Heather Rae El Moussa and Tarek El Moussa On How They Met, Their Growing Family, And The Story Behind The Flipping El Moussas
Real estate power couple Heather Rae El Moussa and Tarek El Moussa have been making the rounds lately, and for all the right reasons. The power duo are best known for their individual roles in Flip or Flop, Flipping 101, Selling Sunset, and now their own show, The Flipping El Moussas, which is all set to release in the Middle East today.
Heather rose to fame with her appearance in Netflix’s favourite Selling Sunset, released in March 2019, and has since become a viewer’s guilty pleasure for all things luxury, California, and homes. And now fans of the realtor are all set to see the thirty-five-year-old social media sensation in a new limelight with her husband and three kids.
Here, Bazaar Arabia speaks to Heather Rae El Moussa and Tarek El Moussa on how they met, life after having kids, and what viewers can expect from their upcoming launch…
Heather Rae El Moussa and Tarek El Moussa On How They Met, Their Growing Family, And The Story Behind The Flipping El Moussas
Harper’s Bazaar Arabia (HBA): How and when did you guys meet?
Heather: We met on July 4, 2019. I was living in Los Angeles at the time, and Tar was living in Orange County, in Newport Beach. And, we met at a bar called Woodies. He was on his boat and I was on the boat next to him. One of my girlfriends was on his boat, so I went over to say “Hi” to her. He saw me and fell in love.
Tarek: I saw her and said, “Oh, who’s that? She’s beautiful!” So I walked out and I said, ‘Hi! I’m Tarek.” She goes, “I know who you are.” I thought I was doing something good, and then she mentioned that I had asked her out 2 years before.
Heather: He asked me out on social media and forgot.
Tarek: So I said, “Hold on a second.” So I went back and read the message. She responded she had a boyfriend. So I spun back around and said, “You still have that boyfriend?” She said, “No.”
Heather: And then he asked me out. Well, first he asked me to go to Paris. I said no. Then he asked me to go to Las Vegas. I said no. And he said, ‘Well, how about a date?” And I said, “Maybe.” Then we exchanged phone numbers. We decided to go out on a date, and then I ended up canceling our first date because I was scared of getting my heart broken and just didn’t feel like dealing with another jerk. But he wasn’t a jerk. He told me, “I’m different than you think I am.” And he was. Our first date was incredible. And we found love that night. Now we have been married for 2 years.
HBA: As a real estate power couple, what inspired you both to start this reality show?
Tarek: We’re both passionate about real estate, design, and our careers. We’re passionate about each other. So we figured, why not mix all of that together and create a show together? And that’s what we did. We just had so much fun filming it, and we just were so proud of what we put out there for the world.
HBA: Could you share a bit about the series? What can fans expect?
Heather: You do see a lot of our personal life, along with our businesses. You get to see my pregnancy, you get to see my tiny belly. And then we end up having Tristan at the very end. You get to see our other kids, Taylor and Brayden, and our families. You get to see behind the scenes of our family life, and also how we create our businesses. You get to see me learn how to flip from episode one, and then I get to do maybe a few flips on my own.
Tarek: We are flipping houses in the most difficult real estate market that we’ve seen in about two decades. So it’s definitely a high-stress season with a lot on the line. So it’s a great one.
HBA: How has life changed since getting married and the arrival of your baby? Will your kids be on the show as well?
Heather: Yeah, the kids are on the show. My pregnancy journey is showcased as well, and we are just busier than ever now. We have 3 children, and having a baby is incredible. I’ve been a bonus mum to Taylor and Brayden for almost 4 years now. And now having my own son, it’s just an incredible thing, I’m absolutely obsessed with him. Tarek is such an incredible dad. We’re having just a lot of fun raising the kids.
HBA: Tarek, how do you feel about the series streaming in the Middle East, especially because you’re half Lebanese?
Tarek: I love it. My name is important to me, it’s Tarek El Moussa. And the truth is, my entire life people have told me I should probably change my name, for many different reasons. That’s why it was so important for me to really show that my name means something to me, and that’s why you see it in a lot of these showtimes.
HBA: Heather, how are you balancing your time being a mom and working on a reality series?
Heather: It definitely takes a village, and I was pregnant throughout filming. I filmed up until about a week and a half before I gave birth to Tristan. It was busy, but I am motivated, I love what I do. So for me, it’s not work, as I was excited to get back to it. It definitely has been a challenge, because I just love being with Tristan as well, and I am breastfeeding, so that takes up a lot of time. So, it is challenging to balance everything, but he is only 3 months and every day he gets older and older, and I start feeling more like myself again. My mum and my mother-in-law were a big help to me at the beginning and those first early weeks of having Tristan, and obviously leaning on my husband when I needed him. I’m just using the resources around me.
HBA: Have you ever been to the UAE and do you have any plans on visiting anytime soon?
Tarek: Well, we did a short stint in Dubai.
Heather: Yeah, we went on our honeymoon to the Maldives, and we spent two nights in Dubai.
Tarek: But we are both dying to go to the Middle East. We want to go and we want to see Lebanon, we want to see Egypt, we want to see Dubai again. Middle East is where I am from, so it is a dream of mine to go and see the country.
HBA: What advice would you give to someone who wants to get into the real estate field?
Tarek: Number one, invest in yourself. That means taking the time to take classes, or read books, or get educated and learn from people that have done what you want to do. Another big thing we are doing here as well is, we are both in commercial real estate as well. So probably later this year or next year, we plan on going to the Middle East and raising some capital to start buying some American real estate. That’s something we’re excited about.
HBA: Are you working on any new projects?
Heather: Well lots of stuff! I’m doing a beauty line called ‘Heather Rae Essentials.’ That’ll be launching this summer.
Tarek: We just launched our home brand.
Heather: Yeah, Home By Tarek and Heather, Home By Them.
Tarek: Yeah, we just launched our solar company in January of 2023 called SOAR Energy. And at the same time, we’re still always looking to create new shows and start new businesses. We’re always out there starting new things, so you’re gonna have to stay tuned.
The Flipping El Moussas will be available in the Middle East on the HGTV channel and is streamable on STAZPLAY and STC TV starting May 18.
