You’ll Never Guess Who Helps Tarek El Moussa Flip His Latest House

HGTV; realtor.com

“Flip or Flop” stars and ex-spouses Tarek El Moussa and Christina Anstead may still work together as house flippers on their hit HGTV show, but they seem to be parting ways more often of late. For instance, on the latest episode, titled “Small House, Big Problems,” Anstead is off on other projects, leaving El Moussa to call the shots on home design.

And this house is a risky flip. El Moussa, it appears, has bought a three-bedroom, two-bathroom home in Fullerton, CA. It has good bones, but it backs up to a noisy commercial property. It’s an awkward location, and El Moussa isn’t sure he can turn a profit on this house, especially without Anstead’s help on design.

Still, El Moussa can depend on the help of contractor Izzy, and he also enlists the expertise of a surprisingly young designer. Read on to find out who, and to learn some smart house-flipping lessons along the way.

Wallpaper can have a young, modern look

“This is an entry-level house,” El Moussa explains, “which means younger buyers.”

With a small square footage and a lower price, this house will probably go to a first-time buyer. Since younger buyers usually expect a modern look, he wants to design the house to fit their expectations.

Which is why it seems odd when El Moussa decides to decorate the living room with wallpaper.

The word “wallpaper” may bring up visions of grandparents’ houses and outdated floral patterns, but the wallpaper he chooses isn’t anything like that. The gray pattern he puts up for a feature wall gives the living room a look that is modern and fresh, something young buyers will surely appreciate.

This wallpaper is nothing like you’d expect.

HGTV

A peninsula works in a small kitchen

Kitchen islands may be all the rage, but a bulky island in the middle of a small kitchen could mean homeowners are stuck shuffling around it all day long. But El Moussa has the perfect solution: Put in a peninsula instead.

In the end, it’s clear that the peninsula is a perfect choice for this kitchen, and with some modern stools added for extra seating, it’s a great kitchen setup.

Sometimes a peninsula is exactly what a kitchen needs.

HGTV

Patterned tile pops in a bathroom

With Anstead away for this flip, El Moussa includes their 9-year-old daughter, Taylor, in the renovation process. Taylor goes with El Moussa to pick out tile for the bathrooms, and together they make a selection.

Taylor picks a gray tile for the shower walls. “It’s pretty, it’s modern, it’s what I would have in my house,” she says

For the flooring, she picks a tile with blue detailing, saying that not only do the blues match, the patterns and shapes also work well together.

Once the bathrooms are finished, it’s clear that Taylor made the right choice. The light-colored tile makes the space look bigger, and the patterns add dimension to the bathrooms. It’s a great selection that makes El Moussa one proud dad.

Taylor practically picked out this design all by herself!

HGTV

Add color to exterior accents

With so many changes to the kitchen, bathrooms, and more, it’s easy to forget about the exterior. Still, El Moussa is on top of it, working hard to remove an oil stain from the driveway, grooming the yard, and, of course, painting the home’s exterior.

El Moussa chooses a soft white with gray trim, going for a modern look. Then, for a splash of color, he adds a deep blue for the door and shutters on the front window. It’s just the right amount of color to make the house pop, and by the time the painting is finished, it’s clear that the colors work together perfectly.

El Moussa has transformed this formerly drab and forgettable home and given it some great curb appeal.

These blue accents make the house look so stylish.

HGTV

Hide nearby eyesores (and noise) with a fence

When El Moussa buys this house, it has a chain-link fence around the backyard. Not only is the fence unsightly, it also allows for undesirable views of the commercial property next door.

El Moussa decides to spend $3,500 and put in a wood fence that conceals the not-so-ideal view and also muffles some of the noise from the business.

When it’s finished, the new wood fence proves to be a big upgrade. It looks clean and makes the backyard feel like a private oasis.

This fence is a big upgrade from what was there before.

HGTV

So, is this a flip or flop?

This home was a risky buy. With such an odd location, El Moussa wasn’t sure how much profit he would be able to make. Still, he bought the house for a song, getting the sales price down from $425,000 to $390,000.

He also did a lot of the work on this house and, after closing costs and commissions, he’s got a break-even price of $505,000.

To play it safe, he hires an appraiser to get a better idea of what this house could sell for—but he isn’t happy with what he hears. The appraiser says the house, with the location, is probably worth $575,000. But El Moussa decides to go a little higher and lists it for $599,900.

After a few weeks, he drops the price and eventually sells the house for $575,000. He proves the appraiser right with that price, but still makes a nice profit.

It’s a big success for such a small house!

The post You’ll Never Guess Who Helps Tarek El Moussa Flip His Latest House appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com®.