Gaines & Puljic

Mixed feelings:
Ivan helped us with the purchase of a condo in late 2010 (first time home buyers). At the time, we were very happy with the responsiveness and advice that he provided. We were especially happy when the seller (a bank, as this was a foreclosure) tried to change the terms of possession when we were there for the closing. Ivan successfully navigated this, and we were happy — we had already made arrangements for moving that week!
Fast forward about 4 years… and we find out that we did not file all required paperwork with the County, which (in large part due to failure of the involved mortgage companies holding escrow, who wiggled out by pointing fingers at each other) resulted in underpayment of property taxes and fees/​hassles to «reclaim» our property. We would have thought that as our attorney (who we understand has much experience with Chicago and Cook County local norms and legal requirements), Ivan would have advised us on the required paperwork to file with the City/​County. So, this go around (buying a house, selling the condo) we are seeking another attorney.

My Realtor highly recommended Ivan for my first home purchase, and I am so glad he did. What should have a smooth condo purchase turned out to be a long and complicated one. Since it was my first time home purchase, Ivan worked with me to ensure that I understood every step of the buying process and was extremely helpful and responsive to emails and phone calls. Ivan and his team worked very diligently to make sure I got a fair deal. I highly recommend Ivan for anyone who is looking for a great attorney during the home buying process.

Ivan helped us as we were searching for our new home. We had originally contacted him around potential short sale offers we were making. He was very helpful in explaining the process to us and providing strategic tips on getting a short sale through.
In the end we wound up getting an offer accepted via a regular sale. During the attorney inspection Ivan (and Stephanie) ensured we had additional conditions in place to protect our interests further.
Ivan would respond to emails within the hour. Even the seller’s attorney had high praise of Ivan.
I would hire Ivan and team for our next RE transaction.

Ivan is fantastic. He helped us with a closing in July of 2011. however the reason I’m just now writing this review is because of the six units that closed in our building, Ivan was the only lawyer who added language to our contract so that we did not get screwed over by our builder when the taxes were reassessed higher.
Because of that, we were able to remind our builder of our contract wording language via Ivan and recoup some of the taxes we overpaid.
I would hire Ivan again for our next closing, as should you.

Ivan is amazing attorney to use when purchasing a property in the city of Chicago. My realtor told me I could use any attorney I wanted but said that if I wanted things to go as smoothly as possible Ivan was who I should use. As a first time homebuyer who was buying a bank-​owned property I followed her advice… I’m very glad I did. Although I only met Ivan face to face briefly during the closing either he or his assistant Stephanie was constantly within reach from when I first called him until the closing date. As I predicted, buying the property from the bank was a pain and I probably would have been done for if it wasn’t for Ivan. Not only did he take care of everything in amazing detail but he explained it all to me in layman’s terms. Although it took some time Ivan was able to get everything cleared up and saved me thousands of dollars in excess of his modest fee. I highly reccomend Ivan and will be using him the next time I purchase.

I think IVAN is smart, and capable, but definitely not customer friendly!!! He withdrew at the last minute on my attorney review process extending further for me to seek «AMPLE» time to find someone else… RUDE! There are thousands of attorneys out there and honestly I will go with someone more customer friendly and cheaper! Hopefully my feedback will let others know that being courtesy and explaining to me the attorney representation and process would have been helpful and RESPECTFUL…

Before finding Ivan, I had used other attorneys for 3 other real estate closings over the past 15 years. I only wish I had found him earlier! As buying a house is probably one of the most stressful transactions in one’s life, you want someone working for you that delivers quick service and knowledgeable answers. He is a busy guy but has time for every client, and has an answer for them immediately.
Going into closings you can see the people he deals with in his field like and respect him. He is so on top of the industry he pointed so many things out the seller’s attorney wasn’t even aware of.
He deserves more than 5 stars that Unilocal allows.

Ivan is the best! I was so glad that I chose him after reading the Unilocal reviews. He walked me to through the process step by step and never got upset that I needed things explained over and over again. I’m sure I drove him crazy! I truly appreciated that he was direct and sincere, not to mention consistent. His follow up was always immediate and deliberate. All of which made for a great experience.
Also, his knowledge of new construction projects was invaluable. He knows many of the Chicago developers and is able to help navigate the potholes (no pun intended). I would HIGHLY recommend Ivan for all real estate purchases. And if you are buying a property that is new construction… he is the man!

My husband and I were very lucky to be referred to Ivan at Huff & Gaines. He’s very thorough, responds quickly, and honest. We will be using him in the future for all of our real estate needs!

Ivan really is excellent. I’m a lawyer myself; Ivan was the closing attorney on my home purchase and has continued to be helpful and responsive long after the closing. He knows his stuff, is always pleasant and willing to help. Highly recommended.