N
icole Flender, a Corcoran agent and mother of Timothée Chalamet, shows a one-bedroom apartment in Midtown to an Italian couple. The unit has great light, despite being on the 17th floor above Times Square, but the view is marred by a giant neon Krispy Kreme sign. Flender explains that the building's friendly rental policy and price of $949,000 make it a good investment.

    Flender has been selling real estate for nearly a decade after her husband spotted a Groupon deal for discounted courses at the New York Real Estate Institute. She was working as a dance teacher in NYC public schools at the time, but had already raised her children, Timmy and Pauline, who were both working actors. Flender's family has a long history of performing arts - her father was a comedian and novelist, her mother a Broadway dancer, and her brother a child star turned writer-director.

    Flender attended Yale and danced on tours before getting her master's in French literature at NYU. She worked in Paris teaching English as a second language and later sold skin-care products over the phone. "I was good at sales," she says, comparing it to meeting clients and getting referrals in real estate. Flender got married in 1985 and rented an apartment in midtown before moving into Manhattan Plaza with her family.

    As her children grew older, they began landing acting gigs on shows like Law & Order. However, Flender was determined not to become a "momager" and continued working as a dance teacher, writer, and occasional actress. She even helped Pauline secure residuals for years after she was downgraded from a principal to a background actor on the set of Royal Pains.

    Flender seems matter-of-fact about her children's success, attributing it to their talent rather than privilege. Timmy recently bought an $11 million house in Beverly Hills, while Pauline purchased an apartment in Paris. Flender won't be following them around and instead plans to stay at Manhattan Plaza, where she still substitute-teaches in public schools.

    Flender continues to sell real estate with Corcoran, helping clients flip apartments and taking rentals. She's close with her fellow agents - a group of Manhattan moms on second and third careers - but occasionally receives weird calls and emails asking for autographs or seeking her help selling apartments because of her son's fame.