Personal lives Tarek El Moussa and his ex-wife turned business partner Christina Haack met while working in the real estate industry. When the housing market plummeted due to the
2008 financial crisis they went from living in a $6,000 per month home to a $700 per month apartment, inspiring them to focus on flipping houses. The couple married in 2009, and their daughter Taylor Reese was born in 2010. The El Moussas thanked Read in a video that can be seen on HGTV.com. When doctors recommended radiation treatment, the couple decided to bank Tarek's sperm and try in-vitro fertilization to have a second child. After a couple of failed attempts, Christina became pregnant and their son, Brayden James, was born August 20, 2015. In May 2016, the couple separated after an incident at their
Southern California home. According to a
Yorba Linda police report, Christina called the police after she saw Tarek leave their home with a gun, believing he was
suicidal. Tarek was found by the police, and maintained that he was never suicidal and had simply gone for a hike, taking a gun to protect himself from wild animals. In January 2017, Tarek officially filed for divorce from Christina.
Real estate career Tarek and Christina El Moussa operated a real estate agency known as The El Moussa Group in Orange County, California, an area noted for having one of the highest foreclosure rates in the United States. Together with their partner Pete De Best, they purchased their first investment property in Santa Ana for $115,000. After selling the property for a profit of $34,000, Tarek, Christina, and their partner Pete De Best divided the earnings and continued to invest in real estate, expanding their business into Arizona and Nevada. In 2018, Tarek and Christina co-founded a real estate education course called Real Estate Elevated. ==Series overview==