The Block houses that time forgot – realestate.com.au

They are The Block homes that time forgot – because the owners and buyers seemed to have wanted them that way.

The year was 2010 and the renovation series returned to the small screen with a bang after a six-and-a-half-year hiatus – with a brand new look and a brand new host.

Famed tradition Scott Cam was first installed as host, replacing Jamie Durie, and the affluent Vaucluse location in the eastern suburbs was chosen as the venue – where the average house price is usually around eight times the national average.

A relatively modest apartment block with ocean views on the former colonial access road, New South Head Rd, right next to the Vaucluse shopping villages, was chosen as the location for the show’s big comeback.

Contestants (L-R) Duncan and Mark, Brenton and Cheryl, presenter Scott Cam, Neisha and John, Erin and Jake from the 2010 season of the Channel 9 (9) TV show ‘The Block’.

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After nine primetime episodes, NSW couple John and Neisha Pitt were crowned winners, scoring $305,000 as winners of the third series.

The couple’s renovated two-bedroom ground floor apartment sold under the hammer for $1.105 million – $205,000 above reserve.

That was the biggest gain of any participant, after eight weeks and $80,000 worth of renos on the tired old block.

“Words can’t describe the feeling. Our dream was to buy a house and now we can actually do that,” the couple cheered after the win.

“The sky is the limit after completing The Block, so now we feel like we can do anything, maybe even as parents.”

Erin and Jake Michael came in second, insuring $997,500 for their home on top of the $910,000 reserve, for a profit of $87,500.

Mark Bower and Duncan Miller’s house cost $907,000 thanks to an $860,000 reserve, making a profit of $47,000.

The renovation series returned to the screens in September 2010, after a six and a half year hiatus.

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Cheryl ‘Chez’ Gravina and Brenton Court’s apartment did not sell at auction, but later changed hands for $970,000 after the auction reserve was set at $880.00. They made a profit of $90,000.

The Block moved to Melbourne for series four, to its now permanent home of Victoria, with Cam returning as host and much of series three, the penultimate time the film would be filmed in Sydney, largely forgotten.

That is except for the owners of the flats in Vaucluse and even for those who want to buy them later.

The properties became known locally as ‘The Block flats’, but once the initial fuss quickly died down, nothing much was made of them, just another well-built apartment block among many others on the main road that winds all the way through Sydney’s East, from Kings Cross to South Head.

The block during renovation.

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The series lasted nine episodes.

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But as time went on, the association with The Block was something to be tolerated, not celebrated, and then it was something to be remembered.

According to property records, the most recent sale on the unit 4 block, Chez and Brenton’s home, sold for $2.25 million in June 2021, more than double the $970,000 it originally went for.

But the advertising for that campaign made no mention of the house’s involvement in the Channel 9 reality show.

Series winners John and Neisha.

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Was it no longer a selling point?

The memorabilia left by Channel 9, such as a nine ‘balls’ logo on the front of the building and a similarly themed intercom system, were no longer part of the facade, completely stripped. Any material involvement with The Block has been erased.

This was in stark contrast to the previous sale of the house in 2015, which highlighted The Block’s involvement.

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“Showed on Channel 9’s ‘The Block’ in 2010” – was proudly declared, as was the tape in the video, but in 2021… Nada.

It was said in the neighborhood that the sellers wanted it that way and judging by the sales result, it couldn’t hurt.

Other sales have shown that the hype of The Block does not necessarily lead to lots of money and/or smart purchases.

Radio host Dave Hughes is the example of The Block’s real estate buyer alerts.

Renovation couple Erin and Jake, contestants on the 2010 season of the Channel 9 TV show ‘The Block’.

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Hughesy left onlookers gasping in shock when he blew $3.067 million for Josh and Elise’s Elsternwich home from the 2017 series, $447,000 over reserve.

The comedian made the catastrophic mistake of going against his wife’s wishes when making the big purchase. He said he regretted it almost immediately after getting carried away at the auction, and time didn’t heal those wounds.

No mention was made of the connection to The Block when this unit was sold four years ago.

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“I recently went to get a bank loan and they didn’t value it at the same value I paid for it. That’s fine, but annoying because there were five bidders,” he later told Stellar magazine.

Dave Hughes should have listened to the lady. Source: Channel 9

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Hughes didn’t reveal what rating he received, but did say it was: “Enough less that it annoyed me. For God’s sake!”