Tarek El Moussa, the famed co-host of HGTV’s popular Flip or Flop program, is also a renowned real estate investor and a multi-millionaire.
Though he is better known for his TV appearances, a massive portion of his net worth is derived from his separate investments in stocks and real estate.
Thanks to both sources of income, Tarek El Moussa’s net worth this year exceeds $20 million.
In this article, we break down the life, career, and net worth of one of the richest television personalities in the world with a brilliant mind for real estate investments and business.
From his early days since obtaining a real estate license to his meteoric rise to fame on HGTV, we’ll explore how Tarek El Moussa amassed his millions.
Key Highlights: Tarek El Moussa Net Worth 2024
- Diverse Income Streams: Tarek El Moussa’s net worth, surpassing $20 million, is derived from real estate, TV shows, and various business ventures.
- Flip or Flop Earnings: His role on HGTV’s “Flip or Flop” contributed significantly to his wealth, with earnings ranging from $10,000 to $40,000 per episode.
- Real Estate Expertise: Despite setbacks during the 2008 financial crisis, Tarek rebounded by flipping houses and using innovative real estate strategies.
- Television Success: “Flip or Flop” ran for ten seasons, greatly boosting his public profile and financial standing.
- Business Ventures: Tarek has diversified his investments into multiple business ventures, including car collections and luxury real estate.
Tarek El Moussa‘s Net Worth Breakdown:
Much of El Moussa’s wealth comes from his HGTV appearances and real estate investments, but he also has large stakes in several business ventures, a large luxury car collection, a yacht, and several entire companies.
Moussa hasn’t revealed the exact breakdown of his net worth but we were able to piece together public sources to build a careful estimate.
Asset or Source of Income | Contribution to Net Worth |
Flip or Flop Seasons I & II income | $130k per season shared with Christina Haack |
Flip or Flop Seasons III, IV, V, and VI income | $600k per season shared with Christina Haack |
Flipping 101 income | $50k per episode |
The Flipping El Moussa income | Unknown |
Stock in other companies | ~$10 million |
Car collection | $2+ million |
Beach house | $7+ million |
Yacht | $1+ million |
Total Net Worth | ~$20 million |
6 Fun Facts About Tarek El Moussa
- Tarek obtained his real estate license at the age of 21.
- He co-founded the El Moussa Group with his ex-wife, Christina Haack.
- The first home they flipped together earned a $34,000 profit.
- Tarek survived thyroid and testicular cancer, which he publicly announced to raise awareness.
- His Newport Beach mansion was purchased for $7 million and renovated for $400,000.
- Tarek remarried in 2021 to Heather Rae Young, a fellow real estate agent and TV personality.
Latest News & Controversies
Tarek El Moussa has recently faced controversy surrounding his $50 million development project, NoHo 138, in North Hollywood, California.
The project plans to tear down several existing bungalows and replace them with a 138-unit luxury apartment complex, sparking concerns among local tenants who fear being displaced. The Hartsook Tenant Association claims that this will force them out of their homes.
Tarek responded, stating that he is not evicting anyone and that relocation will follow legal guidelines. He also emphasized the project’s benefits for the community, including job creation and affordable housing units.
Early Life
Tarek El Moussa was born on August 21, 1981, in Long Beach, California to an Arab father and a European mother. His father was born in Lebanon and his mother in Belgium. The parents moved to Europe and then to the US before having Tarek and his sister, Dominique El Moussa.
Tarek El Moussa completed his education at Sunny Hills High School and soon graduated from San Diego University. He obtained his real estate license in 2002 when he was only 21 years old.
Tarek El Moussa Net Worth: His Story in the Real Estate Business
Not every venture of Tarek El Moussa was a success. Yes, he’s flipped many houses, made countless TV appearances, and built a large fortune, but he wasn’t always rich or successful. At one point, his wealth diminished tremendously when his business faltered due to the economic crisis of 2008.
Let’s dive into the journey of Tarek El Moussa and how he accumulated his multimillion-dollar net worth.
Early Days
As soon as El Moussa obtained his license and became a real estate agent, he started flipping houses. He was only 21 years old, but his business boomed, especially when he joined forces with his wife at the time, Christina Haack.
He met her working at the real estate office and soon enough, the couple entered the business world together.
In 2007, Tarek and Christina co-founded a real estate investment firm operating out of Orange County, California called Tarek and Christina: The El Moussa Group. El Moussa had a successful start, but the business suffered greatly due to the economic collapse in 2008.
In 2009, Tarek El Moussa married Christina Haack. The newlywed couple struggled with finances in the wake of the crash, and they had to move from a luxurious home worth $6,000 a month to a small apartment worth $600 to $700.
They had two children together – Taylor El Moussa, their daughter, and Brayden El Moussa, their son.
As the business and the couple’s finances hit a rough patch, things began to turn around shortly thereafter.
Tarek El Moussa as a TV Star
Moussa’s company took a massive hit, but this was no reason for the real estate pro to give up. He started exploring new techniques and ideas to get back on his feet and came up with the idea of flipping houses.
Soon after, Christina and El Moussa started buying cheap homes, renovating them, and selling them at a profitable rate on the market.
The idea turned out to be a gem, and from this point forward, Tarek El Moussa became a world-renowned, successful real estate investor.
It was only a matter of time before his strategy was noticed by the right people. When he and his wife started making profits, they discovered that people really liked their business plan. So, they taped their day-to-day activities and pitched the idea to the HGTV network.
The audition tape was a huge success. HGTV decided to invest in the idea and turn it into a show. This marked the beginning of the impressive TV career of Tarek El Moussa.
Flip or Flop
In 2013, Tarek El Moussa and Christina Haack started filming Flip or Flop, a reality show that followed their business and lives in general. It was an instant success and ran for 10 seasons, ending in 2022.
On the show, Tarek El Moussa managed all the renovations, while his then-wife handled the design and kept everything running on schedule.
The couple reportedly made $10,000 per episode for Flip or Flop’s first season, which had 13 episodes. The number increased gradually as their time on TV went by, reaching $40,000 per episode by season 3.
They made at least this amount per episode for four seasons, accounting for $600,000 per season.
Between 2013 and 2017, there were a total of 92 episodes of Flip or Flop on HGTV. By 2022, the number of episodes aired was 155.
The show officially ended in March of 2022, four years after Tarek El Moussa’s divorce. The exes have continued filming Flip or Flop episodes after their amicable divorce and made a total of 10 seasons, but the show has come to an end.
It is unknown how much they earned from the last few seasons of the show and how much this contributed to each’s estimated net worth but it was likely substantial.
Following the divorce, the El Moussa Group company was also dissolved. Now, Tarek El Moussa runs the company by himself, and it is renamed Tarek and Associates.
Flipping 101 With Tarek El Moussa
In 2020, while Flip or Flop was still running, El Moussa was asked to launch a separate HGTV show named Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa. In this show, he mentors viewers on how to flip houses.
Flipping 101 with Tarek El Moussa aired in March of 2020. The first season had 13 episodes and concluded in October, after which it was renewed for a second – and then a third season. According to the HGTV program, over 17 million people tuned in to watch the first 10 episodes.
While the filming of season 2 was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the third season of Flipping 101 is still running today.
Tarek el Moussa reportedly earns $50,000 per episode aired on this show.
The Flipping El Moussas
Following his divorce from his ex-wife in 2019, Tarek El Moussa began a relationship with Heather Rae Young, a real estate agent and actress. They tied the knot in 2021 at Miramar Beach, Montecito.
The couple’s wedding was featured in a Discovery+ special called Tarek and Heather: The Big I Do.
In March 2023, HGTV aired the first episode of the joint show between Heather Rae and Tarek El Moussa called ‘The Flipping El Moussas’.
“The family flipping business is growing!” El Moussa shared on his social media.
As of now, with El Moussa’s net worth at about $20 million and Heather Rae’s at $3 million, their combined net worth stands at $23 million.
Other Shows
Tarek El Moussa has made appearances on various shows beyond the reality programs listed earlier. His complete list of TV show appearances includes:
- Flip or Flop from 2013 to 2022
- Brother vs. Brother in 2013
- HGTV Insider in 2015
- Flip or Flop Follow-Up in 2015
- Home and Family in 2017
- Rock the Block from 2017 to 2021
- RuPaul in 2019
- Flipping 101 between 2020 and 2021
- Extreme Makeover: Home Edition in 2020
- Tarek’s Flip Side in 2021
- Flipping El Moussas from 2023 to present
Other Businesses and Income Sources
Tarek El Moussa is more than a TV show host today – and has dabbled in many ventures over the years. According to his profile on LinkedIn, he’s worked as a real estate agent at a company called eXp Realty since 2019.
Since 2008, he has owned Next Level Property Investments, a real estate investing business. The business is still active today.
In 2019, he founded The Agency by Tarek El Moussa.
In 2012, he founded Tarek Buys Houses, a company where he still operates as the CEO. The company is ‘dedicated to helping property owners in tough situations sell houses for cash‘. They basically buy houses at a low price to flip them.
In January 2020, Tarek created yet another venture called Homeschooled by Tarek. This is an investing educational business that helps people learn more about real estate. He’s the CEO of the company today.
In 2021, he became a partner of TEM Brands, an investment company. He was one of the co-founders of this private real estate investment firm.
Tarek El Moussa on Social Media
Tarek El Moussa is very active on social networks, so it’s safe to say that this contributes big money to his net worth, too. He’s a social media influencer with over 1.3 million followers on Instagram, and a YouTube channel with over 7,47 thousand subscribers as of November 2023.
El Moussa’s Book
On his Instagram account, Tarek El Moussa posted that he is writing his first book ‘Flip Your Life’, which is now available for pre-order. He says that he spent 7 years writing it.
What Else Does Tarek El Moussa Invest In?
The asset portfolio of Tarek El Moussa is quite extensive. He owns real estate, has a large luxury car collection, at least one luxury yacht, and has millions of dollars worth of stocks in major companies.
Stock Portfolio
Tarek El Moussa has held stocks in the following companies, although the current status of his holdings remains undisclosed:
- Viacom CBS
- General Motors
- Verizon Communications
- Procter & Gamble
- PepsiCo
El Moussa reportedly has about $10 million in stocks.
Real Estate Portfolio
Well, seeing how Tarek El Moussa is a highly popular real estate investor, it should come as no surprise that he owns several expensive properties.
In 2020, Tarek announced that he would sell the home he lived in with his ex-wife Christina Hall (previously Christina Haack). He also announced that he and his new wife would move to a house in Newport Beach. However, they decided not to make the purchase.
The El Moussas eventually found a better option – a modern house on the beach set a block away from the ocean. The house is a 5,000-square-foot mansion in Long Beach, California bought at a price of $7 million.
After buying it, Tarek El Moussa invested $400,000 in its renovation.
Now, the Newport Beach property is the family’s main residence, but El Moussa owns plenty of other properties he plans to sell after renovating them. Here is what he stated in an interview with House Digest in April 2023:
“We have 53 houses we need to finish and sell. But if we sold a house every three days, it would be four months to get rid of all the houses.”
Not to mention, he’s made quite a fortune flipping houses on HGTV shows over the years, too!
Car Collection
Tarek El Moussa has a rich luxury car collection. While he may have sold some of his cars over the years, here are the vehicles we know he’s owned so far:
- Mercedes-Benz AMG GT
- Heavily Modified Luxury Mercedes-Benz Van
- Lamborghini Gallardo
- Modified Jeep Wrangler
- Jaguar I-Pace
- BMW X9
- Ferrari Portofino
- Audi Q2
Yachts
In addition to his car collection, El Moussa also owns at least one luxury yacht worth nearly a million dollars – the 50-foot Sea Ray Sundancer 510. He revealed that he purchased it right after his divorce and eventually named it Bad Decisions.
What Can We Learn From Tarek El Moussa‘s Success?
Tarek El Moussa is a true inspiration to those who dabble in real estate, entertainment, and business in general. He started small, ran into painful hardships, and reached success at a very early age.
During the economic collapse, he lost nearly everything, but did he give up?
No, he fought harder in the face of hardship.
He used his creativity and knack for business to popularize a new strategy that would become an inspiration for almost everyone in the real estate world for years.
His house-flipping strategy made him millions of dollars and a role on a massively popular real estate reality TV show.
Tarek El Moussa has not been afraid to step out of his comfort zone and try something new. He’s been many things over the years, from a simple real estate agent to a business owner to a famous TV personality.
His versatile investment portfolio teaches us that it’s important to spread our earnings into different areas. It’s not just about living a luxurious life – it’s about making sure that you can make profits and not lose everything you have with one failed venture.