Tarek El Moussa Reveals Brutal Realities About Professional Home Flipping He Wishes He’d Known at Start of His Career

HGTV icon Tarek El Moussa has lifted the lid on the less-than-glamorous aspects of professional home flipping, while revealing the words of wisdom he wishes he could share with his younger self when he was embarking on his very first renovation project.

The 43-year-old, who recently snapped up a new mansion with his wife, Heather Rae El Moussa, took to Instagram to open up about the “high-pressure” lifestyle he has lived since beginning a career in home flipping.

“Flipping houses has changed my life,” he conceded, but it has been a “grind,” noting that most people don’t see all of the factors that go into his job.

“If I could go back to my first flip, this is what I would tell myself,” he wrote while sharing a video of himself and Heather walking around a home.

Tarek detailed those things in the caption, where he opened up about the “long days” he had to work to establish himself in the industry, while also revealing one of the major downsides to the career path: You don’t get paid until the project is completed and the home is sold.

“Flipping houses changed my life—but I’m not gonna lie, it’s a grind,” he wrote. “Long days, high pressure, and you don’t get paid till the job’s done. That’s the reality most people don’t see.”

He went on to hint that he’s grown tired of the “grind,” admitting that he feels burned out by the work he’s currently doing.

“I wanted to build something more stable … something that actually builds long-term wealth without burning you out,” he shared.

Tarek’s admission comes after it was revealed that he and his wife’s hit HGTV show “The Flipping El Moussas” had been axed.

HGTV sparked uproar from viewers over the past month after canceling a slew of shows, including “Bargain Block,” “Married to Real Estate,” “Farmhouse Fixer,” “Izzy Does It,” “Christina on the Coast,” and “The Flipping El Moussas.”

Heather recently spoke out about the network’s decision to pull the plug on the show while describing the “big internal changes” the network is experiencing.

“We actually haven’t,” she told Us Weekly when asked if she’d been in touch with HGTV. “Obviously, I do know they are going through big internal changes, so I’m not quite sure what’s going on there. I don’t have a statement for that, but I can say how much I’ve enjoyed being on HGTV.”

Heather added that she’s thoroughly enjoyed her time filming all of the different projects she’s worked on, while noting that—despite the cancellation news—things could change in the future.

“I love filming ‘The Flip Off’ and ‘Flipping El Moussas,’ and I love flipping houses,” she went on. “But I don’t know internally what’s going on.”

As for “The Flip Off,” which premiered in January and sees Heather and Tarek going head to head in a renovation battle with fellow HGTV star Christina Haack, the renovations expert said that its future is still up in the air—despite the show previously being renewed for a second season.

“Anything could happen. To be honest, it was a great show and it still is a great show. I know that the fans loved it, and Tarek and I really, really enjoyed filming that show. It’s definitely a challenging market right now—and with real estate in general.

“I do know the fans would love to see it back, and all three of us would love to see it back. We will definitely throw that idea around if Season 2 comes about. But I love my partners and my husband.

“There’s so many other shows that I would love to do. I would love to get into hosting, and I’m definitely open to [new opportunities]. I’ve been on TV for many, many years. I modeled, I shot some commercials, and there’s a lot to me that I would love to tap into.

“Tarek and I have super fun banter with each other and we love filming together. But even by myself, there’s so many different shows that I would love to host or be on. But also, I don’t know if I could be away from my baby for months at a time. It would have to be something that doesn’t take me away from the family for too long,” Heather, who shares son Tristan, 17 months, with Tarek, said.

Tarek also shares children Taylor, 14, and Brayden, 9, with Haack, his first wife and former co-star.

The “big changes” Heather might have been referring to is the reported sharp decrease in viewership the network has faced in the past eight years.

Although the network hasn’t yet revealed the reason for the slew of cancellations, a new report from Deadline claimed that plummeting views are to blame for the removal of the shows.