Ankur and Sharon’s Block house sells to ‘Mr Lambo’ for $4.25 million

In a twist that only a reality TV show could produce, one of the two homes that passed in on renovation TV show The Block has sold to the underbidder on the winning home for $4.25 million.

Adrian Portelli, known as ‘Mr Lambo’ after he turned up to the auctions in a luxury yellow Lamborghini, snapped up House 3, at 223 McGeorge Road, Gisborne, in a post-auction deal on Thursday.

Adam Portelli snapped up house 3, Ankur and Sharon’s house from The Block.

The show airs on Nine, the owner of this masthead. Nine confirmed the sale for $4.25 million to Portelli.

That means $170,000 from the sale will go to Melbourne couple Ankur and Sharon, who renovated and extended the luxury home, which had a $4.08 million reserve.

Portelli is now planning to give people a chance to win the house as part of his promotions business, in which subscribers pay $20, $50 or $100 per month to enter raffles to win prizes such as homes and luxury cars.

He said he had made a deal with agents this week.

Melbourne couple Ankur and Sharon renovated and extended the home in Gisborne.

“The agents I was dealing with approached me, and we came up with a good price. Within 20 minutes the deal was done,” Portelli said.

The sale was a good outcome, he said, as he did not have to compete with another buyer for the property.

“I saved myself some money,” Portelli said with a laugh.

While he had inspected Ankur and Sharon’s home before The Block auctions, he did not bid on the day.

The deal for the home was done in 20 minutes, Portelli said.

Portelli had been the underbidder on house 5, which sold under the hammer for $5,666,666.66, to serial Block auction buyer and IT entrepreneur Danny Wallis.

Wallis’ massive bid made Omar and Oz $1.6 million in auction profit and prize money, and the winners of the reality renovation TV show this year.

After stopping his bidding during that auction, Portelli was accused of being a “dummy bidder”, a bidder who simply puts in offers to up the price at an auction.

His latest purchase would silence those critics, he believed, with Portelli posting on Instagram “where are the nay-sayers now?”

Ray White Sunbury director and auctioneer Aaron Hill said he sold Ankur and Sharon’s property as it had become an open listing, which any agent could sell, after passing in.

He had negotiated over four days, but would not comment on the exact sale price, only saying it was the second highest of The Block this year.

“All that stuff about Adam being a dummy bidder is definitely out the window now,” Hill said.

Hill also sold Block winners Omar and Oz’s home (house 5) at 241 McGeorge Road under the hammer.

Only one Block house remains unsold after the auctions – house 4, or 225 McGeorge Road Gisborne, is still up for sale.

The home was worked on by Queensland tradie couple Dylan and Jenny, passed in on a bid of $4.075 million, failing to make the $4.08 million reserve. The home has price expectations of $4.08 million to $4.4 million.

House 3 was originally listed by Sean Parker, general manager of Macedon Ranges Sotheby’s International Realty.

Parker said: “The irony – the only genuine buyer on the entire show doesn’t get a chance to counter offer. And buy a home for his family. A tragedy.”

A Nine Network spokesperson responded: “Jenny and Dylan’s House 4 remains available to any buyer who wishes to purchase a Block home.”