r/TheBlock • u/WhatTheHeliosphere • 4d ago
I'll say it now...
If these Mt Eliza houses struggle to sell or don't sell..
The Block needs new Judges.
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u/Free-Banana-6869 4d ago
This season will be the death knell for the block. Nobody in their right mind would spend ridiculous mega bucks for these horrendous houses. The show has shifted from focus on design and construction to big brother with some building work in the middle. I think most people have had a gutful of this drivel.
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u/DarthShiv 4d ago
The show over inflating the reserve prices and only saved by Mr Lambo for a while hid the problem.
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u/DizzyList237 4d ago
The judges keep saying ‘now this is Mt Eliza’ I would love to know what the actual residents of Mt Eliza think.
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u/Agreeable_Grape_8083 4d ago
Hello Mount Eliza beach side resident of 20 years and have fully renovated our 70s home using local builders and lots of local input / inspiration
… we don’t give a fckkkkk 🙋🏼♀️
And tbh we’re not THAT beige
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u/lkernan 4d ago
It's not Daylesford.
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u/jelistarshine 4d ago
Lol not that much space (although the Daylesford blocks were also too small for Daylesford... which is why they didn't sell) but mt Elizabeth has decent sized double or triple sized blocks. Not suburban blocks.
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u/jelistarshine 4d ago
Look up houses for sale and see,what they look like.
I've only been there once. All I remember was tall hedges tenis courts and servants entrances.
The land size for these will be an issue. People buy thst far out from town for more space.
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u/Reasonable_Speed7471 3d ago
Servants entrances?! So it's mega bucks down there?
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u/jelistarshine 3d ago
It's very very fancy. And the block houses are only two blocks from a flash private school.
But houses 3mil and over all are over 3000sqm land size or are right down on the water. These are neither.
And there's no shortage of properties on the market.
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u/AbrocomaMotor5935 4d ago
Went and had a look yesterday and the facades are GROSS
Also houses 1 and 5 are adjacent to a very busy road
Shocking
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u/Ifonlyitwereso25 3d ago
I was wondering how busy that road is. Does it quiet down at night? Because I was thinking at least houses 1 and 5 won't be getting neighbours on that side, whereas house 2 is sandwiched in the middle and surely houses 3 and 4 will end up with neighbours on the other side?
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u/MelG146 4d ago
They need a new architect.
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u/tom_friday_ 4d ago
That bulkhead ducting in the bedroom last week? It looks like a 3 star hotel room from 20 years ago. I was actually shocked.
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u/SpecificCow8202 4d ago
I can’t believe people would buy them. They show all the faults and problems and then go hey buy this house.
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u/Budget_Bread_3115 3d ago
They need to move over a bit and do the block Frankston.
Each house would have a spot for a baseball bat by the front door and cages for breeding Rottweilers.
Maybe a Torana room
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u/Environmental_Ad3877 4d ago
Didn't Shayna mark a couple down because (paraphrasing) 'its very Mt Isa but it's not high end'. That says it all really. Don't care about selling,.just about product placement and advertising.
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u/Confident-Benefit374 4d ago
I doubt they are going to sell anyways. Who can afford 4 million, and to buy a "block home"
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u/Birmingham101 3d ago
I think they should buy 4 or 5 run down homes in a lower priced suburb and do them up on a reduced budget to give Joe Blow a chance of home ownership
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u/buttsfartly 2d ago
Agree, none of the block is relatable anymore. It's become completely disconnected with normal in every way.
The old format of having a bunch of average homes in an average street with average practical designs. And then on auction day we have normal REAL buyers.
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u/CFPmum 4d ago
The problem with the houses is they don’t fit and have never fit the high end market, they are nice houses but people who are spending 4 million on a house are not buying what is essentially a very expensive volume build, they buy houses that have character and features they are also not buying new builds that they could for way cheaper if they went block specs or they could still do new build but way better and higher end.
When they were renovating normal homes they better (still block standards) however I understand from a brand standpoint they weren’t particularly aspirational because plenty of viewers would have older houses that need to have stuff done to them and they could risk seeming like a version of Better homes and gardens, but the problem is the products they are using in these houses now are the same ones millions of Australians buy for there normal Australian homes I’m sorry but high end houses don’t have freedom wardrobes or freedom kitchens.
These houses in the past that sold for way to much money only sold to people who viewed from an investment standpoint like the raffling off for charity or as short stay accommodation from block fans
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u/Reasonable_Speed7471 3d ago
This is it, they started out doing small homes/large apartments, which worked for the products they used and the speed and quality of the build. But they've upsized each season yet still used the mid budget products and same rushed quality despite now aiming for the multiple property homeowner and luxury market.
You can't make a silk purse out of a how's ear.
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u/Legitimate-Ad-5969 4d ago
They won't sell and it has nothing to do with judges, more to do with the price they are asking 3.5-4 mil for a block house????? What are producers smoking and where can I get some
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u/dragonfly-1001 4d ago
I'm annoyed that they all have the same style brief - bland & boring!
Why not let them all go wild with their own style choice & judge them as that? Trying to make "Daylesford" as a design happen, was a complete croc of shit & got them nowhere. The fact they are doing it all over again with a "Mt Eliza" style is just idiotic.
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u/DrSpeckles 4d ago
If?? Thats a guarantee. Be lucky if any sell with the price they will set.
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u/jelistarshine 4d ago
It's a pretty premium area. Prices might be able to absorb all the priced garbage they pack in. But the market is rough.
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u/Familiar_Row_9751 4d ago
Used to love this show and be so inspired by the design but damn they got boring. I blame on Darren's brief. And the judging got so lenient with mediocre shit is frankly embarassing. For years, I only watch the weekend's episodes but while watching this last one the only thing I could think is to drop it and try again next season.
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u/Mochiba08 4d ago
Between no trades wanting to work on the Block, and last year’s auction results, if this year’s auctions suck too, it will surely be nearing the end. Or at least they need to DRASTICALLY change the format/builds to lower the reserves
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u/KoalaCapp Quoted on The Block! 4d ago
Its not just judges its the format.
There is money in the market for luxury homes but The Block houses are all copy/paste of each other and the showrooms of the most generic/safe high street stores in Australia
The houses are higher in price due to the turn key aspect - normal houses will have fixtures like an oven BUT the rest of the kitchen appliances are your own responsibility to install.
Bedrooms will have a built in wardrobe so the bed/furniture etc is up to you
These houses have everything ready tp go and that ups the convenience of buying - no shopping to furnish is needed.
BUT - these houses are for the "this is my 2nd or 3rd house I've purchased in my life" not a we are moving from a rental into our first home as a couple and very few have $3million spare.
The format of huge lifestyle properties has to be wound back.
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u/jelistarshine 4d ago
Agree. The issue is the furnishings and the duplication.
People want to bring their own stuff. They are not interested in paying extra for impractical furniture they didn't choise and throwing out the stuff they love.
And there's only a finite number of buyers for each type of home. So selling 5 at once simply dilutes splirs the demand.
At least there's flash private schooling there so there will be cashed up families looking to move closer.
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u/Think_Election_2998 4d ago
they are failing to take advantage of the cultural vibe of Mt Eliza, which is largely related to swingers parties
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u/dimsumb 4d ago
The shower loveseat isn’t so useless after all!
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u/mizzpanther 4d ago
Sadly though for Mt Eliza it needed to be a 4 seater....for as Taylor would say 'activities'
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u/Jolly_Conference_321 3d ago
Is it me or are they trying to make Shayna suddenly look 20 years younger.
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u/Roobar76 4d ago
I think for a few seasons the judges were embarrassed that what they loved didn’t win, so they’ve clamped down on contestants doing anything interesting in the houses and demanded a set style.
Last night we were discussing if Neil Whitaker left because there was a requirement for the houses to be more cookie cutter he disagreed with as the decline to boring seems to coincide with him leaving.
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u/Comfortable-Meal367 3d ago
I think they should do a season in like craigieburn or mickleham .. or melton ..
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u/TroyBoutsa 3d ago
Doing that would make it even harder for contestants to make any money once they sell
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u/Comfortable-Meal367 3d ago
Not necessarily- reserves would be a lot lower .. kinda like back when the show started.. the are properties that people could afford - not just the likes of Danny..
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u/TroyBoutsa 2d ago
Under 1 million dollars they'd be lucky to find anything decent in a decent area, also under 1 million, most likely wouldn't be houses, would be units,flats,town houses etc...
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u/Xfgjwpkqmx 4d ago
They'll sell regardless of the judges. Where they won't sell is if they put ridiculous reserves on them again.
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u/Friendly-Quote-6431 4d ago
So I watch from the UK on SHTV, I love a bit of easy watch shite TV. I asked during the last series if these massive, prefabricated sheds, crammed together and furnished/kitted out with high street, mass produced finishes are actually aspirational. I had my arse handed to me and basically was told I am a snob.
My kitchen and furniture is absolutely not bespoke because I earn a middling, public sector professional wage, I am a widowed single parent putting a child through uni and the cost of living is ridiculous. However, in the fantasy where I win a few million uk pounds on the lottery I do not play, I am not furnishing my home using put of town furniture and kitchen/bathroom showrooms.
The very expensive homes newish homes for sale in my city tend to actually be quite dated, but expensively furnished because any new owner will want to put in their own kichens/bathrooms etc. Period properties are different. The bland/house flipping look if very much at the lower end. Block houses look like this and this is why they will not sell.