see, Jackie is enamored with real estate and she stays current with all relevant information and education. She is a wealth of resources regarding all things house and home and her vibrant passion for the business will help anyone achieve their real estate goals. I have referred Jackie in the past to others and they all love her. How is this possible? Well, you see, Jackie loves people too. She will work tirelessly to help others so that they're not just satisfied with their decision to work with her, but rather, they are thrilled. My fiancé and I decided to "push the envelope" with price when we decided to sell and Jackie was all for it. Not only were interests rates extremely low (still are!) but there was also a revitalization project on the cusp for approval in Baldwin, NY which Jackie put on display at our open house. Having pertinent local information available to potential buyers is a great idea and I have never heard of anyone else doing that before. Even prior to our 1st open house, we toured the house and Jackie made a few invaluable suggestions regarding presentation. We had an attic that we used primarily for storage and that's about it. Through her experienced eyes, she suggested that we clear it out and stage it with some small and tasteful pieces of furniture such as a bench, a desk and a small bistro table. She directed us on where to go so we wouldn't be spend a small fortune and get this - she even accompanied me to Home Goods to help with some of the shopping. When I tell you she loves what she does, I can't help but picture how excited she became when she found the perfect orange pillow to go on our little bench for the sitting area. It still brings a smile to my face. Another endearing quality is that Jackie loves her broker Mara of Homes by Mara. She always speaks highly of her and other agents in her office too. Her colleagues adore her and often select her to cover for their open houses/showings or to team up on a deal because they know that she is the opposite of cut-throat and that the clients will love her too. Jackie's love for real estate and people is simply unparalleled. We were thrilled to receive a full ask offer from the first couple that came to our first open house and I can sincerely tell you that Jackie was just as happy for us as we were. We hit a few back and forth moments with the buyers while in contract and that's normal but all I can say is that Jackie was there for us 100% of the time. She is incredibly responsive, patient and attentive. The only downside to our experience with Jackie as our realtor is that it's over. We now live in Florida and we love our new home but we no longer have the absolute pleasure of having Jackie around for her insight, her ideas and her big huge heart. Everyone should work with Jackie Dworkin. Bar none, you will love her too. ~ Valerie Lampe and Barry Heffron read more

We just closed on our home of 23 years this morning. My home was on the market for ~27 Days and received 4 offers. We got the price we wanted. As someone who is in Enterprise Software Sales, I know how to do my own homework on the market, pricing and understand other sales professionals. I wanted to sell my home with a broker, because of the local market expertise and knowledge of the process they bring. As part of our process, my wife and I interviewed ~10 brokers and chose Mara Navaretta. The choice was clear and we are very happy we did. Mara is a wonderful person and has been a true partner throughout the process. A partner is the best way I can describe what working with Mara is like. Mara displays a quiet competence, has a thorough understanding of the market and property values, and brought forward helpful insights that no one else did. Mara operates her business with integrity, and holds herself, her staff and business partners to high standards. Her business partners; photographer, office staff, printing company, etc. were all very skilled and reliable. One of the most important aspects of working with someone besides integrity is responsiveness. All calls, emails and texts were returned in a timely manner and handled with appropriate urgency. I've always received her undivided attention whenever I needed her, which is especially appreciated, given how busy Mara and her brokers are. Bottom line, through this process, Mara has become a friend. That's the highest praise I can give, especially when you consider how difficult and trying it is to sell a home where you raised your family and have so many memories. Well Done! read more

We bought our house through Homes by Mara and had a wonderful experience. The entire team of agents, brokers, and attorneys were professional and helpful - they made the whole process painless. We also received some great recommendations for contractors that we ended up using. Will definitely come back when we are ready to buy our next home! read more

I'd give Mara 10 stars if I could. She sold our home in a week and walked us through the entire process. We live in Syosset and Mara is known as the go to when you want to buy or sell. They weren't kidding. Once we signed up with her things really started moving, I mean really moving. On the first day a sign was planted on our front yard that our home was for sale. Truth is that it appears that she has a whole team of people who are professionals at what they do, including her husband who is a super attorney and fun to work with. I wish everyone loved their work as much as these people do. To cut to the chase, offers flew in and we accepted an amazing offer in 6 days. Done. It doesn't get any better. read more

The agents that my "buyers" were using had no idea that these people had no right making an offer. We went to contract and the people were not mortgageable.... when I found out the information about their income the agent should have been showing houses in a much lower price range! I think with where we are with the housing market there needs to be a better understanding of what people are qualified for! Not to mention the fact that her husband is the real estate attorney that requests things that are not humanely possible just to squeeze more money out of the sellers.... the people we dealt with where just terrible! read more

Linc Leder is simply a terrific broker at Homes By Mara. We met him accidentally while house hunting early in 2014. At that time we did not have a real estate agent, and he seemed to be highly knowledgeable about the area (Syosset) in which we were looking, as well as very friendly and personable. After listing the qualities that we desired in a house, he was able to quickly show us several excellent choices, and within a week or two we found the one that we wanted. Initially we expected to spend at least 6 months searching, but he instinctively knew what we were looking for and so the process went extremely fast. The house was a new construction, and there happened to be more than one offer already being entertained by the builder. However, Linc guided us seamlessly and successfully through the bidding process so that we ended up with the contract after placing a fair bid. Amazingly, he is also an attorney, enabling him to also offer a bit of legal advise when necessary, and his law firm is highly capable in handling the contract, making everything run very smoothly. The house was a new construction, which complicated matters as there were some miscommunications with the builder, in addition to a delayed completion date. It could have easily been a highly unpleasant experience, and the house may not have turned out the way that we desired. However, Linc was always able, without fail, to work things out to our satisfaction and to allay any concerns that we had. Throughout the almost 7 month process during which the house was being built, we must have contacted Linc literally hundreds of times via phone, email, and text message, with all ranges of concerns and issues. He would always respond promptly, and was always extremely effective in dealing with whatever issue was at hand. We knew that we could always count on him, if anything were to go wrong. This gave us a sense of confidence, that in the end we would end up with the house that we desired, and that is exactly what happened. We are very thankful to have found Linc, and would like to recommend him in the highest possible terms. read more

I have been working with Mara for around 6 months now and could not be more impressed by her work ethic and love for the community. She has a tremendous team of agents who all share Mara's professionalism, as well as making sure they do whatever they can to make their client happy. Mara helped myself and my family personally with getting an expediter for permits on our home, the referral she gave us was great and really put us at ease when we were having issues with our home. I've been lucky enough to attend 2 charity events Mara has held, but she has many more year round for many different organizations ! Overall Homes by Mara is a very professional, reliable & caring Real Estate company. I am happy with the business I have done with the company and would highly recommend them to anyone ! read more

My husband and I recently purchased our very first home and Mara Navaretta made this overwhelming process such a pleasure! Mara really took the time to understand our "wish list" and was so extraordinarily knowledgeable on the housing market. She was proactive in sending us information on houses and areas of interest and managed to set up appointments for us when houses didn't even have power from hurricane sandy because she knew we were on a tight timeline. She was beyond patient and took the time to make sure she found us our perfect home while always being mindful of our budget. Once we found our home she knew exactly the price that would get the deal done and this piece of knowledge stopped us from having to go back and forth in bidding wars. Her negotiation skills, dedication and integrity far surpassed all of our expectations. The best part about Homes by Mara is they are affiliated with a real estate law firm so its a nice one stop shopping. John Navaretta not only helped us with the contracts and closing on our Long Island home but helped us in selling our NYC apartment. It could not have been a more seamless process for us. They are a dynamic duo and we were so fortunate to have found them. Highly recommend- cant go wrong. read more