This year is already off to a promising start for Tarek El Moussa.
Not only is the HGTV star set to return for a 10th season of “Flip or Flop” and a second season of his solo series “Flipping 101” later this year (not to mention his new series, “Tarek’s Flip Side,” on Discovery’s new streaming platform, Discovery+), he’s also tying the knot with Heather Rae Young, a real estate celebrity in her own right thanks to the Netflix show “Selling Sunset.”
“I’m so excited for 2021,” he says. “2020, with all the craziness, it still may have been the best year of my life. So I’m hoping 2021 is even better.”
Born into an immigrant family in Buena Park, Calif., El Moussa, 39, was 21 when he received his real estate license. In 2005, while working together at a real estate agency, he met Christina Haack. The couple made it big together — selling million-dollar mansions and living in a home with a reported $6,000 a month mortgage — then took a huge financial blow with the 2008 burst of the housing bubble.
In an attempt to rebuild, they pivoted to house flipping and, in 2011, a friend helped them film a pilot of the progression from start to finish. Ten years later, “Flip or Flop” has burgeoned into one of the network’s most successful franchises, launching multiple spinoffs in different cities and turning El Moussa and Haack into two of the most popular reality stars on television.Thanks to a solid, supportive relationship with ex-wife Haack (they married in 2009, their divorce was final in 2018), they continue to co-parent their two children -— daughter Taylor, 10, and son Brayden, 5, and co-star on the show.
Photo Courtesy HGTV
“We co-parent great together,” he says of his current relationship with Haack. “We film the show together. The ratings are great, the designs are great. We’re doing really good.”
With ratings as strong as ever, “Flip or Flop” showcases the duo scooping up Southern California properties in less-than-ideal conditions, working their renovation, repair and design magic (with some lighthearted ribbing and added drama thrown in), then revealing transformed makeovers.
The show’s premise, he says, came to him at a real estate convention. “It was 2010 and I met a guy who told me he had a TV show about selling houses in Palm Springs, California. It got me thinking about getting on TV, but at the time, I hadn’t flipped any houses yet. We had just bought our first flip. And then it hit me: what if we flipped houses on television? The second it came to me, it was like 10 o’clock at night, I started Googling production companies and sending emails to see who was interested in a house-flipping show.”
While the format of “Flip or Flop” sounds straightforward, the process is hardly a breeze. When asked to recount some of the worst conditions they’ve come across, he laughs, immediately ticking off a list. “Houses with fake prosthetic legs, houses with horse bones on the property. Rats and cockroaches, mice and squatters. But the worst thing you can find when you’re flipping houses are foundation issues. This season, we did buy a few houses with some major foundation issues that were really a nightmare, but in the end they came out spectacularly.”
Photos by Grant Rivera at Apex Visions
On “Flipping 101,” El Moussa serves as a mentor, coaching rookie flippers through their first turnarounds — from the initial bidding to the final sale. His number one piece of advice? Do your homework.
“Make sure you invest in yourself. You need to know what you’re doing. Flipping houses is a risky business, take the time to get educated.”
That said, he believes the environment right now is ripe.
“The prices are going through the roof, the inventory is low and the interest rates are dropping. The real estate market is just on fire.”
“Flipping 101,” already a top 10 cable series in its timeslot, also shares peeks into El Moussa’s personal life. Season one culminated with his beachside, candle-lit proposal to Young in the finale. The pair initially met years earlier while Young was already in a relationship. She turned El Moussa down after he asked her on a date.
Both were single by July 2019, however, when they crossed paths again in Newport Beach, Calif.
“Fourth of July, his boat was parked next to the boat I was on down in Newport. And my girlfriend happened to be on his boat,” Young explained on “Selling Sunset.” “I jumped on his boat and he turned around; he was like, ‘Hi, I’m Tarek.’’’
They began dating immediately, made the relationship Instagram-official in August and were engaged a year later in July 2020.
Photos Courtesy HGTV
“It definitely moved very quickly,” said Young. “But we both said when we’re together the world stops. I feel like I’ve known him for years. When you know, you know, right?”
While proposing, viewers did not have to squint to catch sight of the 8-carat, emerald cut engagement ring he presented her with.
“Originally, I just wanted it to be private,” he explains. “I thought maybe I can have one camera shoot it with a long lens from my boat just to have it. But as more time went on, I kept realizing how beautiful and special it was going to be and I thought, I want to capture it, let’s just film it. The best part was I shut down the entire beach and everyone was hiding in tents so she didn’t see anybody. So it was really private, it was real, it was raw. On the show you only saw a few seconds but we were hugging and kissing for minutes. It was an amazing experience,” El Moussa says.
The real estate power couple does plan on tying the knot before the end of the year, but so far have been tight-lipped on the details.
With Young now popping up on his show, can we expect a reverse series crossover with El Moussa making a “Selling Sunset” cameo? He plays it equally coy.
“We’re going to find out,” he teases. “You’re going to have to wait for it.”
As far as their own nest, he and Young moved into a home in Newport Beach this past fall which — you guessed it — they are renovating and redesigning. Unexpected flooding took them by surprise.
“It was a nightmare,” he explains. “When it rains, it pours, literally. The house flooded, which put us a few months behind. But we’re making some good progress.”
And while their home and careers are decidedly based on the West Coast, they recently enjoyed a winter getaway in South Florida, vacationing in Islamorada. “It was so much fun,” he says. “I had never been to the Keys. We were flying in on a plane and to be on this tiny strip of land in the middle of the ocean was the coolest thing. It was just gorgeous. I really enjoyed it. I would definitely come back.”
Photos by Grant Rivera at Apex Visions
He’s adding even more to his plate with the newly launched TEM Investments, an investment firm that offers members the opportunity to team up and own equity with El Moussa and his associates on real estate ventures.
“It’s been a lifelong dream of mine,” he shares. “People have been watching me invest in real estate for over a decade on TV. Finally, with this company, accredited investors can actually partner and invest with me on these deals. It’s really exciting.”
For El Moussa, this spring also marks two years free from cancer. While watching “Flip or Flop” in 2013, a nurse noticed an unusual lump on his neck. She reached out to the show, prompting El Moussa to get it checked out. Thanks to her, his Stage 2 thyroid cancer was caught before it worsened. But while undergoing further testing that same year, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer as well. Fortunately, treatment for both has been successful.
“I’m in remission now,” he says. “Thankfully, things are good.”
With his health, family and career thriving, he knows there’s a lot to celebrate.
“New companies, new shows — I’m getting married. It’s a juggling act, to be honest, and it does get busy. But that’s the life of an entrepreneur. I think it’s going to be the greatest year of my life.”