EXCLUSIVE: Domain’s National Property Editor, Alice Stolz, tells Yahoo Lifestyle what The Block teams have missed this year.

Domain’s National Property Editor, Alice Stolz, reveals one thing that all five teams are missing – and it’s the difference between winning and losing. Photo: Nine

As we inch closer and closer to The Block finale, the teams have finally received some real-world critiques thanks to the Domain Buyers Jury event, which saw 100 potential buyers walk through the homes. Each house was ranked in the challenge, and the team with the highest percentage of buyers’ votes won $50,000.

It’s not chump change, and there’s no doubt House 1’s Emma and Ben will put that money towards their new cellar and game rooms, which they are putting underneath their home. However, Domain’s National Property Editor, Alice Stolz, tells Yahoo Lifestyle there’s one thing that all five teams should be prioritising and spending any extra cash on.

Alice appeared on The Block this week for the Domain Listing Challenge. Photo: Nine

The area that will be ‘absolutely crucial’ for The Block teams to get right

“I actually think this season, it’s really going to be about the outdoor spaces,” Alice tells us, adding that while the garden space is large, it’s a “manageable” size. “I think the garden is going to be absolutely crucial, and I also think that when people think about an area like Daylesford, they’re expecting beautiful, established gardens.

“And, of course, there’s a huge challenge in that, you can’t just click your fingers and gardens pop up,” she adds, saying it will be interesting to see how “creative” the teams get with their approach to the outdoor spaces.

“I think that’s going to end up being the sort of hero space of the whole property package.”

Alice explains that the teams she’s most interested in are the ones that understand the value of whether or not they should “splurge on a mature plant” and “understand the value that that can bring them come auction day”.

‘Cost a small fortune’

Taz might not have a mature tree, but he does have several fruit trees. Photo: Nine

So, how much could a mature-aged tree set you back? Alice tells us it is a “sizeable investment” and “can go into the hundreds of thousands of dollars”.

“But I genuinely think it’s kind of the cherry on top of an incredible cake that you can actually do something like that, in an area like that,” she adds. “And I think the area that is Daylesford, there’s an expectation for its beautiful gardens, and that’s what many buyers would be expecting when they come and look at the properties.”

While she says it would “cost a small fortune” to plant an oak tree or something similar, Alice says that the tree will “one day provide shade, shelter and beauty to a family’s home, and it’s kind of the sort of thing that can pull at heartstrings”.

“People look into it and think, ‘Gosh, I could put a swing on that for my grandchildren to play on, or my kids might climb that one day,’” she shares. “And I think it just kind of really is a much more explicit way of showing the beauty and the outdoor lifestyle of what these properties will hopefully offer.”

Viewers will remember that in the early days of this year’s season, Britt and Taz managed to get themselves some fruit trees, which Alice says brings “that beautiful luxury of thinking, ‘I don’t need to go to the shop and buy lemons, I’ve got them in my backyard!’”.