20 years of The Block: How much are the winners worth now and which homes have decreased in value?
Despite Australia’s skyrocketing housing prices, many homes from the hit TV show The Block are duds - failing to make a profit even years after they first hit the market.
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SEVEN homes that have won The Block have been valued at the same or less than what they sold for on the show, despite years passing since they went under the hammer.
Even more have price estimates for value growth that wouldn’t cover the stamp duty paid for the homes.
Countless room reveals and two decades of drama later, fans of The Block are gearing up for the finale of the renovation show’s 19th season, but analysis by News Corp shows just how over-inflated some of the winning home sale prices have been.
In 2003, four couples competed in the show, with a budget of just $40,000 each, while in 2023, there are five couples with budgets of $250,000 each, plus a share in $400,000 worth of vouchers for sponsored products.
But of the 18 winning Block properties from the past 20 years, only three have since sold for a profit, two have sold at a loss, and 12 have been retained by the original buyers.
Three of them have value estimates of less than what they originally sold for, and another four have not increased in value at all.
Real Estate Buyers Agents Association of Australia president Melinda Jennison said the premiums buyers were willing to pay because of the celebrity status of the show “eventually wears off”.
“It depends on the property... but over time, they lose that shine and people forget they were part of The Block,” Ms Jennison said. “The premium you pay upfront eventually wears off.
“Based on some of the prices paid previously from watching myself and my own knowledge, there are certainly inflated prices that are paid, so if buyers are not holding for the long term, they can wear the brunt of paying more upfront.”
Ms Jennison said she feared the show had become more about “the drama” than “the property”.
“It can provide some creative ideas for people to see what’s possible, but for every dollar you spend on a renovation, that same dollar value won’t be paid by the market.”
Season 12 winners Will and Karlie Bethune from Queensland sold their Melbourne apartment for $2.6 million in 2016, but realestate.com.au estimates the property’s current value seven years on is exactly the same — still $2.6 million.
Mr Bethune said he was sure the inner-city, former soap factory apartment would have increased in capital growth since then.
“Being only a few kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD with 4m-high ceilings and a backyard, it really is a goldmine,” Mr Bethune said.
The couple has kept a strong interest in property since appearing on the show in 2016, having recently sold their two-bedroom investment property in Caloundra on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast for $1.1 million.
They are now undertaking a large renovation of a house in the Brisbane suburb of Moorooka.
“We believe the Brisbane Olympics is really going to put this city on the map,” Mr Bethune said.
“Ever since winning The Block in 2016, we have always been interested and invested in real estate and love looking at how the market has changed/performed really well in most capital cities.”
The shrinking value of some of the previous Block winners will not deter Adrian Portelli, who made headlines when he spent $4.25 million buying Ankur and Sharon’s home last year.
Mr Portelli said he was keeping “open-minded this year” and had interest in bidding on all houses “given the price is right”.
“I’m going to cause a bit of a ruckus this year,” Mr Portelli said. “I’m happy to bid on all of them and I’m happy to buy all of them, but I’m not going to overpay on any of them. At least people know I’m a serious bidder this time.”
SEASON ONE WINNER:
1/67 Roscoe St, Bondi Beach – Adam Thorn and Fiona Mills
Two-bedroom apartment
Price in 2003: $751,000
Won with a $256,000 profit
Sale history: October 6, 2023, for an undisclosed amount
Realestate.com.au value estimate: N/A
The two-bedroom Roscoe St offering sold earlier this month for an undisclosed price for the first time since its makeover 20 years ago.
It sold pre-auction, having come with a $1.4m price guide — almost double what it first sold for in 2003.
“Occupying a premier garden level position in a boutique block of just four, this exceptional residence defines understated contemporary living in one of the world’s most iconic beachside communities,” the listing for the home read.
Property records show the 100 sqm apartment has been listed for rent several times since 2003, including most recently for $850 per week in 2019.
In 2021, the couple bought a six-bedroom Federation home near the beach at Coogee for $4.095 million at auction.
SEASON TWO WINNER:
2/77 Whistler St, Manly – Andrew and Jamie Rochford
Two-bedroom apartment
Price in 2004: $868,000
Won with a $178,000 profit
Sale history: May 2019 for $890,000
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $2.1m
Dr Andrew Rochford never imagined his impulsive stint on the home renovation show would result in a successful media career that’s endured for more than 15 years.
The emergency doctor entered the second season of the popular renovation show in 2004 with his then-girlfriend (and now wife) Jamie Nicholson on a whim, and the pair would go on to take out the top prize, winning $178,000 in total.
Appearances and hosting roles on a raft of topical television shows followed, inclusing What’s Good For You, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, The Living Room, and The Project.
Rochford is also an ambassador for DrinkWise and CEO and founder of Docta, a digital healthcare company building mobile primary-care clinics for remote villages in Indonesia.
The couple lives in Sydney’s northern beaches with their son and twin daughters.
SEASON THREE WINNER:
1/107 New South Head Rd, Vaucluse – John and Neisha Pitt
Three-bedroom apartment
Price in 2010: $1.1m
Won with a $305,000 profit
Sale history: Has not been sold since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate:$2.2m
Neisha and John Pitt are perhaps the most low-key winners of the show.
The school sweethearts profited handsomely when their three-bedroom Old South Head Rd, Vaucluse, apartment fetched a then-record Block price of $1,105,000.
That price for the ground-floor unit was $205,000 above reserve so the couple pocketed $305,000 in prize money.
Just before the show aired, the couple had sold their two-bedroom Carlton home for $628,500, buying back into the market a year later.
They upsized, paying $751,000 for a 1980s, five-bedroom home with pool at Illawong, where they live with their two children.
In 2018, they sold their Bexley investment property — a 1920s home which they paid $1.1 million for in 2016.
SEASON FOUR WINNER:
39 Cameron St, Richmond – Polly and Warwick ‘Waz’ Jones
Three-bedroom house
Price in 2011: $855,000
Won with a $115,000 profit
Sale history: Has not been sold since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $1.4m
The Sydney couple had no renovating experience before they entered the reality program, but managed to beat three other pairs to win the fourth series.
Polly and Waz’s renovated Melbourne house sold for $855,000 at auction in 2011, which was $15,000 over their reserve and made them the winners.
It meant the couple took home the $15,000 profit they made on the property, as well as $100,000 in prize money.
Records show the three-bedroom house was last listed for rent in January 2021 for $875 a week.
SEASON FIVE WINNER:
405 Dorcas St, South Melbourne – Brad and Lara Cranfield
Three-bedroom house
Price in 2012: $1.6m
Won with a $606,000 profit
Sale history: Has not been sold since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $1.7m
Following their Block win, when they took home $606,000 prize earnings from their South Melbourne townhouse renovation, Brad and Lara spent $510,000 on 25ha in Bishops Bridge in the Hunter Valley.
They built a designer home there, which they offloaded for $1.375 million.
In 2019, they spent $2.25 million on a trophy home in Byron.
They now own of a restaurant and bar in Newcastle called The Maryville Tavern, and have two sons, Harry and Jimmy.
SEASON SIX WINNER:
12 Tasman St, Bondi – Phil Rankine and Amity Dry (All Stars)
Three-bedroom house
Price in 2013: $1.6m
Won with a $395,000 profit
Sale history: Has not been sold since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $4.3m
Phil and Amity won the 2013 all-stars season with a $395,000 profit.
The couple split up in 2018, and have two children.
Amity, a cabaret star, took up a career as a real estate agent after Covid.
SEASON SEVEN WINNER:
101/142 Park St, South Melbourne (Sky High) – twins Alisa and Lysandra Fraser
Three-bedroom apartment
Price in 2013: $1.4m
Won with a $395,000 profit
Sale history: Transferred for $0 in 2015, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $1.4m
Twins Alisa and Lysandra made a total profit of $395,000 when they won The Block: Sky High in 2013.
Shortly after winning, they left their former professions as police officers to enter into careers in design full time, founding Alisa and Lysandra Interiors in 2014.
In 2018, they produced their first online renovation series, The Design Duo, which documented their Albert Park project.
In 2022, they filmed another season of the show, a luxe waterfront build on the Gold Coast.
In 2020, the pair launched their own personal care range, al.ive body.
SEASON EIGHT WINNER:
1/47 O’Grady St, Albert Park – Steve O’Donnell and Chantelle Ford (Fans V Favourites)
Three-bedroom apartment
Price in 2014: $2.5m
Won with a $736,000 profit
Sale history: Has not sold since, according to records. Last listed for rent in February 2022 for $2350 a week.
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $2.9m
After selling their Albert Park apartment for $2.47 million, Steve and Chantelle took home an impressive $736,000.
In 2015, they publicly announced they had split after three-and-a-half years as a couple. Chantelle continues to run her millinery business, Ford Millinery.
SEASON NINE WINNER:
4/125 High St, Prahran (Glasshouse) – brothers Shannon and Simon Vos
Three-bedroom apartment
Price in 2014: $1.9m
Won with a $435,000 profit
Sale history: Has not sold since, according to records. Last listed for rent at $1880 per week in January 2023.
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $2.1m
The Vos brothers, Shannon and Simon, were one of the only teams in 2014 to walk away with a smile on their faces.
Their apartment nabbed the winning bid, selling for $335,000 above reserve. They also took home the $100,000 prize money.
A painter and plumber by trade, the boys were praised for their workmanship and timber accent pieces.
Since the series wrapped up, Shannon has established interior design consultancy, Vos Creative, and last year completed his own renovation of a 1980s Palm Springs-style home.
SEASON 10 WINNER:
4/27 Darling St, South Yarra – Darren and Deanne Jolly
Three-bedroom townhouse
Price in 2015: $2.3m
Won with a $935,000 profit
Sale history: Listed for sale in August 2022, listing price not disclosed. Sold for $2.2m in October 2022.
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $2.3m
The glamorous, three-bedroom townhouse in South Yarra that won the 2015 “triple threat” season of The Block sold again last year for less than the couple first sold it for back in 2015, and after languishing on the market for 69 days.
It had been listed with a $2.4m-$2.6m sale price guide.
The 4/27 Darling St pad first sold under the hammer after former AFL ruckman Darren Jolly and wife Deanne transformed the luxury home on the show’s 11th season — notching a huge $2.29m sale.
In 2016, the couple sold their Kew East investment property at auction for $2.908 million.
Darren and Deanne split in 2019.
SEASON 11 WINNER:
6/1a Affleck St, South Yarra (The Blocktagon) – Dean and Shay Paine
Three-bedroom apartment
Price in 2015: $2.3m
Won with a $755,000 profit
Sale history: Last sold in June 2018 for $2.365m. Listed for sale again in 2019 and 2022, but was put back on the rental market in May this year for $2100 a week.
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $2.3m
The show’s 11th season followed the rejuvenation of an octagonal former South Yarra hotel where self-proclaimed vampire gigolo and prostitute Shane Chartres-Abbott was accused of raping a client in 2002. He was later shot.
Darren and Deanne took home $935,000, after their three-bedroom apartment sold for $2.3 million.
The couple, who share two daughters, called time on their marriage in 2019.
SEASON 12 WINNER:
1/164 Ingles St, Port Melbourne – Will Bethune and Karlie Cicero (now Bethune)
Three-bedroom apartment
Price in 2016: $2.6m
Won with a $815,000 profit
Sale history: Has not sold since, according to records. Last listed for rent at $1650 per week in July 2023.
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $2.6m
Will and Karlie sold their apartment in a former soap factory for $2.6 million, which was $715,000 over their reserve.
With a further $100,000 in prize money, they took home a total of $815,000.
The high school sweethearts went on to get married in April 2018 and welcomed their daughter, Indigo, in August 2020.
They live in Brisbane, where they are renovating a house in Moorooka, and recently sold their investment property in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast for $1.1 million.
SEASON 13 WINNER:
46A Regent St, Elsternwick – Elyse Knowles and Josh Barker
Five-bedroom house
Price in 2017: $3.1m
Won with a $547,000 profit
Sale history: Has not sold since, according to records. Last listed for rent for $2000 in 2021.
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $3.4m
Winners of The Block 2017, Josh and Elyse, made headlines not just for their success on the show but for who they sold their home to.
Funnyman Dave “Hughesy” Hughes was the successful bidder on their renovated Elsternwick home, snapping up the property for $3,067,000.
After The Block wrapped up, the couple renovated and sold their Coburg home in 2017 for $1.63 million.
They went on to launch their own building and design company called J&E Projects, and relocated from Melbourne to Byron Bay in 2019, buying a $2.3 million beach house, where they live with their two children, Sunny and Zaii.
SEASON 14 WINNER:
202/34 Fitzroy St, St Kilda (The Gatwick) – Hayden and Sara Vale
Three-bedroom apartment
Price in 2018: $3m
Won with a $645,000 profit
Sale history: Has not changed hands since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $2.9m
Prior to being bought for The Block, the Gatwick Hotel was notorious in Melbourne as a rooming house known for crime, drugs, murders and anti-social behaviour.
The 2018 winners sold their renovated apartment for $3.02 million at the auction, and managed to take home $645,000 in prize money.
They then used these funds to towards construction on their own property in the NSW Illawarra region, called ‘SouthHouse’, which they finished in 2022.
Shortly after Season 14 wrapped up, the couple launched their own building and design consulting business, Project Next.
Since their appearance on the show, they have also renovated and sold an apartment in Kings Cross.
SEASON 15 WINNER:
38B Grey St, St Kilda (The Oslo) – Tess and Luke Struber
Four-bedroom terrace
Price in 2019: $3.6m
Won with a with $730,000 profit
Sale history: Has not changed hands since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $3.8m
Cairns couple Tess and Luke Struber struggled through the season, landing the bottom score five times during the competition.
In the end, they had the last laugh, walking away with $650,000 at auction and the $100,000 prize money.
Since their time on The Block, the couple have been busy starting a family (daughter Cleo arrived in April 2020) and improving on their home styling talents, with Tess enrolling in Three Birds Renovations’ popular Reno School.
At the beginning of this year, they began building their ‘forever home’ in Cairns, which they’ve been documenting on social media.
SEASON 16 WINNER:
360A New St, Brighton – Jimmy and Tam
Five-bedroom house
Price in 2020: $4.256m, but fell through
Won with a $966,000 profit
Sale history: Eventually sold for $4m in June 2021, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: N/A
While they were crowned the winners of the season, their celebrations were short-lived.
The winning bidder’s offer of $4.2 million quickly fell through when buyer, Emese Fajk, failed to actually pay and was later accused of being an ‘international conwoman’.
After months of uncertainty, the property was eventually purchased by a legitimate buyer for $4 million.
Jimmy and Tam were still able to take home the $966,000 profit from the sale of the property, and also received $100,000 on top of that for winning the show.
In 2021, they purchased their own home mortgage free — a three-bedroom, one-bathroom renovator in Pomona in the Noosa hinterland, which they paid $610,000 for.
Jimmy continues to work as a plumber while the couple balances parenthood with running their own interior styling and design business.
SEASON 17 WINNER:
4 Bronte Court Hampton – Mitch and Mark
Four-bedroom house
Price in 2021: $4m
Won with a $644,444 profit
Sale history: Has not changed hands since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $3.6m
The stylish Sydney grandads returned as contestants during The Block 2021 Fans vs Faves season and were tasked with renovating a home with a Queen Anne exterior facade.
They were the ultimate winners of the season, taking out a whopping win of $744,444.44 in prize money.
The pair launched their own homewares and fragrance brand, Mitch and Mark Home in 2020 and the following year, opened a flagship store for the products in Sydney’s Newport.
They’ve also launched their own podcast, designed a range of gender-fluid fashion, become the hosts of ‘Location, Location, Location Australia’, and started a renovation on their “hot mess” 1970s home in Newport.
SEASON 18 WINNER:
241 McGeorge Rd, Gisborne – best mates Omar and Oz.
Five-bedroom house
Price in 2022: $5.6m
Won with a $1,586,666 profit
Sale history: Has not changed hands since, according to records
Realestate.com.au value estimate: $5.4m
Omar and Oz won The Block: Tree Change 2022 after a controversial bidding war erupted between regular Block homebuyer Danny Wallis and first-time bidder, Adrian Portelli.
With their reserve sitting at $4,080,000, they sold their property for $5,666,666 and made a profit of $1,586,666..
Mr Portelli then gave the home away through his promotions business, LMCT Plus.
Originally published as 20 years of The Block: How much are the winners worth now and which homes have decreased in value?
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