It’s the 50th episode of our podcast and we’re celebrating by bringing you an outstanding conversation with one of the foremost agents in luxury real estate. Join Howard and his guest Nicole Plaxen as they discuss her career and her experiences working in the highly competitive world of ultra-luxury real estate.

Nicole developed her real estate skills with one of the world’s most legendary luxury real estate figures: her mentor, Sally Forster Jones. Since 2007, Nicole, alongside Sally, has played a significant role in taking the SFJ Group to $9 billion+ in sales. She has participated in over 2,500 transactions including stratospheric sales such as the Spelling Manor for $85,000,000 and Minecraft creator Markus Persson’s Trousdale estate for $70,000,000.

Working in this high-profile environment, Nicole has gained priceless experience and exceptional leadership skills, perfected the art of negotiation, and has personally acquired a roster of clients packed with professional athletes and other high-net-worth individuals from around the globe.

Her confident skill in navigating the most complex transactions, along with her extensive knowledge of real estate contracts, has earned the admiration and trust of her prestigious clientele. Because her highest priority is protecting her buyers and sellers, she treats the full escrow process as a continuous negotiation in which she never stops working for her clients.

Nicole draws on a rare combination of intuition, creativity, and sharp business skills to consistently close deals. Her involvement in thousands of inspections has given her a keen understanding of property conditions, a critical advantage in guiding her clients through the escrow process.


Her love of real estate was born long before she joined the SFJ Group. As a child, she watched in fascination as her mother successfully bought and flipped homes throughout Los Angeles. Ten years later, she began her career as a title rep and later a mortgage account executive. In 2007, she left the mortgage industry to pursue her passion for real estate sales.

A long-time resident of Beverly Hills, Nicole is passionately dedicated to an array of charitable causes. She’s also a supporter of Worldvision.org.