When Sunday’s episode of The Block revealed the whopping $3,45 million reserve prices ahead of auction day, viewers across the country were left picking their jaws up off the floor. With the properties carrying a guide of $3.6 million to $3.9 million, it was perhaps just as surprising to see that all five teams seemed not only happy with the figures, but genuinely grateful. So, what did they know that we didn’t?
The Block 2026 winners Courtney and Sev explain.
“An adjacent property next door to us was vacant and someone put an offer on it at $3 million at the start of the year, so $3.45 million was a bargain,” interior designer Sev, 37, tells TV WEEK. “By the time you buy the land and actually build something of this calibre you’re looking at costs upwards of $5 million, so the numbers were great for us.”
The girls also believe the premium finishes and inclusions that come with a Block home mean the properties should be valued even higher.
“All The Block sponsors are giving you the creme de la creme of their products,” Sev says. “The quality and the level of premium in these houses really don’t stack up to what might be down the street.”
Having done their own homework and looked at comparable properties in the local area, the girls felt confident that the reserve was a fair one, despite the median house price for a four bedroom property in Mount Eliza sitting at $1,800,000 – $1,815,000.
“We were ecstatic when we saw that $3.45 million,” Sev explains. “Even though Courtney and I knew whatever we earned over that was going to be split, we were still ecstatic. We were like, ‘Shivers if we walk away with $100,000, we’re winning.’ It was a great reserve that Channel Nine set up for us and I think it set up the day for success.”
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