The Block 2023 finale: Agent under fire reveals what went wrong at Kristy and Brett’s auction

Kristy and Brett – who became The Block series villains this year – blamed their auctioneer for their disappointing auction result. Now the agent has hit back, explaining what really happened.

Siobhan Duck and Brendan Casey

3 min read

November 6, 2023 - 3:58PM

News Corp Australia Network

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South Australians Kristy and Brett – who became The Block series villains this year – blamed their auctioneer, Belle real estate’s Sam Inan, for the disappointing results on the last three auctions.

“Our agent s--t the bed with our game plan,” she said, explaining that Inan had given away their reserve of $2.97 million, cruelling any hope of winning big.

“It didn’t just cruel mine. It cruelled every other house going forward,” she fumed.

As a result, she and Brett go home with just $65,000, which she said would not cover their lost wages for the time spent filming in Melbourne.

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While sympathetic to Kristy’s bitter disappointment, Inan said a Consumer Affairs representative had forced him to show his hand, “standing over” him during breaks to urge him to declare the house was on the market.

Agent Sam Inan pictured with Kristy and Brett before auction day.

“But that had nothing to do with what happened in our house,” he shrugged.

“The buyers don’t want to buy. When I spoke to some of the buyers who didn’t bid on our home they said they didn’t see the value in our home. Full stop. It had nothing to do with whether they were cheap or affordable on the day. They just didn’t like them.”

Inan believed there “was no money left in the room” after Portelli bought the first two houses, leaving the remaining three smaller properties with less chance of attracting decent bids.

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...and mid auction when tensions were high.

But Kristy was adamant that Inan had set off a domino effect, alerting potential buyers to Kyle and Leslie and Leah and Ash’s reserves as well.

“We’re not mad at the price, $60,000 is a lot of money to some people,” she said.

“We are mad at the strategy and how he has put the other houses in the positions that they are now.

“So now, it has pretty much told everyone that the smaller-sized houses all of their reserves.”

Kristy suspected too that the results may have been affected by the contestants’ popularity with viewers.

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With more than 14 years working in the industry, the director and auctioneer leads the Belle Property across St Kilda and Brighton.

And his clients don’t share the views of Kristy and Brett, with his most recent clients raving about his work.

The agent said Consumer Affairs was in the room, making it impossible to lie.

“The team were all fantastic to work with and were especially grateful for Sam’s professionalism, support and guidance throughout the campaign in an uncertain and shifting market. The sensitivity shown on the sale of a long held family property was much appreciated,” one house seller wrote.

“Knowledgeable, professional and genuine which made the process seamless. Sam’s communication at all times was first class and it was a pleasure dealing with him ... exceptional job,” Another seller of a recent townhouse listing wrote.

He currently has 15 properties on the market around Melbourne.

There was also a strong show of support for Inan on social media following the show’s finale, with hundreds of viewers taking to a post of Kristy and Brett on The Block’s official Instagram page to say they “felt sorry” for the agent.

Scott Cam watches on with Kristy and Brett during their auction. Picture: Supplied/Channel 9

“Am I the only one who feels really sorry for this estate agent?” one person wrote.

“He’s only human and he’s on TV. It’s easy to just slip up when you’re nervous. I think it is so wrong showing someone being grilled by 3 people while they stand there alone in front of a camera. Poor guy, at the end of the day if people actually wanted their property and wanted to support them they’d be buying it.”

Another added, “The way they spoke to the real estate agent shows why they are so undeserving of money.”