If you watch any reality shows about flipping houses, you’ve probably come across Tarek El Moussa. His show about “Flip or Flop,” has been running for nine years and continues to keep viewers engaged. The show has helped El Moussa build his reputation and fortune as a real estate mogul. As of 2023, Tarek El Moussa’s estimated net worth is 15 million.
Early Life
Tarek was born in 1981 in California, and as his name implies, his Moroccan heritage comes from his father’s side. El Moussa got his real estate license at 21 years old, and quickly began flipping houses, capitalizing on the fact that California has one of the highest foreclosure rates in the country. His first flip netted him a profit just under $20K, but these days the flips have become much bigger.
Real Estate Career
He began flipping houses in Orange County, and in 2011 he recorded an audition tape that was sent to HGTV. HGTV signed him and his wife, Christina, to do a show the following year and that was the beginning of his journey to fame and fortune.
The first episode aired in 2013, and they also set up a real estate firm called the El Moussa Group. His process basically consists of buying homes at auction, renovating them and then selling at a profit. It’s obviously a risky strategy, but El Moussa definitely has a knack for it.
Reality TV Breakthrough
His show has separated him from the house-flipping herd, though. If you believe the rumors, Tarek and Christina made around $10,000 per episode in the early seasons but this figure rose to $40,000 to 50,000 per episode.
Tarek also owns Next Level Property Investments LLC and the agency, so it’s hard to question his ambition or work ethic. His latest venture is a $50 million project in LA called NoHo 138.
But houses aren’t the only thing El Moussa has flipped. While he tied the knot with Christina in 2009 and the couple divorced in 2018, but somehow she’s still involved in the show. Awkward!
Personal Life
The flip came when Moussa found a new real estate babe – Heather Rae Young, the hot blonde who stars in “Selling Sunset.” El Moussa definitely decided to go big when he married her. Their wedding featured a veritable wall of champagne, along with floral arches and a black wedding cake that was adorned with white orchids and sheets of edible gold.
The other flip in El Moussa’s life has also been volatile, but thankfully it came with a positive outcome. Several years ago a fan with a medical background spotted a lump on his neck, which turned into the beginning of a bout with both thyroid and testicular cancer.
Now El Moussa is healthy and in remission, but he attributes the cancer to the travails he associates with his hellish divorce, which was somewhat less amicable than he initially led fans to believe.
As for the future, it seems safe to assume that El Moussa will continue to keep flipping houses successfully as long as he can keep his love life stable. Fans can only hope he’s able to steer clear from other flips in his love life and health, for those kinds of flips tend to come with far more ominous flops. Currently, Tarek and Heather live together in Newport Beach, California.
