Lawrence Starkman

Lawrence Starkman - Interesting History Books

Lawrence Starkman has many hobbies outside of his work as a real estate agent, but he particularly enjoys activities that challenge him to think in new ways and learn more about the world around him. Two of his most favorite hobbies include reading and learning about history, therefore, he often reads books related to historical events. There have been many great historical book releases in the past few years, covering many different periods of history.

• A fascinating recent release for political junkies, Kate Anderson Brower’s The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House tells the stories of the service staff in America’s most recognizable home. Taking real anecdotes from many different presidencies from the last 100 years, Brower brings a new perspective to some of the most famous lives in American politics.
• For something a little darker, readers might enjoy The Witches: Salem, 1692, by Stacy Schiff. This book tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials in Puritan Massachusetts. Schiff infuses the suspense of a thriller with the riveting and repulsive details of life in this time period. The book captures the feeling of panic and confusion as if it had just happened yesterday.
• Those who enjoy a good spy movie are sure to get sucked into David E. Hoffman’s The Billion Dollar Spy: A True Story of Cold War Espionage and Betrayal. This book follows a CIA spy as he successfully infiltrated the Soviet government to gain access to information from a Soviet military engineer that would benefit the US for decades to come.

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Lawrence Starkman - Small Ways to Increase the Value of Your Home

As a real estate professional in Chicago, Lawrence Starkman has overseen the sales of many properties throughout his career. He is also a certified appraiser, which means that he has an extremely good eye for small details that can affect a property’s value. For many homeowners, it is extremely important to keep the value of their home up so that they can eventually sell for a good price. Unfortunately, over time many homes depreciate in value. Luckily, there are small things you can do to slightly increase your home’s value. While there are some factors that affect pricing that are completely unchangeable (the location, most importantly), you have more control over your home’s value you than you may think.

• Keep the house as clean as you possibly can. Over time, dust, dirt, and grime will build up and can cause minor damages to your home, as well as lower your house’s value. Mold can also be a huge nuisance and severely lower property values.  A house can never be too clean, so it is definitely worth the investment to keep your home spotless.
• Focus on your home’s exterior, particularly in the front of the house facing the street. This is what people first see when they look at your home, and first impressions are everything. Keep your lawn looking nice and trimmed and your porch very tidy. Add some well-placed flowers, a welcome mat, or any other little touches that you think would positively accentuate the front of your house. Additionally, make sure there are no obvious flaws, like peeling paint or a broken garage light. These things will draw attention away from the good things about your home.
• It is likely that you won’t be able to afford to completely upgrade every single room in your home, so focus on two that really matter: the kitchen and the bathroom. Both of these areas are used very frequently, so any damage to them can have a real impact on your home’s value. Get your kitchen looking warm and friendly, with clean and sleek looking surfaces and little touches like added storage space. Make sure your oven, stove, and refrigerator are working well, as there’s nothing more frustrating than an oven that takes forever to preheat or a fridge that doesn’t keep things cool. Clean up your bathroom by adding new grout and paint, and add welcoming touches like additional lighting, granite countertops, or even a heated floor. Focusing on these areas of your home will be the best investment when it comes to improving your home’s value.

Lawrence Starkman has appraised thousands of homes throughout his career. With a little work, you can boost the value of almost any property in just a few months.

Lawrence Starkman - Education and Training for Real Estate Professionals

Lawrence Starkman has decades of experience in the real estate industry, and is one of the most successful real estate professionals in the Chicago area. He has worked very hard over the years to develop his real estate credentials. He is a member of many real estate boards, as well as having certifications in appraisal and brokerage. He also holds a Bachelor’s degree from Roosevelt University.

There are many different educational paths one can take to become a real estate professional, depending on the specific job title that you are pursuing. Real estate agents do not necessarily need to attend college or university. Instead, each US state has specific requirements and tests to pass in order to become a licensed real estate agent.

To begin the process of becoming a real estate agent, one must be 18 or 19 years old (depending on the state) and be a legal US citizen. Then, one must begin studying to take the real estate licensing examination. These exams are different in every state, and there are different courses available depending on location. Each state requires a different number of hours spent in the classroom before the test can be taken, but it usually ranges between thirty and ninety hours. These courses cover many important topics, such as property law for the state you are located in, business strategies for real estate agents (including market pricing and finding buyers), and general real estate practices. These classes are essential for preparing a future broker for work in real estate. Some real estate agencies take it a step further, requiring their new brokers to take additional classes within the agency to continue to develop their skills.

To successfully obtain a real estate license, one will have to pass both state and national exams. These exams require a fee, usually of at least $200. Because the process of becoming a real estate agent can be financially costly and time-intensive, it is important to determine if real estate is the right profession for you before committing to taking real estate education classes.

Once a real estate agent has established a career, they can augment their resume by obtaining further certifications. For example, Lawrence Starkman is a certified as both a broker and an appraiser in the state of Illinois, as well as being a certified appraiser in the state of Michigan. Because of this, he is able to expand his business to a wider range of people, and is also able to provide more services in the real estate field. Education in the real estate field is essential for becoming a successful professional, whether that be a broker, manager, appraiser, or anything else.

Lawrence Starkman - Handball Basic Play

Handball is an exciting team sport played around the world with a rich history. It is most popular in Europe, where most of the champion teams are located but is also commonly played in the Far East, Brazil and North Africa. The rules are laid out by the International Handball Federation. Lawrence Starkman likes to play handball whenever he gets the chance.

Each team consists of seven players, six that are on the field and one goalkeeper. Each game is between two teams where players attempt to score points by getting the ball into the opposing team’s goal.

Players are allowed to pass, shoot or keep possession of the ball. If they have possession, they must dribble (similar to basketball) in order to keep the ball. They are allowed to take up to three steps or three seconds without dribbling.

Field players are not allowed to touch the floor in the goal area, which is about six meters to the goal. A shot or pass is allowed to be made in the goal area if they are completed before the player touches the floor. Goalkeepers are allowed to leave the goal area but cannot cross the boundary with the ball in hand. The ball is not allowed to be passed back to the goalkeeper while they are in the goal area.

Handball is a very fast-paced sport that typically lasts for two thirty minute periods. Whichever team has the most points at the end of the game wins. Because of the unique goal area, players will sometimes launch themselves into the air over the goal area and pass or shot the ball before they hit the ground.

Lawrence Starkman likes to play handball to stay fit and active.

Lawrence Starkman - Must Read Book - The Great Gatsby

There are so many great books out there to read, how do you narrow down the list? There are some books that are make the list of books you must read over and over again. That is probably a good place to start. The Great Gatsby will more than likely be on every list out there as it is considered a classic book by many. Often assigned to students in middle or high school, this book is a great read for anyone that loves the glitz and glam of the 1920s or that just loves a well-told story. Lawrence Starkman likes to read many classic novels.

Written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925, The Great Gatsby explores that fascinating world of Jay Gatsby and the over the top Jazz Age. A sad story by some accounts, Gatsby is able to have so much of what he desires in life, except for love. The story tells of his ever-reaching quest for the one thing he desires most and gives a look from the outside of a lonely man’s life who many think, has it all.

The Great Gatsby is a great book to re-read as an adult if you were required to read it in school. Years of experience in life can give a different perspective to the story than you may have had as a teenager. It may just help you realize some things about the goals you are chasing in your own life and whether they are what you should be dedicating your time to.

Lawrence Starkman is an avid reader and likes to learn about a variety of topics.

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Lawrence Starkman - How to Improve Concentration and Focus

Many adults and children struggle to concentrate and focus. This can have negative effects on school or work as well as your relationships and can lead to issues with self-esteem. It is more common than ever with the fast-paced, constantly multi-tasking world of today to have issues focusing. With so many screens demanding our attention and so many other fun things to do, it can be hard to devote any amount of your time on a single activity. Reading is an easy and inexpensive way to combat this problem with attention. Lawrence Starkman has seen the positive effects of reading.

Reading a book for less than thirty uninterrupted minutes a day can work wonders for your concertation and focus. Allowing yourself to get lost into a book and get wrapped up in the story it is telling helps your mind distress and gives it a break from the demands of multitasking.

Multitasking isn’t good for your brain or your productivity. There is a serious drop in productivity when you try to focus on more than one thing that not only leads to slower completion of tasks but less effective completion as well.

Try reading for 15-30 minutes before heading to work or school instead of over-stimulating your brain with multiple tasks and you will be surprised at how much more you are able to focus on each task you must complete. Lawrence Starkman is an avid reader and enjoys learning about a variety of new topics, like history, art, and sports.

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Lawrence Starkman - Collecting Fine Art: Who Created It?

When deciding if you want to add a piece of art to your collection, many things need to be taken into consideration. One of the most important questions you need to ask yourself is who created the art? Is their work something you want to invest in? Lawrence Starkman has had to ask himself this question each time he adds a piece to his collection of fine art.

Doing some research about the artist will help you determine if the piece will be a good investment or if the artist’s work won’t stand the test of time and it will not increase in value. Start by doing some digging into the person. When they were born and when they died, if they are no longer living. Where they lived and worked. What galleries, museums, or institutions they had their work featured at. What awards, grants, prizes or honors they received. What other collectors, if any, own their work. What position the artist held, such as professor, lecturer, teacher, writer, resident artist. How many publications they were mentioned in and the credibility of that publication. What organizations the artist belonged to. Where the artist studied and if they studied with anyone of note.

After finding the answers to these questions you will have a better understanding of the artists and if they have accomplishments that will help their career maintain longevity. Remember that art is an investment that can increase over time and doing the research into the person that created it is important. The more significant the person’s reputation and profile, the higher probability the piece will increase in value either as the artist creates more works or after their death as pieces become rarer.

It is also helpful to talk to friends or people you know in the art industry. The more word or mouth an artist receives, the better known the art. This will allow the artist’s work to become more desirable and increase in value. Look to the opinion of art experts as their determination can affect the value more than amateurs in the art scene.

Collecting fine art can be a fun hobby and a great way to invest in your future. Making smart decisions about which pieces to invest in, and in turn which artist to invest in, will help reap the benefits of your investment and result in a bigger payoff in the end. Lawrence Starkman is an avid fine art collector from Evanston, Illinois.

Lawrence Starkman - Avid Reader

Lawrence Starkman is an avid reader who, on more than one occasion, has found himself lost in the pages of a good history book. A lover of the written word, Lawrence can just as easily become entranced with the historical accounts of the Civil War as with the fantastical worlds of a Science Fiction novel. There’s an unending number of world’s to be explored, which Lawrence says can be found by simply picking up a book. Lawrence loves the fact that each story has its own unique setting and that there are lessons in every story that can be used within our daily lives. For Lawrence, reading is a great way to keep his mind sharp, as well as being a cheap form of entertainment. Reading has also been shown to help slow down the mental aging process, helping to prevent cognitive decline.

Lawrence Starkman also uses his love of reading to help advance his career. Searching for books relating to the economy and real estate, Lawrence can attribute some of his professional advancement to the material he took from these books. The most important thing about reading is the ability to recognize the learning potential they offer to anyone who takes the time to learn from them. Lawrence is even able to see professional value in books that may seem unrelated to real estate, like history and politics. For Lawrence, it is all about understanding how the fundamentals of both politics and history can be used with property acquisitions.

Lawrence Starkman - Staying Ahead of the Competition

A well-respected and experienced real estate professional, Lawrence Starkman has enjoyed many years of success over his long and accomplished career. With his years of success, many fellow real estate agents in and around the Chicago area have sought Lawrence out in hopes of learning gaining insight, and asking for advice in the highly competitive real estate market. Lawrence has stepped into the role of mentor and responds to these requests by providing the knowledge that he has gained over the years.

One of the most important things Lawrence Starkman says you must remember when running a successful real estate agency is to know the area and who your competition is. Real estate has always been a highly competitive industry, and finding success means finding the high value targets or properties before the competition does. Lawrence says that the only way to do this is to know your competition.

Over his esteemed career, Lawrence Starkman has developed a formula that allows him to categorize the numerous forms his competition may or may not take on. Lawrence says that his formula came from of years of fine-tuning his data, though it is far from perfect. The formula allows him to gain a quick understanding of the competition, which he can quickly assess before taking any action. Lawrence says that he doesn’t know how many times he has been able to beat out the competition because he took the time to research the competition. By knowing the competition, Lawrence has even been able to turn many of these competitors into beneficial partnerships, working together to reach their goals.

Lawrence Starkman - A Man of Principle

Lawrence Starkman is the kind of person who follows a set of standards and rules that he has established for himself, and then follows those standards without fail. Simply put, Lawrence is a man of principle, someone who believes he is only as good as his word. It is this philosophy and conduct that has made him very successful as a professional in the real estate industry. People, including clients, often look at Lawrence as a trustworthy and admirable individual, one who is concerned more with the well being of a community than he is with the profits he can turn from it. Lawrence says that he chooses to conduct himself based on a core set of principles because he believes that when it comes to business, consistency is key. Lawrence says that he works hard to assure that each one of his clients is not only treated with the respect they deserve, but given the same level of commitment to excellence as all of his clients. Lawrence is a man who does not believe in special treatment, no matter how high profile the client.

Lawrence Starkman has begun to win over the local community with his affordable services and trustworthy advice, as well as his sympathy with the common man. Lawrence goes out of his way to help all of his clients, to assure that their needs are met in every aspect, before moving on to the next one. Lawrence does not give priority to bigger clients, nor turn people away from his door, because he operates on the principle that all men are created equally, and should be treated as such. It is this business policy that has quickly made Lawrence the proverbial talk of the town.

Lawrence Starkman - Fine Art Fanatic 

Lawrence Starkman is a man who knows how to enjoy the finer things in life. Lawrence has what many would call a refined pallet, one that enjoys the more subtle flavors that life has to offer. Among those flavors includes Lawrence's love of fine art. Lawrence can often be found during his spare time at a local museum or art exhibit, taking in pieces from both the past and present, analyzing and interpreting them in meaningful ways. Lawrence says that art is truly a fascinating subject, and that it often condenses all of the other subjects, such as science, religion, social studies, and history into one picture. It is this remarkable ability of art to do so that keeps Lawrence coming back for more. Lawrence says that just by seeing the specific style of a piece of art, he could tell you the era that it came from, the big social and political issues of the time, as well as the belief systems and ideologies in place. Lawrence says that an artwork is simply a snapshot of an era, an expression of the time, culture, and mind set of a people expressed through an individual.

Lawrence Starkman loves art because of its ability to transcend time, to speak to anyone willing to listen. Lawrence says that each artwork holds its own beauty, its own story and lineage that can be traced back into a fascinating and winding world history. Lawrence says the history of Earth is a colorful and intricate tapestry, one that is illustrated one tile at a time by the many works of fine art that have come down through the ages. Lawrence says that art, is simply the essence of man expressed.