Flip or Flop star Tarek El Moussa is stepping out on his own in a new HGTV series Flipping 101 where he will use his real estate expertise to help first-time flippers navigate the obstacles of flipping a house.
"It's just crazy to think a year and a half ago it was just a dream, and four days from today it's going to be premiering. I'm really excited about it," Tarek El Moussa told Cheddar. Flipping 101 will debut on March 5.
He and co-host/ex-wife Christina Anstead shocked viewers when they officially split in 2016, however that hasn't stopped them from working together or venturing off into their own shows.
Moussa says whenever he is working with "rookie" flippers who are getting overwhelmed, he reminds them of the basics. "You're buying a house, you're making it look nicer, and you're selling it for more: that is what you have to remember. Once they figure out those three things, all the other stuff in the middle works its way through."
Sounds simple enough, but Moussa says he often sees first-time flippers not looking at the property value before making a purchase.
"What I see rookie flippers do is they'll see a house and it needs a ton of work and instead of looking at the actual value of the property," Moussa said. "So, they buy it and fix it up and try to sell it for more, and a lot of times they get stuck because they can't get to the next price point."
For first-time homebuyers looking to update their space, Moussa suggests figuring out what is most important to them and start with relatively little things first. "Clean up landscaping, paint the inside, paint the outside, maybe put up some wallpaper. It's amazing how nice you can make a house look by doing the small details," he said.
For those really keen on jumping into the big stuff, there are key places to start, according to Moussa.
"Kitchen and master bathroom absolutely, because who is getting the mortgage of the house? Mom and dad or the parents or the adults, and that is where they spend most of their time," Moussa said.
He also just launched a digital real estate training program called "Homemade Investor by Tarek El Moussa" where he is teaching people how to get into real estate.
"Real estate is a business that doesn't care how much money you have, what degree you have or where you grew up. Real estate is a business where if you're passionate and you want it you can be successful."
