The sweat, tears and sawdust have been wiped away, and the late nights spent painting are in the past. It’s almost time for The Block auctions .
The Block judge Marty Fox, Domain national property editor Alice Stolz and buyer’s agents Frank Valentic and Andrew Date know the houses better than most. Here’s who they predict will blitz the $3.45 million reserve and take home the winner’s prize.
Fox has a proven eye for detail, and for a possible winner, he can’t look past House 1 by South Australian cattle station managers Adam and Jolene.
The couple also won the Domain Buyers’ Jury Challenge , and Fox says this should give them confidence.
“Their home has a strong combination of buyer appeal, impressive entertaining spaces and a kitchen that could be a deciding factor for someone purchasing at this level,” he says.
“The edge on auction day comes from having multiple buyers who can see themselves living there and are prepared to compete.
“They’ve put themselves in a strong position, but the reserve and depth of bidding will ultimately decide it.
2 Mackillop Place, Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Also in with a chance are West Australian paramedic Lisa and FIFO worker Rosco in House 3.
“They finished second in the buyers’ jury, which is a meaningful indication that their home is resonating with people beyond the judging panel,” Fox says. “Sometimes a property builds momentum quietly because buyers can see how it will work for them.
“Their home is worth watching, particularly if that interest translates into two or three committed bidders. You don’t need to have dominated the weekly reveals to produce the strongest auction result.”
4 Mackillop Place, Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Fox says “generous kitchens, well-planned storage and flexible spaces give buyers tangible reasons to pay more”, but he warns expensive finishes alone won’t carry a house to victory.
“The premium comes when the layout, finishes and overall feel work together and a buyer thinks, ‘I wouldn’t need to change anything,'” he says.
“The team that wins will need buyers who value the whole property and are willing to compete above its reserve.”
The Blockheads know Stolz as their property market whisperer, giving advice throughout the season to help them cut through the noise and maximise their homes’ appeal to the right buyers. She also stepped up to the frontline of feedback as a guest judge in week one.
Stolz predicts Adam and Jolene in House 1 will come out on top at the auctions.
“They have the money shot when it comes to that view,” she says. “Everybody who walks into that house is just completely bowled over by how stunning the outlook is.”
The team captured 29 per cent of the vote in the Domain Buyers Jury Challenge, but Stolz says that doesn’t necessarily guarantee auction riches.
“Some might argue that there have been many years on The Block where the people who haven’t won anything are the ones that go on to win the end of the season,” Stolz says.
However, she says Adam and Jolene designed for the location and kept buyers front of mind, such as changing their kitchen layout to orientate it towards the view.
9 Mackillop Place, Mount Eliza VIC 3930
Stolz also believes Courtney and Sev’s House 4 could be one to watch. The best friends from Brisbane are experienced renovators, and it shows.
“The floor plan of what we call the ‘Downtown’ houses, houses 4 and 5, have something kind of seductive about them – they feel very different,” Stolz says.
She anticipates investors will be interested in houses 1, 2 and 3, on an elevated part of Mackillop Place, and family buyers will gravitate to houses 4 and 5, on the lower side.
“I think we might see two fields of auctions,” she says. “If I didn’t have kids, if I was an investor or I wanted to celebrate the area I was in, I’d be buying House 1. We’re likely to have owner-occupiers, who are often much more emotional buyers, on houses 4 and 5.”
Valentic has noticed this season has a couple of different factors that could influence the results. “ Having water and city views for the first time in Block history could be really important on auction day,” he says.
Valentic has also picked Adam and Jolene’s House 1 as the potential winner.
“My buyer feedback is telling me that House 1’s views could give them the edge on auction day, and their overall style and finishes,” he says. “They have the bonus of the best views of the water, Dandenongs and city.”
Valentic hasn’t ruled out Courtney and Sev’s House 4 which has a self-contained guest suite with a kitchenette, and says it could translate to a premium price. “Even though they don’t have the advantage of the best views, the buyers liked their overall design, floor plan and finishes,” he says.
Those predictions come with a catch.
“As always, I think auction order will be the most important factor that determines who will be successful,” Valentic says. “Melbourne’s property market is a buyer’s market at the moment, so there will be a smaller buyer pool at The Block auctions, just as there now is at auctions across the whole of Melbourne.
“If I were one of the contestants, I would want to go early in the auction order when there is a larger buyer pool.”
Date says the “aggressive” $3.45 million reserves make this year’s properties compelling. However, in Melbourne’s weaker market, he suggests we won’t see a clean sweep of sales.
“The clearance rate at the moment is 40 to 50 per cent, so if you go off the clearance rate, two might sell, two or three might sell, and two or three might pass in,” Date says. “But with those reserve prices, they’re starting to look like really good value.”
His tip to win is Lisa and Rosco’s House 3, which features natural interiors that match the coastal setting, plus a bay-view pool and terrace. For Date, the amount of useful land that should give them the edge.
“To the west of this property is an established older home, and it’s quite set back, and they get the benefit of this beautiful greenery right along the western boundary, and still get those northern views of the bay,” he says.
“Land typically should always be the difference maker in value, but not all land is created equal. Some land isn’t usable and functional.”
10 Mackillop Place, Mount Eliza VIC 3930
His “dark horse” is Rick and Tayla’s House 5, due to the 1435-square-metre block that is 30 per cent larger than the others.
Date says the teams have created homes suited to the “old money” and family buyers of the suburb, but they will have competition in the broader market.
“There’s actually more choice than normal, and there are a lot of off-market properties as well, so it’ll be fascinating to see if the buyers do pay a premium,” he says.
Always open for inspection, only on Domain.
Emily Power Emily Power has been a newsroom journalist for almost 20 years. She was previously the editor of Domain magazine in Melbourne, and is a specialist in property reporting.
Who won The Block 2026 Domain Buyers Jury Challenge? Results revealed
More than 100 prospective buyers and agents toured the five homes in this season's Domain Buyers Jury Challenge, with one team taking out the $50,000 prize and another suffering a surprise last-place finish.
Does The Block auction order matter? How it has affected results over the years
This year's contestants will need to be strategic when they decide who goes when.
The Block reserve prices revealed as Mount Eliza homes set at $3.45m for 2026 auction
The Block has revealed reserve prices for its five Mount Eliza homes ahead of the 2026 finale auction, with reserves set at $3.45 million.
See more news from Domain in your Google search results.
The information on this website is intended to be of a general nature only and doesn't consider your objectives, financial situation or needs.
