The Block houses have previously sold for huge sums in previous years, do you think they’re worth it this year?

The Block fans have been left stunned after judge Marty Fox made an off-hand comment about the homes. Photo: Nine

In recent years, houses on The Block have sold at auction for wild sums. In 2022, Omar and Oz made Block history when their house sold for $5,666,666.66, scoring them a huge profit of $1,586,666 plus $100,000 in prize money.

Then, in 2023, Steph and Gian, who sold their house for $5m, made a record-breaking profit of $1.65m, plus $100,000 in prize money. Although they didn’t break the record, last year’s winners, Maddy and Charlotte, achieved a significant $1.55m, plus the $100,000 in prize money, after selling their property for $3.5m.

So, it’s no surprise that this year’s houses are expected to go for a huge amount at auction. However, fans disagree with the judges’ expectations for the houses’ sale prices.

On Sunday night, Darren Palmer said that the execution of Sonny and Alicia’s kids bedrooms wasn’t to a high standard, telling the other judges, “We’ve said it from the beginning, that this is The Block of details, and it’s every little detail that you miss, that somebody else has picked up that may cost you a win.”

“This about the detail, because these homes are selling in excess of $3m, you expect a level of finish that is to that price point,” Marty Fox agreed.

The Block viewers slam $3m detail

The judges claimed that the finishes in Sonny and Alicia’s kids bedrooms weren’t to a high enough standard for a $3m or more property. Photo: Nine
One viewer took to Reddit, taking issue with the comment, writing, “Here’s an idea, give them more than a week to finish them.”

“Right! Just give them 2 weeks you’d have more content captured as well,” another responded. “How can they do the challenges plus the filming plus get ready for Sunday presos, film the walk through of the other contestants rooms in one week.”

The OP responded, “Absolutely. This programme format worked 15 years ago or so when this started… but since then, the market has changed, tradies aren’t a dime a dozen, The Block has a ‘reputation’ and if they want decent trades who can do a decent job, they need to change.”

“As soon as I heard that I lost it,” a third said. “No one is going to be paying $3m in Daylesford unless there is huge land allocation associated with the house. It’s not the Melbourne market at all.”

“They must already have buyers identified,” one person hypothesised. “I could see maybe a company buying the lot for luxury BnB’s. But yeah, can’t imagine many individuals are lining up.”

“Who wouldn’t want a multi million dollar home, built by amateurs under time pressure, with a limited budget?” another viewer added sarcastically. “Nine in Six would surely come through and touch up any defects between the end of production and auction.”

Others pointed out that the views from the houses are likely just “temporary” as the “whole area is a new development”.

Daylesford is the ‘perfect tourist destination’

Buxton Ballarat director Mark Nunn, who is the listing agent for House 3’s Britt and Taz, previously told Yahoo Lifestyle that Daylesford is the “perfect tourist destination” for those living in Melbourne.

“It’s got so much to offer from a weekend point of view. Restaurants are really high quality, the accommodation’s really high quality, you’ve got lots of massage and mineral spas that are available, there are amazing wineries around the place, and it’s quite a visually pretty place when you go through,” he explains.

“It’s also close to the city, so it’s not hard to get to. You can duck up on a Friday afternoon or a Friday night, have a really nice weekend, and then get back Sunday night without having to take a flight or a long drive. So accessibility is a great thing.”

While it does sound lovely, $3m does sound like a lot of money for a house you’d visit for the odd weekend.

What do you think?