Dave Hughes fires back at critics who said he spent way too much on a house from The Block

DAVE Hughes was ridiculed by experts for spending $3.07 million on a house from The Block. Now he’s got proof they were all wrong.

DAVE Hughes is demanding an apology from all the property experts who criticised the amount he paid for one of The Block houses last year.

The comedian dropped $3.067 million ($447,000 over the reserve) on the five-bedroom home in Elsternwick in southeast Melbourne that was renovated by Josh Barker and Elyse Knowles.

“I copped so much flak for that,” Hughes said yesterday on his Hit Network drive show with Kate Langbroek. “It was ridiculous and it’s gone on and on and on.

“A lot of experts weighed into my purchase … There are articles that have been written all year having a go at me. One article from one mob called Property One or something, they had a dinner party discussion about how I paid too much.”

Reading from the article, Hughes said, “Based on our assessment we think Hughesy has paid anywhere between $417,000 and $517,000 too much. We’re confident it’s closer to the $500,000 mark.”

The comedian even invited a property expert onto his Network Ten show, Hughesy, We Have a Problem, who told him he’d paid $250,000 too much.

RELATED: How Hughes went from being on the dole to one of Australia’s most high-paid entertainers

The Block house by Josh and Elyse at 46a Regent St Elsternwick.

The Block house by Josh and Elyse.

The Block house by Josh and Elyse.

The Block house by Josh and Elyse.

But now, 10 months later, Hughes is adamant the experts were wrong based on the sale of another Block house on the weekend.

“The house next to the house I bought, Sticks and Wombat’s house, got sold on the weekend,” he said on radio yesterday.

“Sticks and Wombat’s house got sold the other day … for $180,000 more than it sold for on the TV less than a year ago,” Hughes declared.

“They got $2.83 million on the weekend and with my house being worth more than theirs, because it’s a better house in a better position, Katie, I would like an apology,” he said to Langbroek who also criticised the amount he paid.

Hughes said that the house he bought was better than Sticks and Wombat’s house because his was on the northern end. He also added that his house came with $200,000 worth of furniture whereas Sticks and Wombat’s house was sold unfurnished on the weekend.

The Block house by Sticks and Wombat.

The Block house by Sticks and Wombat.

The Block house by Sticks and Wombat.

The Block house by Sticks and Wombat.

“You’ve got to admit that that is pretty good justification,” Hughes said, before giving a shout-out to his bank.

“I’d like the bank to apologise because they valued my house a lot less when I tried to get the loan. They’re fools! I told the bank they’re fools!”

Hughes is currently renting out the property in Elsternwick but he did confess to Triple M’s Hot Breakfast in January that it took him a while to find tenants.

“I had trouble renting it,” he said. “It took a while.

“At one point the real estate agent rang me and said, ‘someone wants to move in but they’ve got a dog’. I felt like saying, ‘I don’t care whether they’ve got a meth lab’.

“It’s a little dog and it’s fine. They put in their own doggie door.”

According to realestate.com.au, rent for the five-bedroom house would be somewhere between $2500-$3000 per week.