A Foundation of Love
By Elizabeth Gregerson | Photographed by Michael Allen
Jade Mills’ perseverance in real estate has inspired her daughters to forge their own successful paths in the industry and beyond.
With career sales exceeding eight billion dollars, Jade Mills stands out as a top real estate agent in the U.S., especially in Beverly Hills. But her rise to the top was not a straightforward path.
Tiffany Mills and Alexis LaMontagna, Jade’s daughters, grew up watching their mother establish her career. They remember the times when they were by their mother’s side as she knocked on door after door to meet potential clients and fielded phone calls in the car when she picked them up from school. One particular moment from Jade’s early days in real estate still brings Tiffany to tears when she recalls it.
“The homeowner slammed the door and said, ‘Get out of here!’” Tiffany remembers. “And my mom walked away crying. It's definitely not a favorite memory, but it's a memory that reminds me how far she's come and how dedicated she was. She stuck to it, and I'm just proud of her.”
But Jade’s story begins even before that when she left her hometown of Alamo, California, and came to Los Angeles on her own. The reason for the big move? Her mother’s dream.
“My mother always wanted me to come to Hollywood, be an actress, and experience what she wanted in her life,” Jade said. “So when I first came to Los Angeles, I got an agent. I joined the Screen Actors Guild. I went out on interviews for commercials, for acting jobs, and I found out really quickly that it wasn't what I wanted. I was trying to live my mother's dream.”
Jade does not look back at this time of her life with regret though, she considers the move to be what pushed her out of her hometown and towards the life she shares with her family today.
While on that journey, Jade found herself navigating life as a single mother after the death of her late husband. Two years later, she made the decision to pursue a career in real estate to take care of her children. Somewhat serendipitously, Jade met her current husband of 32 years (and business partner), Adam Mills, around that same time, and she built her career with his support.
“Adam and I have really established my business together,” Jade says. “He's been behind me all the way, pushing me, supporting me, and bringing my business to what it is.”
Adam has helped Alexis and Tiffany build their businesses as well, all while managing a large real estate portfolio and running his own successful business designing and building luxury homes. A house Adam designed for Elton John was featured on the cover of Architectural Digest.
Tiffany and Alexis both have their own careers in real estate now, with TIffany living and working in Santa Ynez and Alexis established in the Calabasas and Sherman Oaks areas.
Tiffany has studied spiritual psychology and has plans with Jade to share their success stories through speaking engagements. She attributes much of her recent happiness to her courage in moving away from family and friends to build a more authentic life in Santa Ynez.
“I'm living my best life,” Tiffany said. “It's so amazing. I have a bunch of rescue animals, and I live on an acre, and it's just nature. I hear birds chirping, I hear the roosters. I think that move was huge for me because I really followed my heart.”
Alexis has found similar inspiration after branching out from Beverly Hills. She is currently working towards having a fully in-house brokerage that will offer both architectural design and real estate transactions, all while she juggles life as a professional and mom to three active children.
“There are a lot of days that feel overwhelming, actually. Having three kids and working sometimes 60 or 70 hours a week . . . it's tough. I have the most incredible husband in the world, and he helps me hold it all down. And I also thrive in chaos, to be honest. If I'm not busy enough, it's actually worse than when I'm really busy.”
Watching their mother as children taught Tiffany and Alexis more than just how to succeed as women and mothers in real estate. Jade never encouraged or expected her children to pursue careers in real estate. She says all she ever wanted was for them to be "good, ethical, responsible people.”
“Success, to me, is feeling great about what you're doing or who you are,” Jade said. “What makes me feel successful is treating other people with kindness and respect.”
When asked what the most beneficial advice her mother has ever given her, Alexis doesn't mention listing tips or how to close a deal, instead, she responded with a sentiment that is a direct reflection of the values Jade hoped to instill in her children.
“Be kind and be honest. If people trust you and if you're always honest, it doesn't matter if you make a mistake. If you are always honest and upfront with people, they'll always trust you.”
Tiffany remembers a moment in her early real estate career when she had to put her mother’s teachings into practice.
“I was working with a buyer,” Tiffany said. “And he wanted to buy this property right next to a parking lot,” Tiffany says she told the buyer not to purchase the property because he would have a hard time if and when he tried to resell it.
“He actually stopped talking to me and bought it with another agent,” Tiffany said. “Which is fine. I can sleep at night. That was my honest truth. I'm so grateful to have my mother as my mentor and as my mother because even aside from real estate, she taught us all to do the right thing.”
But with their mother’s wisdom comes the hard truth that they are navigating careers in the same industry as Jade. They will always be the daughters of one of the most successful and widely known real estate agents in the country, the agent who sold “The Spelling Manor” for nearly $120 million.
“It's been a blessing and a curse to have a mother that is already so successful in a business that you are trying to break into,” Alexis said. “The blessing is that you have an incredible mentor. The curse is that people expect you to be just like her, and I'm not. Obviously, I'm my own person. I have had to earn people's respect and their trust, which is understandable. But I think people feel differently after we do a deal together.”
“In the beginning, it was hard being Jade Mills’ daughter because, let's face it, she's the queen,” Tiffany agreed. But neither daughter holds any negativity about their circumstances. They are nothing but grateful for their mother’s love and support. As they each carve their own unique path in the business, they are working hard at building the foundations for their future career plans.
As for Jade, despite the staggering financial figures published regarding the deals she has brokered over her career, work is not the center of her life.
“It's always been very important to my mom to spend family time and be together,” Tiffany said. “She wants it to be like Dynasty. She would have all of her family living in a compound at her house if we would do it.”
Above the sales, the rankings, the awards, and the success, for Jade Mills, it always comes down to one thing: her family.
“I had a very close family growing up,” Jade said. “I had the best childhood that anyone could experience. We didn't have money, and I never knew that because my parents gave us everything in the way of love and support that we could ever have.”
The impact of her parents’ love is still present today.
“Everyone says, ‘Your work is 24/7,’ and that's probably very true,” Jade said. “But if any of my children or my grandchildren need me, I'm there. I will be anywhere my children or my grandchildren want me to be or need me.