this is "nightline" -- >> tonight -- confessions from brokers to the stars selling the dream of luxury living. >> what it feels like to live in the house. >> you will never believe their secrets to the art of the real estate power play. >> plus, pretty woman, an academy award was just the beginning. now lupita is "people" magazine's most beautiful woman. but life has not always been so picture perfect. ♪ who won the world >> who won the world? >> beyonce. >> i'm not bossy, i'm the boss. >> reporter: "time" magazine's

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good evening. tonight we bring you an inside look at a corner of the real estate world few ever see. and the view from there is not to be believed. brokers are selling more than just dream houses, they're peddling a rarified lifestyle showcasing champagne and caviar as well as a ferrari in the driveway even if it is rented. abc's paula farris discovered the tricks of the trade for our series "real tty check." >> amazing infinity edge pool. insane. how much better does it get? >> reporter: from the palaces of l.a. -- to the penthouses of manhattan, luxury living is back. and more expensive than ever. this month, mansions in los angeles and greenwich, connecticut, each sold for more than $100 million, shattering record. >> welcome to the famous

billiard room. the fireplace mantle, hearst brought from a french chateau. >> reporter: this legendary beverly hills estate is available for any one with a spare $135 million. >> it is a very exciting time to be living, and it is like the dow jones, who knows how high it will go? >> reporter: a los angeles real estate broker who specializes in ultra-high-end homes. that is when he is not moonlighting on the "real housewives of beverly hills." >> good luck. >> reporter: his wife is housewife kyle richard. >> clients from europe, asia, china, singapore. >> reporter: all driving up prices. with demand high and inventory low, the u.s. housing market is on fire at all ends of the spectrum. >> real estate keeps beating expectations in terms of sales. today i have a really important client that is flown in from out of town. a business titan. a little more conservative to. day i will put on a tie.

>> reporter: the real estate agency that he runs is called simply, the agency. >> i have sold houses to absolutely everybody from extraordinarily high end celebrities whether it be an arnold schwarzenegger or heidi klume and seal, big hedge fund. big stock guys, gurus in their industries. >> i love this. such a cool, serene environment. >> reporter: with his daughter farrah a broker at the agency by his side, mauricio brought us on a tour of the agency's exclusive listings and revealed the art of the big sale. >> we think the right client for this house will be an art enthusiast. we went through the effort of bringing in really special art. >> reporter: this 16,000 square foot estate in holmby hills is for sale for $48 million. it is by some accounts the most expensive spec home for sale in america. >> we are on boardwalk right

now. the opportunity to represent, market and sell a property like this is extraordinarily exciting. >> reporter: tonight, he is throwing a champagne and caviar party, no, not for the high net worth buyers but for other select brokers who are getting a first peek at the house. >> have you had any of the caviar yet? >> reporter: the home is not officially listed on the real estate databases which means you have to know some one to find out about it. >> we are trying to just be exclusive. get it sold under the radar. this is a high-profile purchase. a lot of people don't look to be show-offs. >> if this is what $48 million can get you in los angeles, this its what a similarly priced duplex penthouse looks like in new york where prices per square foot are skyrocketing. >> how much are you paying for the strew? >> a lot. there are very few view points in manhattan. it could be the rivers and central park that are priceless. this is protected.

you will never lose your view here. >> reporter: you may recognize him from bravo's "million dollar listing new york" and his business partner head one of the top producing real estate brokerage teams in the country. >> you have a staff door. because this apartment was two apartments that were combined. if you are entertaining in the great room you can have staff that is coming in working in the kitchen. >> obviously if you have a $42.5 million property you are not doing cooking yourself. right? the apartment they hope to sell is in the time-warner center next to central park. >> walk-in cloz esets are very important. >> this is my favorite. >> designed by a woman. >> like a bowling alley. >> it remind me of "sex and the city." >> the tub, if i was to drop $42.5 million, i would want to verify just how good my view is from, from -- >> with the bubbles. >> yes, i am 6'5", almost.

>> you are tall. >> note the positioning of the tub looking at central park. >> wow. is this the view you want when you have your rub-a-dub-dub. at $12,000 per square foot they say their most likely buyer will be international shopping for a new york city crash pad. >> itch they're from out of town it is our job to sell new york, the city, lifestyle. we hook them up with the concierge, fly them places, hamptons, all about them buying into new york, the time-warner, this building, and also of course the $42.5 million apartment. >> we are selling a lifestyle. >> all on your dime, correct? >> all on our dime, correct. >> reporter: across the country, the marketing strategy include an enzo ferrari worth more than $1 million. >> for this much money you get to park your car on the lawn. >> reporter: they're prepping for an evening event for ferrari owners. >> we look at ways of selling a house through its lifestyle,

versus selling a property through its real estate. >> reporter: there is a price for this nest high of in the hollywood hills, $38 million. the furniture is included. not the art. >> some body buying the house, some body like leo dicaprio, loves the architecture, i see some one buying this house. >> dicaprio has not come in for a tour but has been house hunting in new york city and, he says that he visited a listing, new construction downtown. >> our job is to design something very specific for some one super-uber wealthy. the roof is private for the penthouse only. >> reporter: those who are not household names do not automatically get the red carpet rollout. potential buyers are screened before they can even tour. >> i have no to multiple people that have wanted to see houses. generally speaking it is because we don't feel that they qualify. i had another client who wanted to live right next door to sylvester stallone. i called sly, do you know the guy.

sly told me he had a stalker. we were able to cancel the showing. >> have you been taken advantage of? >> it is nothing for us to ask for bank statements. letters from accountants to verify there are enough monies in their accounts. it is pretty standard at this price point. >> reporter: when all goes well and the sale come through, the potential payoff is big. for a home in the $50 million range, commission is about $2 million. >> i think getting the big numbers is very important. i said if you want to get rich, increase the size of your deals. >> what are you driven by? >> the rush i get. negotiating for a long time. i do the impossible, which is getting the buyer and seller to meet. then i high kick and jump up and down and scream. whoo! >> reporter: a rush that can be worth millions. ♪ ♪ money on my mind ♪ >> reporter: paula faris for "nightline," in new york. >> oh, god, a day in the life.

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she went from anonymity to household name in the span of one awards season. lupita nyong'o is everywhere now and the starlet is embracing her new found fame with enviable style. but the road wasn't an easy one. and tonight she talks beauty, skin come lolor and race on the journey to self acceptance. here is abc's elizabeth vargas,

call it the moment, winning an academy award for her performance in "12 years a slave" and this week nominated "people" magazine's most beautiful woman of 2014, and lupita nyong'o is ig night hnit career, and a conversation about race and what it mooeans to be beautiful. what do you think your 13-year-old self, today, that you and all your, you call it dark beauty, celebrated now. >> she would be pleased. >> reporter: she would be shocked? >> i think so. when i was 13. my mother was telling me that i was beautiful. i would roll my eyes. because she is supposed to say that. but at the same time her having repeated it over and over again was not for naught, you know, in the end i heard her. >> reporter: and so has the rest of the world. >> i am the new ambassador for

lancome. >> she signed a lucrative deal to become spokeswoman for lancome, another barrier broken. as the the new face of lancome, do you think you have now a brand new stage on which to redefine beauty? >> yeah, and now i am here. and i know i am not alone. there has been others before me that have made it possible for me to be here in this position. i don't think it's up to me to change it, it is people and the media have a role to play. >> reporter: because of this campaign your face will be on billboards around the world? >> yes, visibility changes. that is for sure. we become more visible. people like me. >> reporter: the beauty of dark skin. it is a message that lupita wants the rest of the world to embrace. it is also a message that still flies in the face of painful stereotypes, accepting an award at essence black women in hollywood, lupita, a native of

kenya, read a letter. >> i was just about dentures and scream to lighten my skin when you appeared on the world map and saved me. >> reporter: you said in the speech you parade every night to good to make your skin lighter. >> yeah, they said god answers prayers. so that was mine. >> reporter: what was it that helped you eventually accept your own coloring and, and believe in your heart that it was as beautiful as your mother had been telling you all those years? >> well my parents sent me to mexico when i was 16. we were a handful of black people in this town. and so i stood out like a sore them. one day a friend of mine introduced me to a mexican photographer. he asked whether he could take my picture. and he did. and just being in front of his lens and him -- wanting to capture me was such a confidence booster. and i felt so beautiful. so that, yeah, for me that was a

real turning point. >> reporter: another turning point for lupita was refuge in flickering images on the movie screen. >> i think it pissed goid off i you walk by the color purple in a field and don't notice. >> reporter: when she watched the color purple that something took hold. >> for them to have hair like mine and dark like me and telling a story. that was really early in my life when i wasn't necessarily thinking about race. it was at the time when i was starting to real i that this is something that people do for a living. >> reporter: soon she would be one of the people, just as lupita was finishing drama school, director steve mcqueen was searching for his muse for "12 years a slave." >> what i wanted that kind of breeze that comes with the back of your hand. and you feel the presence of something beautiful. and that's what i wanted. i am asking the world. i am asking for something that doesn't exist. but we found it. oh, we found it. >> i didn't know that steve had

been looking and had auditioned over 1,000 women. i had no idea. for me it was just a role that had been put before me. and it was a chance for me to practice my -- auditioning skills. >> reporter: lupita not only scored the role she owned her performance as the abused and foresaken slave, >> 500 pound of cotton, day in, day out! more than any man here! >> i remember the first day of rehearsal, i said, give it to them. >> i ain't got no comfort in this life. >> you can see the guys, i have got to get my -- together. >> reporter: she would garner 20 award for her performance and the award circuit allowed her to flaunt her unique style. how would you describe your style? >> vibrant.

>> reporter: that is a good word. >> it is always important to have a sense of humor in what you are wearing. just something that makes you smile. >> reporter: when you go home, and you kick off the high heels. >> uh-huh. >> reporter: and you take off the rodarte dress. what do you put on? >> pajamas. i have this adorable leopard print onesy. >> a oncy. >> a oncy. it is green and purple. and i love it. >> reporter: for the biggest night of the season. a far cry from pjs, she opted for powder blue prada. even though everybody thought you were a shoo-in. were you surprised when they read your name. >> and the oscar goes to -- lupita nyong'o! >> yes. it is easy for people to think i am a shoo-in. they have nothing to lose. or to gain from it. you snow and the thing about sitting there, when there is a lifetime between, and the

academy award goes to -- and the name called out. and it is agonizing. and then they said my name. and i wasn't sure whether they had said my name or i had said my name. ♪ ♪ do you worry that this can't last? this, this pinnacle that you have been perched upon for literally months now? >> i know there is an ebb and a flow. you snow and this is a great time in my life. and it doesn't mean that the high is the great. you know? a low could be great too. this is a great high. >> reporter: when you look, five, ten years down the road, where do you want to be? >> oh, wow. five, ten years? oh. >> reporter: hey long time. >> it is. right now, i am more concerned with right now. there is a lot how to do a lot to figure out. and i hope i am still smiling. >> reporter: a radiant smile that knows no bound. i'm elizabeth vargas for

"nightline" in new york. coming up from independent woman to running the world. what is beyonce's latest accolade? next on "nightline." ♪ ♪ choose one option from the wood-fire grill, one signature shrimp dish, and a pasta like new lobster mac and cheese. three choices all on one plate. just $15.99. for a limited time only! you can build it any way that you like, pick your three favorite things. it is spectacular! i'm nathan tavernaris and i sea food differently. if yand you're talking toevere rheuyour rheumatologistike me, about a biologic... this is humira. this is humira helping to relieve my pain. this is humira helping me lay the groundwork. this is humira helping to protect my joints from further damage. doctors have been prescribing humira for ten years.

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"nightline" continues with "feed frenzy." queen b, continuing her reign, graduation the cover of time magazine's most influential people of 2014. she is asked who won the world? ♪ who won the world >> reporter: the answer is clear. a member of destiny's child as a young teen, since then, the independent woman has shattered album records, snagged grammys, played austin power's side kick. >> it's me, foxy! >> reporter: just release aid surprised album, married jay-z, and had a baby, topping 99 others on the global list of movers and shakers. o i knefeel like my mother and

daughter are mosten influential. and looking into my daughter's eyes made me strong. >> paying homage, cheryl sandberg, encouraging women to lean in. >> i'm not bossy, i'm the boss. >> queen b, sitting pretty on the throne. >> not bad. thank you for watching abc news. tune in to "good morning america" tomorrow. and as always, we're online at abcnews.com. good night, america. ♪ [ male announcer ] a car that is able to see to calculat to think -- and can respond to what it encounters. even if that means completely stopping itself. it's the stuff of science fiction... ...minus the fiction.

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