Australia’s favourite renovation show has produced some incredible auction results.

The Block has produced some incredible auction results since season one. Photos: Channel 9

When The Block first premiered back in 2003, who would have thought it would still be going so strong 22 years later? Over the years a whopping 82 properties have sold at auction on the popular reality show, resulting in some teams scoring pretty hefty paydays.

This year’s teams are hoping to achieve a similar result when they put their houses up for auction this weekend, with the episode set to air Sunday at 7pm on Channel 9. Ahead of the finale, Yahoo Lifestyle has taken a look back at some of the most expensive homes ever to have sold on the ratings juggernaut and who forked out big bucks to buy them.

Back to the beginning

Way back in 2003 in the first-ever series of The Block, inaugural winners Adam Thorn and Fiona Mills walked away with $265,000 profit after selling their Bondi unit for $751,000. While that doesn’t get you much in the Sydney property market today, back then this was a huge win for the pair.

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After a brief hiatus following the second season, the show returned in 2010 with the first-ever sale to cross the $1 million mark. Josh and Nisha Pitt’s Vaucluse unit scored them $305,000 profit after selling for $1,105,000 and from then on, everything changed.

The show’s homes continued to excel at auction, for the most part, with most couples making the most of Australia’s property boom. After moving the show to Melbourne, the series had one of its biggest successes yet with Season 5 contestants Brad Cranfield and Lara Welham selling their South Melbourne terrace for $1.62 million, making themselves a $606,000 profit — the highest ever made on the show at the time.

Back in 2012, Brad and Lara set a Block record by selling their South Melbourne terrace for $1.62 million. Photo: Channel 9

Breaking records

Season 8 was Fans v Faves and all four properties sold for over $2.3 million, with Steve O’Donnell and Chantelle Ford’s unit fetching $2.47 million to give them a $736,000 profit.

After a lacklustre auction in 2014 which saw some couples leave almost empty-handed, things heated up in 2015 with The Block Triple Threat in South Yarra. Husband and wife team and Block favourites Darren and Dee Jolly set a new record, selling their unit for $2.29 million, which gave them a record-smashing winning sum of $935,000.

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Even Dee, who was very opinionated throughout the series, was lost for words saying: “I’m shocked, I’m speechless – for the first time ever.”

After a disappointing loss on The Glasshouse series, Daz and Dee came back with one of the most expensive properties ever sold on The Block. Photo: Channel 9

Star buyers

From there, The Block sales were on the up and up thanks to contestants pushing the boundaries and pulling in some star buyers.

In 2017, Josh Barker and Elyse Knowles’ Elsternwick property was the first to crack the $3 million mark, selling to comedian Dave ‘Hughesy’ Hughes and earning them a tidy profit of $547,000.

Comedian Dave Hughes snapped up Josh and Elyse’s property. Photo: Nine

Auction scandal

Three seasons and a monster renovation later in Brighton, Jimmy and Tam Wilkins dominated the auction — not only breaking the show’s sale price record but offering up one of the most unusual houses ever on the show.

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In 2020, the pair beat their reserve of $3,290,000 and sold for a massive $4,256,000. They scored $966,000 profit and $100,000 prize money, giving them a record-breaking total of $1,066,000.

Unfortunately, Jimmy and Tam’s win was short-lived as their buyer didn’t end up paying for the property, and after eight long months of legal issues, the home eventually sold to someone else for $4 million – a $256,000 discount.

Jimmy and Tam’s home didn’t sell without a whole lot of drama. Photo: Nine

Lucky turn of events

The Block favourites Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie fetched a hefty payday when they gave the show a second shot in Season 17, selling their house for over $4 million and securing themselves $644.444.44 in profit plus a $100,000 prize.

But in Season 18, a controversial auction led to Western Sydney mates Omar Slaimankhel and Ozman ‘Oz’ Abu Malik breaking the record for the highest amount of profit ever made in a Block auction. With a reserve of $4.08 million, their Tree Change property was sold for $5,666,666.66, scoring them a jaw-dropping $1,586,666 plus $100,000 in prize money.

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It was a lucky turn of events for the pair, as the auction results in 2022 were the lowest since 2011. Three of the homes were passed in, and the only other one to sell on auction day netted Tom Calleja and Sarah-Jane Wilson a paltry $20,000.

Omar and Oz’s house is the most expensive house ever sold on The Block, netting $5.586 million at auction. Photo: Nine.

Steph and Gian’s auction win

Omar and Oz’s record didn’t last too long, however, as Steph and Gian Ottavio walked away from Season 19 with a $1.65 million profit plus $100,000 in prize money after their Hampton East home sold for an incredible $5 million.

Their co-stars Eliza and Liberty Paschke also earned $1.05 million profit after selling their home for $4.3 million at auction, with billionaire entrepreneur and serial Block buyer Adrian Portelli purchasing both of their homes.

Adrian Portelli bought Steph and Gian’s property for $5 million. Photo: Channel 9

Adrian Portelli’s clean sweep

Adrian made a return to The Block in 2024 and made history when he purchased all five properties for $15 million.

Maddy and Charlotte Harry won the season after their house sold for $3.5 million, and they walked away with $1.55 million profit plus $100,000 in prize money. Runner-ups Courtney McInnes and Grant Freeman came second with an auction result of $3.3 million, while their co-stars all sold their properties for above $2.6 million.

Meanwhile, the online listings for this year’s houses on Domain reveal that each property has an indicative selling price between $3 million and $3.3 million.

This season’s auctions will take place on Saturday, October 25, and air the following night on Channel 9, with the winning team taking home $100,000 on top of their profit from their sale.