Hit properties

Boyz II Men’s Nathan Morris flips houses on new DIY series

Colette Greenstein

Colette Greenstein has been a contributing arts & entertainment writer for the Banner since 2009. VIEW BIO

A founding member of the iconic R&B group Boyz II Men, Nathan Morris makes the leap into flipping luxurious houses in the DIY Network series “Hit Properties with Nathan Morris.” The four-part series follows him and Bryant Gipson, his partner and contractor, as they transform an 8,200-square foot rundown and dated mansion in Orlando, Florida, into an impressive and contemporary modern estate.

The series premiered on Saturday, Oct. 6, with the third and fourth episodes airing respectively on Oct. 20 and 27 at 10:30 p.m. ET/PT.

As Morris states in the opening of the series, “Music and construction have a lot more in common than one might think. You need creativity, business sense and a lot of love.” The Philadelphia native’s interest in real estate began when he was a kid, but he didn’t get into investing until he was older. “I’ve been investing in the business side, and in my personal life I’ve been doing more construction and design. This whole thing was just an idea to bring both things together at one time,” said Morris by phone from New York.

Involved in every step of the renovation process, from design to construction, Morris says it’s brought him a great sense of accomplishment to see the completion of the five-bedroom, six-and-a-half bath property. “It’s one of those things where I believe that design is similar to music. It’s an opinionated art form, where people can like it or not like it. There’s no really right or wrong way to do it. It’s all what you feel. And that’s a plus for me,” explained Morris.

However, the renovation hasn’t been without challenges. Morris and his team dealt with major weather issues in the form of Hurricane Irma last year. They also faced additional damage from water leaking from an upstairs bathroom onto hardwood floors, and deer devouring their landscaping.

Despite all this, Morris is game for a second season of the series. In the meantime, the performer has plenty of musical obligations to meet. The band has been doing a bunch of tours the past couple of years, and they were recently tapped by Bruno Mars to join several of his U.S. dates on his “24K Magic” tour, including the upcoming Oct. show at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

In addition, Boyz II Men are continuing their residency at the Mirage Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. They’ve been there for five years and recently renewed their contract for another three. After a 25-year career in the music industry, the group is still having fun making music, touring, doing corporate gigs and of course performing at their Las Vegas residency.

When asked if he’ll continue working in real estate alongside music, Morris was confident in his response: “I’ll always invest in real estate and do what I do regardless of the show. It’s something that I really like to do.”