Testimonials

Ivona knows how to get results and I wouldn’t dare try to buy or sell real estate without using her. We have worked with Ivona to buy and sell several properties and each time her experience, expertise, and knowledge of the market makes her an invaluable resource. From showings to negotiations to closing – she approaches situation with a personal attention to detail and treats each transaction as if it were her own. Ivona also has great insight into market trends, and she provides honest, straightforward, and actionable advice. Bottom line – Ivona is an exceptional broker and I wouldn’t risk buying or selling without her representation.

Glenn McMillan

Ivona was not our realtor at first. We made the mistake of going with a friend of ours as our realtor simply because he was our friend. Soon enough, we met Ivona at a home she was showing in Bucktown. From there, we fell in love with her business and how she runs it. We put an offer on the house and got declined, but we still called her to take over finding us a house. She was traveling at the time, but she still made time for us. She always makes herself available, and we would not have been able to buy a house without her so peacefully!

Elle Hamerlinck

Ivona and her team should be your top choice to sell your home. Our experience selling our West Loop condo with Ivona and her team was fantastic. We met Ivona and immediately appreciated her level of experience, genuity and professionalism. She has a clear, effective marketing strategy and the market knowledge to price your home to sell. She walked us through every aspect of preparing our home for listing photos/showings. Her improvements made a huge difference. Most importantly, Ivona and her team made the selling process simple for us-they were detail-oriented, communication was great, and they went above and beyond to help with small details after we relocated out of state. Our condo sat on the market with a different agent for months. Switching to Ivona, we saw a night and day difference and it sold quickly. We are so thankful for her help selling our home and would highly recommend!

Hannah Jacobsen

We selected Ivona because of her record of success and her knowledge and previous experience with sales in our neighborhood. We first met with Ivona to tour building and establish a satisfactory listing price for the property. Her photographer took excellent photos and drew up good floor plans to create a clear informative collection of photographs making a good presentation of the building. We got two offers, lower than the listing price, almost immediately. Ivona offered advice and guidance with negotiation and request of final best offers that lead to the sale at the full listed price. Throughout, we were satisfied with her services and highly recommend her.

Peter Frisbee

We are so happy we found Ivona. When we first got started on our home search, we considered some friend referrals to agents new to the business. We ivona at an open house and immediately decided we wanted to work with her. It made such a difference to have an agent with relationships and experience when it came time to negotiate. We bought somewhat of a fixer upper- and she’s been open and honest with us throughout the process. Even helping me pick out cabinet colors (she has great taste). I’d highly recommend her to any family or friends.

Mollie Noecker

My husband and I are moving to Chicago and were referred to Ivona by a friend. From the very first interaction, she was incredibly professional, knowledgeable and a very good listener. She has such a thorough understanding of the market and current inventory, knows each neighborhood in detail (street by street, and block by block!) and has contacts with so many other agents and builders to find things before they are even listed. She listened intently to the type of home and features we wanted, and sent us many options to consider looking at, especially given the low inventory on the market (during early February). She worked with our constantly changing schedules to show us around over a 2 day period, and once we settled on a home to make an offer on, she was an incredible advisor. She helped determine the best initial offer, and guided us through the difficult negotiations and back and forth. She also used her contacts to get us the best inspector, attorney and lender. She made herself available to attend the inspection and walk through, and responds very quickly to any texts or emails. Not only is she an amazing real estate agent, but she is also just a genuinely kind and caring person! We can’t recommend her highly enough and will definitely use her again and tell all of our friends about her! Ivona is simply the BEST!

Elizabeth DeRose

Ivona and her team did a Stellar job- they put in the work and made it happen. Highly recommend Ivona and her team!

tracy brown

We had a great experience with Ivona and her team during the selling process of our home. Ivona is very professional and has an excellent knowledge of the real estate market in Chicago. She is very organized, reliable and friendly. She dedicates the time and energy needed for the process to be seamless. She focus on her client’s interest, sharing her knowledge and advices, without being pushy. Would definitely recommend Ivona to our friends and work with Ivona again !

Phileas Auray

Ivona was originally referred to my wife and I from a friend of a friend that have bought and sold three homes through her services. This is our second home that we have found due to her expertise. That alone certainly speaks volumes! However, she is extremely organized which made the search incredibly efficient. Her insight and contacts through out the buying process was the difference of closing in record time. Most impressive is her on going follow up after the transaction is complete. Ivona is truly a pleasure to work with!!!

Drew Piazza

Ivona Kutermankiewicz is a real PRO in every sense of the word. She walked us through the buying process for our new Wicker Park home with ease, answering all of our questions along the way. She is very well connected and set us up with her trusted team of experts to help us with inspection and the various legalities involved. I look forward to engaging her again the next time we either sell or buy property in Chicago.

T. Goff

Ivona worked tirelessly to find the right buyer for our condo in a tough market. Our apartment was one of those ‘not for everyone’ (very contemporary), and Ivona was able to find serious possibilities and show it continuously. She was professional, timely, and knowledgeable. She found the perfect buyers within the timeframe she predicted. We will definitely use her again!

Monica Shiba

My husband and I used Ivona to sell our home in Wicker Park. She was instrumental in helping us sell our house quickly. She differentiated herself from some other brokers by putting a lot of time and energy into the preparation of the house before it went to market. She was able to communicate with both husband and wife equally well. She has seen it all in the housing market and she knows the Chicago market well. I would use her again.

Kelsey Lindaman Alpert

Ivona is GREAT. We chose her and her excellent team to sell our house because 1) my former real estate partner said she was the best for my neighborhood and, more importantly, 2) she gave a very professional and personable interview, demonstrating her broad knowledge and experience. Our house was beautiful but unique – large but designed for a couple or a single person only – not a problem for Ivona! She worked intelligently and efficiently, giving good advice but never pushy. Bottom line: she got results – a price that made us happy! In addition, she was very attentive to our pets’ needs.

Edward ebel

We were challenging sellers and buyers; Ivona was great throughout the entire time we worked with her! Highly recommended.

Nancyg Gardner

If I could give more than 5 stars I would. Ivona is amazing realtor. Very responsive, great feedback, helped through the entire buy process. She continues to be available months after the purchase with any questions or recommendations!

Robin Hamerlinck

I have worked with Ivona for 6 other purchase/sold transactions over the past 15 years. I will NEVER use anyone else. She and her team are always available. Their responsiveness is amazing and they recognize how critical this is when someone is selling a home. Also, her advice on how to prepare your home to sell is important. I listen and act on her advice each and every time. Due to this, my most recent home received an offer in less then 24 hours over asking price. The one prior to this one sold within one month. I have never struggled selling my home and keeping price integrity because of her knowledge of current market situations and how buyers will view your home. Also, she and Jamie are fun, relaxed, down to earth, and always professional. I highly reccomend you hire Ivona and her team. You will not be disappointed.

Michelle, Lincoln Square

Ivona was amazing from start to finish! She is organized, responsive and patient. Her team is great to work with. They answered all of our questions in a timely manner and always stayed one step ahead in our buying/selling process. She is such a hard working agent who really understands the real estate market. We will definitely use Ivona for our future real estate needs!

Karla Robinson, Chicago

Ivona is incredibly detailed oriented and a great advocate! She is very knowledge about the rules and process involved, which can be a lifesaver! Ivona is amazing!!! She was able to use her network to find exactly the house I wanted in the neighborhood I wanted! I am so grateful for her!

K Sarah Hoehn, 1235 E 46TH STREET, CHICAGO IL (Buyer)

Ivona was amazing from start to finish! She is organized, responsive and patient. Her team is great to work with. They answered all of our questions in a timely manner and always stayed one step ahead in our buying/selling process. She is such a hard working agent who really understands the real estate market. We will definitely use Ivona for our future real estate needs!

Karla Robinson, Chicago (Seller)

It was a pleasure working with Ivona Kutermankiewicz. We listed our house at about 4 PM on a Thursday and had two offers 24 hours later. Ivona is smart, professional, knowledgeable, and friendly; she’s also extremely approachable and has a great sense of humor. She handled every aspect of the sale expertly and efficiently. We never worried about anything because she was so confident and knowledgeable about how to price the property, how to handle the sales campaign, etc. She came to each discussion prepared with research and comps, and she guided us through the process, listening to our questions and concerns and tailoring her proposal to meet our needs. I swear she anticipated everything we ever thought or said. We never felt rushed into any decisions, and on the contrary we felt like we could have asked the same question eighteen times in eighteen ways and she would never lose patience. Totally calm and patient. She made herself available to us at any time and was super responsive. Our thanks to Ivona for making a potentially stressful time less stressful and even enjoyable.

Diana West Town (Seller)

My husband and I originally started looking a year ago and did not have any luck. My friend recommended Ivona who helped her buy her condo 7 years ago. We contacted Ivona and within one day she called us and immediately began showing interest and documenting our wants and needs. She helped us focus our search parameters and within the week she had scheduled showings for us. Ivona continuously made herself available for showings that were convenient with our schedule, provided her expertise on each location we visited and did not make us feel pressured into making any decisions. She truly made the search for our first home encouraging and painless. I would not hesitate to use Ivona in the future or recommend her to any friends or family given our tremendous experience, which ended with us finding the perfect condo.

Diana West Town (Buyer)

Ivona was friendly and professional. She listened and understood to what we wanted out of the sale of our place. She was always available and continues to be whenever we have questions. She made sure we always knew what the next steps were in finalizing the sale and updated us often on the expected timeline. Truly a pleasure to work with and we plan to continue to do so as we search for the perfect home.

Ashley Strader (Seller)

Ivona was such a pleasure to work with. She was very responsive and incredibly knowledgable. She made us feel like we weren’t idiots, although we often had some pretty idiotic questions! She put our … place on the market for a price that I didn’t think we would get and closed on the first person who walked through! We couldn’t be happier and will absolutely use her for our next purchase!

Nick DeNicolo (Seller)

You can very definitely count on Ivona and her staff to take a personal interest and professional approach in handling all of your needs. That was very important to me in this process. They made … it very easy and seamless.

Jerry Szklarzewski

My sister and brother-in-law previously worked with Ivona and told us she was great, which she was!

Ivona knows a great deal about the Ukranian Village area! She also recommended a great inspector for our home inspection.

Ivona was great to work with! She is easy to talk to and willing to listen to her client’s wants and needs. The brochures (including amazing pictures) for the sale of our condo were excellent!

It was wonderful working with Ivona! She helped us see properties that we probably would not have been able to see or exposed to with other agents, which ultimately turned into the purchase of a fantastic home.

Farah, Chicago (Buyer)

Selling a home can be very stressful, you not only need someone knowledgeable with the local area that you can trust. But you also need a counselor, a therapist and a friend. That’s Ivona kutermankiewicz!

Steve Snarski Bucktown (Seller)

We have worked with Ivona twice now. The first time, back in 2009, when we were first time home buyers, and Ivona did an amazing job in helping us through the process to find the perfect place. 7 years later, when it was time for us to upgrade, it was an easy decision for us to work with Ivona again; and we were just as pleased the second time around.

We appreciate Ivona’s professionalism as she is always organized, responsive and has a wealth of market knowledge, but more than anything, we value her candor. Ivona truly wants you to be happy with your purchase, for you to find your “dream home”, and she will always provide an honest opinion.

Amy E., Chicago, IL

Ivona is fantastic to work with, and she suited our style and needs in a realtor very well, here is why:

RESPONSIVE & GREAT COMMUNICATION

  • You not only get Ivona – you get a team of people to help her get the house sold / behind the scenes there was plenty of additional work happening by the team
  • She / they were always available and easy accessible to assist you with your needs and questions
  • Although Ivona was 98% of the time the person that we got to converse with and she is incredibly responsive
  • We always knew what was happening and we were provided feedback from potential buyers

MARKETING & OPEN HOUSES

  • They did a great job with really targeting their open houses to actual potential buyers vs. tire kickers
  • The quality of the materials produced did a great job to reflect the quality of our home too
  • She made the experience with managing open houses easy [although we made sure we were as flexible as possible to make sure we got the potential buyers in the door]

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

  • She is a great sales person – she know how to present the house in relation to comps and she is realistic
  • She spends a great deal of time educating potential buyers and their representing relator, she doesn’t assume that the representing realtor knows all the details and facts she makes sure that she provides them so the deal gets closed – leaving nothing to chance
  • Negotiations – she is on top it every step of the way – pushing the other realtors and attorneys to get the documents sorted and in order and to close as fast as possible
  • She is also creative in her negotiation skills and problem solving, and willing to think outside the box

Having worked with another realtor in the past – the biggest lesson we learned is that you really have to be able to partner with someone that you trust in their expertise and then from there not sweat the small stuff – they are just as motivated as we are to get the deal done and for the best price possible. Don’t question the process when it doesn’t feel like it is going well – listen carefully to the realtor – you are always emotionally attached to your home and you want to get the highest price – but it can get petty during negotiations and it doesn’t yield the best results and can lead to lost opportunities. Ivona is a great voice of reason and we trusted her when she told us we were being ‘petty’ although she used far more eloquent words to tell us so : ) If you select the right person who feels like a good partner – you can’t go wrong. That is why we always choose and recommend Ivona – and have successfully done so – meaning our referrals have also had their homes sold by Ivona.

Karen Valentine

We first met Ivona 15 years ago at an open house where she was the selling agent. We were immediately impressed with her knowledge of the Wicker Park/East Village area and her warm and engaging demeanor. We soon after selected her to represent us as our agent. We’ve now purchased two properties (a condo and a house) and sold one (a condo) with Ivona and I can truly say we will never use another agent. She makes every transaction so smooth and painless with incredible negotiating, sound and patient advising and so much more. If you’re looking for an agent with professionalism, real estate expertise, honesty and integrity, then look no further than Ivona. Call her today – you won’t regret it!

Lori Kimpton

Ivona and her staff, were extremely helpful and informative. They guided me step by step in the process. She has her finger on the pulse. She assisted me in selling my renters building in an estate sale. I will definitely be hiring Ivona to assist me in selling my home in the near future.

Happy Client

I had a great experience with Ivona. She was a pleasure to work with. She’s a real pro and a sweet, honest and straightforward person. During such a stressful time, she really had the patience, kind personality and expertise to help me through it all. She is extremely knowledgable about the area with years of experience to help with all the decision making. She was always very accessible as was her very professional team. I would highly recommend her to anyone considering buying or selling a home. It was a totally positive experience.

Peggy Martin

Ivonna sold our place in under two weeks. Great person to deal with as well.

George

Ivona and her assistant were very responsive, reasonable and felt like real partners in selling our home. We had some ups and downs and delays, but nothing really in Ivona’s control and she stuck with us to the end.

Happy Client

Ivona and her assistant Jaimie were fantastic. They have helped us rent our place the past few years and now sell it. Working with the team has been seamless and they were very responsive to the questions and provided the appropriate guidance on when to sell and when to just keep renting. Its been a pleasure working with both of them. Highly recommended.

Mihir Panchal

Ivona was terrific. We had a challenging property tax situation due to an error made by the City of Chicago that threatened our closing. Ivona was great at helping us figure out a solution and stayed ‘on task’ until the deal is done. She is a true “closer”!

I found Ivona to be very savvy, helpful and willing to do what it takes to get the deal done. Highly recommended!

Brian Wolf

Ivona is the most intelligent, plugged in, aware, friendly, and helpful agent I have ever worked with. Not only has she helped us buy several homes, she has also helped us sell and rent! If you are looking for an all around expert you can trust – Ivona is the one to align with.

Simply stated – Ivona is not only our agent…she’s a committed friend who is driven to get you the results you expect!

Billy

Ivona’s professionalism, responsiveness and guidance put us at ease throughout the process, and gave us the confidence we needed.

I look forward to doing business with her in the future, and have recommended her to my friends.

Michael

Ivona is a no frills, cut-to-the-chase, SAVVY agent who we entrusted to sell our single family in 2013. We fell in love with her when we purchased our house from her and decided to use her again when we went to sell 7 years later. She KNOWS the neighborhood and KNOWS the market and had our home sold after just 2 days of open house. In other words, she’s FANTASTIC. THE gal for this neck of the woods.

Alexis Bednyak

Ivona is very knowledgable in all facets of the residential real estate industry. Her expertise ranges from new single family home construction, condominiums, rental property, financing and negotiating skills. Her tireless energy and commitment to long working hours made it a pleasure working with her.

Steven Schmoldt

Ivona is a wonderful person and an excellent real estate agent. She tries to hard to accommodate all your needs. She is punctual, honest, and innovative. She really puts her time and effort.

beck hur

We met Ivona Kutermankeiwicz when we purchased our condo in the city six years ago — she was the selling agent of the place we bought. Our experience with her was so professional and positive that when it came time to sell that unit, she was the only agent we considered.

We’d never sold a place before and were somewhat nervous and concerned but Ivona put our mind at ease. She and her team were available whenever we had a question, and they helped explain and soothe all concerns we have. They even helped us get in our house when we were locked out!

After selling our condo we were incredibly thankful that we worked with Ivona — we cannot recommend her highly enough. She’s smart, passionate, incredibly good at what she does and will likely end up being a friend far beyond the business of real estate.

Patrick Dahl

Ivona was referred to me from a friend. I worked with Ivona twice. Once when I purchased my first home and sold it. What stands out most about Ivona is her negotiation skills.

When we found my home and put in an offer, I was shocked and thrilled when the Seller accepted it! It was only the 2nd round of negotiations and I was prepared to go higher! Ivona’s knowledge of the market allowed her to hone in on what was the right offer to make. I found out later that the Seller had received multiple offers.

Ivona came through again when I sold my home .I put my condo up for sale when the market was very tough! To make the sale even more challenging a neighbor with the same floor plan was selling her house at the same time at similar price point. Her place was more upgraded than mine. My apartment sold 1st and for a higher price!

Her combination of professionalism, knowledge and negotiation skills make her in the top 1%! I would highly recommend Ivona.

I referred her to a friend and she sold her house in 24 hours!

Cheryl Cohn

We were first time home buyers in the city and were excited but nervous about the process. We interviewed Ivona and knew that we wanted to work with her immediately. She was extremely knowledgeable, professional and friendly. Especially as new home buyers we had more than our fair share of questions, and she responded to all of them quickly. Her recommendations were perfect and we were successful in purchasing our home. What I appreciate most about her is that she remained a valuable resource to us after the purchase was complete, making us feel as though we were much more than a transaction. I’d highly recommend her!

Beth Spurgeon

It was a pleasure working with Ivona this summer. She is very knowledgeable and really understands the real estate market in the West Loop area. She took the time to listen to our concerns and was very helpful every step of the way. Ivona was able to sell our unit in less than one week!

Thank you Ivona! You’re the best!

Sol Navarro

Ivona knows Chicago real estate extremely well. She gave us great advice and made the purchase of our new home as smooth as possible. I would highly recommend her services!

Dave Kirschbaum

Seamless from start to finish. As a colleague, Ivona is the consummate professional!

Kristy Dowell

Ivona’s worked as the seller’s realtor when my nephew and his wife bought their apartment. They found her so helpful to them that they recommended her to me. I was glad they did. This was the first apartment I bought and I was really new at what to do. One of the most important things in working with Ivona was that she did not pressure me in any way. She learned what I wanted and tried to accommodate my needs with the right apartment. I was new to Chicago and though I had one area in mind, she opened the scope a bit which was important. She showed me a few places that were not necessarily where I wanted but it helped redefine my needs.

We went through some suspenseful moments with sellers who would not reduce the price to a more reasonable one. She was very supportive through the tough moments. Eventually I found THE apartment. I love my apartment and am very grateful to Ivona for her knowledge of Chicago. She immediate grasped what I wanted, what would be good for me and what to expect in certain neighborhoods. She understands the value of the apartment with respect to the market. She advised me when an apartment was selling at too high a price or had some negatives. Of course, very important, she listened to me. She was straight forward and I really felt confident in her being honest with me.

Thank you Ivona!!!

Harriet Stein

I was referred to Ivona and could not ask for a more patient and knowledgeable realtor. I worked with her on both the sale of my condo and the purchase of my new home. She brought in an amazing photographer and my unit sold in less then 24 hours. It took me a little longer to figure out what I was looking for in my next place and Ivona was happy to take the extra time to make sure I was comfortable. She knows a great deal about the Chicago market and her team has excellent follow up. They are extremely professional and go above and beyond. She is a rock star and one of the best realtors in Chicago.

Jennifer Sher