New Block judge Marty Fox predicts Qld’s next big boom

He’s one of Melbourne’s top deal-makers, but The Block’s newest judge Marty Fox has set his sights on the Sunshine State. HERE’S WHY

New Block judge Marty Fox joins the cast of The Block 2023. Picture: Supplied/Channel 9

New Block judge Marty Fox has predicted Queensland’s property market will boom again in four years, driven by “pent-up demand” as the supply of new homes being built fails to keep pace with interstate migration.

One of Melbourne’s top deal-makers and the founder of WhiteFox Real Estate, Fox is also an auctioneer and serial house flipper who joins the cast of Channel 9’s popular renovation show alongside Shaynna Blaze, Darren Palmer and Neale Whitaker.

The Block’s new season is set in the Melbourne suburb of Hampton East and goes to air in August.

New Block judge Marty Fox from WhiteFox Real Estate in Melbourne. Picture: Supplied/Channel 9

Fox, 34, visited Queensland for the first time in about 7 years and said the Sunshine State had “really lifted its game”, which he linked to the record influx of arrivals from the southern capitals through the pandemic.

“I did see an infiltration of Melbourne and Sydney intellectual property, particularly in the food and beverage space,” the father-of-three said.

“It has changed Queensland, there’s far more culture than when I was last there, and that has a direct impact on property.”

Fox said anyone looking to relocate from the southern states should do so now, as property prices took a breather from their frenetic pace of growth from 2020-22.

“You’re buying off the back of a more stabilised market which is great — the heat has gone.”

He’s appeared as an auctioneer in previous seasons of The Block.

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But recent big sales showed depth in the market, such as a $24m Surfers Paradise mansion which sold under the hammer in July.

And with many planned developments canned due to soaring construction costs, buyers could expect home values to rise again before the decade was out.

“What I can see of the development boom over the past three years, particularly on the Gold Coast, a lot of projects aren’t going ahead and the market will hit a bottleneck of undersupplied stock and pent-up demand.

“The boom will come back in about four years’ time,” he said.

Marty Fox and wife Charlotte at a 2018 event.

Though he’d pick Brisbane to live over the Gold Coast for its urban vibe, Fox was impressed by some of the luxurious canalfront properties in the Glitter Strip city.

“It is such a unique style of property that only Queensland can provide,” he said.

Fox didn’t rule out opening a branch up north in the future — “I need a reason to get up there more often”.

Fox shared his entrepreneurial journey at an event hosted by One Life Club on the Gold Coast.

Emil Juresic interviews Marty Fox at One Life Club's entrepreneurs summit on the Gold Coast.

He revealed contracting a heart infection in 2021 was a catalyst towards building his brand to the point where he could step back and take on the judging gig for The Block.

“Being bedridden for three to four months changed my life,” he said.

“Without getting sick, I wouldn’t have elevated other people within the business, I wouldn’t have fast-tracked my progression as a CEO as opposed to an agent.

“If I was still a listing and selling agent and The Block said, ‘can you be the new judge?’ — impossible.”

Fox began in real estate at the age of 21 and opened WhiteFox in 2017.

He has featured in previous seasons of The Block as an auctioneer, calling Harry and Tash’s house in 2020, and Rachel and Ryan’s Gisborne property last year.

Originally published as New Block judge Marty Fox predicts Qld’s next big boom