But in a rollercoaster finale, another of the properties earned a profit of just $65,000 and one passed in. The Block<\/em> airs on Nine, owner of this masthead.<\/p>\n The winning home at 20 Charming Street, Hampton East sold for $5 million to businessman Adrian Portelli aka \u201cMr Lambo\u201d, who also bought another two homes on the day, spending a total of $12.4 million.<\/p>\n His outsized offer means NSW high school sweethearts Steph and Gian take home the $100,000 winner\u2019s cheque, pocketing a total of $1.75 million.<\/p>\n Their five-bedroom Japandi-style residence, popular with fans and the show\u2019s judges, was advertised with a price guide of $2.8 million to $3 million. Its reserve was $3.35 million.<\/p>\n Block regular and IT entrepreneur Danny Wallis made one bid and buyer\u2019s agent Frank Valentic of Advantage Property Consulting made another, before a member of the crowd fainted and was helped out in an ambulance.<\/p>\n Steph and Gian won the 2023 season of The Block after their five-bedroom Japandi-style residence sold for $5 million.<\/span><\/p>\n The next bid was a knockout offer of $5 million from Portelli, founder of LMCT+, an online club offering shopping discounts and regular giveaways of cars and houses to paying subscribers.<\/p>\n \u201cWe have no words, we are so, so grateful,\u201d Steph, an architect, said after the auction.<\/p>\n Gian added: \u201cThe Block has changed our lives.\u201d<\/p>\n The median house price in Hampton East is $1.4 million. The top sale resets the suburb\u2019s house price record, previously held by the same property when it was purchased by Nine production company Micjoy Pty Ltd last year for $3.5 million.<\/p>\n It\u2019s also a record for the show, beating last year\u2019s winners Omar Slaimankhel and Osman \u201cOz\u201d Said, who made a profit of $1,586,666.66 plus the $100,000 winner\u2019s prize.<\/p>\n Melbourne\u2019s preliminary auction clearance rate by Saturday evening was 59.8 per cent from 189 reported results, on Domain figures.<\/p>\n Portelli also bought the home of Victorian sisters Eliza and Liberty Paschke at 22 Charming Street, bidding against Wallis, then against himself to push the price to $4.3 million.<\/p>\n The five-bedder had a price guide of $2.8 million to $3 million and a reserve price of $3.25 million.<\/p>\n Renovation rookies Eliza and Liberty nabbed a profit of $1.05 million and plan to go on a holiday, and then purchase property.<\/p>\n \u201cMum was heave-crying,\u201d Liberty said. \u201cAs was, actually, dad.\u201d<\/p>\n Portelli, driving an Audi, liked that the winning house had the largest land size and the runner-up was the largest house.<\/p>\n \u201cThat was the favourite,\u201d he said of Steph and Gian\u2019s house. \u201cI felt everyone wanting a piece of that one, so I just came out strong on that.\u201d<\/p>\n Eliza and Liberty were renovation rookies, but walked away with more than a million dollars in cash.<\/span><\/p>\n He would see whether he would end up moving in. It was also an option to give the homes away through his business.<\/p>\n He said he bid against himself because the crowd was quiet and he tried to \u201crev everyone up a bit\u201d.<\/p>\n Next, SA couple Kristy and Brett Beams walked away with a profit of $65,000 after a hard-fought auction. A local family beat buyer\u2019s agent Valentic for the keys to 18 Charming Street, paying $3,035,000 against a reserve price of $2.97 million.<\/p>\n The price guide had been $2.7 million to $2.9 million. Portelli and Wallis did not bid.<\/p>\n Proceedings began at $2.75 million and when the offers reached $2.97 million, Valentic asked if the home was on the market, to which auctioneer Sam Inan of Belle Property Brighton replied they were selling. A short break followed and when the auction resumed, two parties traded small bids until the hammer fell.<\/p>\n Asked later how she was feeling, Kristy said: \u201cLivid.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur agent literally s— the bed with our game plan,\u201d she said, \u201cAnd pretty much said that our reserve was what it was to the auction.\u201d<\/p>\n This had cruelled her chances and the chances of the following houses, once the number was revealed, she said.<\/p>\n Kristy and Brett made a profit of $65,000. <\/span><\/p>\n \u201cWe are not mad at the price. $60,000 is a lot of money to some people. We are mad at the strategy and how it has put the other houses in the positions that they are now.\u201d<\/p>\n She said the couple lost more money coming on the show than what they made.<\/p>\n Her agent, Sam Inan, said the Consumer Affairs Victoria inspectors who were present told him during the break that once proceedings resumed, he should reiterate that the home was on the market.<\/p>\n He had been asked if the home was on the market. \u201cWith Consumer Affairs in attendance, it is very hard not to answer truthfully,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He said he was told by the producers not to reject it if bidding came through.<\/p>\n The Block executive producer Julian Cress said it was a public auction. \u201cI think discouraging bidding is probably not a sensible way to go,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n A feature of the show this year was reserve prices set above advertised price guides, which is legal in Victoria but can be confusing for buyers. This practice generally was raised in a 2022 government review, the results of which have not been made public and remain under consideration.<\/p>\n Speaking broadly, Valentic said elevated reserves were \u201cnot a great experience\u201d for property buyers.<\/p>\n Portelli\u2019s other purchase was 14 Charming Street, renovated by WA parents Kyle and Leslie Cottone.<\/p>\n He paid $3.1 million for the four-bedroom home, which had a price guide of $2.7 million to $2.9 million and a reserve of $2.97 million, leaving the contestants with $130,000 profit.<\/p>\n Leslie said there was a \u201chuge discrepancy\u201d between the results for different houses, after wanting everyone to walk away with something.<\/p>\n \u201cIt doesn\u2019t make you ungrateful for the number that you\u2019ve got \u2013 but it\u2019s a lot.\u201c<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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