Is this the end for the Rafters?

THE modest home in Sydney's inner west used as the set for Packed To The Rafters was passed in at auction at the weekend.

Packed to the Rafters

THE modest home in Sydney's inner west used as the set for Packed To The Rafters was passed in at auction at the weekend as murmurs continue to mount that the family favourite drama will finish filming for good in under two weeks.

The three-bedroom bungalow in Concord fell short of expectations of about $1.3 million under the hammer on Saturday, with $1.18 million the top bid.

Real estate sources say the owners are negotiating for $1.2 million for the 1930s house, known as "the ugly duckling of Riverview St" thanks to the mansions that surround it.

The sale of the house has only added to speculation that next year's series of Rafters will be the last because the property is no longer contracted to Channel 7.

Cast members including Rebecca Gibney and Erik Thomson are frequently filming outside the home, while the internal shots are done at Seven's Epping studio.

Confidential understands filming will wrap for the year on December 21 and that the cast has not been told of any future plans.

Now in its sixth year, the next season will be made up of 12 episodes as opposed to the other five, which had 22 episodes.

"(The producers) keep changing their mind," one insider said.

"People have said that we'll be back next year but then no one has told us anything.

"There's definitely a feeling that we are finishing up, which is sad but it makes sense."

Over the past two years many of the show's key stars have left for other projects, including Jessica Marais, Hugh Sheridan, Zoe Ventoura and Jessica McNamee.

Most are rumoured to return to the posts that kick-started their careers, except Ventoura, whose character Mel was killed in a car crash in 2010.