Locals have splashed out to claim the majority of The Block 2026’s homes, with rich-listers familiar to the show’s fans absent from this year’s clean sweep of sales.
All five houses sold under the hammer at the auctions over the weekend, defying the property market downturn and delivering one of the most unexpected and sensational finales The Block has seen in years.
House 4’s Courtney and Sev won The Block after their home soared $1.27 million over the reserve price of $3.45 million, to a massive $4.72 million. On top of that, the best friends from Brisbane also won the $100,000 winners prize and the inaugural $500,000 Plungie prize pool , taking their total winnings to a record-breaking $1.87 million.
However, this year’s 100 per cent clearance rate was not reliant on big spenders who have snapped up multiple properties in past seasons.
Billionaire Adrian Portelli , who purchased all five houses in the 2024 season , was nowhere to be seen when the Mount Eliza homes went under the hammer this weekend, while The Block stalwart Danny Wallis was outbid in all five auctions.
Instead, this season’s properties mostly went to buyers who know the Mornington Peninsula well, with at least four of the homes being sold to locals or Melburnians.
Kevin Unali purchased House 4 at auction for $4.72 million in the finale’s highest sale, crowning Brisbane best friends Courtney and Sev as The Block 2026 champions.
He said the property, which he plans to use as a weekender and a retreat for his extended family, is only “50 minutes from home”.
“I can just see 30, 40 family members [at] Christmastime, pizzas, having a swim – I don’t think anything could beat it,” he said.
Unali joked that he “wouldn’t have lost” the auction, suggesting he may have been willing to bid even further to secure the keys to the property.
“It was a beautiful property and there’s not much around like it,” he said.
“I’ve been looking for a house up here probably [for] four, five years – they don’t tick the box: gated community, brand new home, high-end, probably going to have good neighbours – couldn’t go wrong.”
Buyer’s agent Andrew Date said the successful buyers of House 5, which was built by this season’s runners-up Rick and Tayla and sold for $4.355 million, were a “very private” local family who were overseas on auction day.
“They’re very happy, and they’ll be moving in in late January,” he said.
Domain understands the buyer of House 5 was also the underbidder of House 4.
House 3, renovated by Perth couple Lisa and Rosco, was snapped up by Mornington Peninsula local Heidi Eckert for $4 million in what is believed to be the longest Block auction ever. Their house took nearly 45 minutes to sell in a protracted auction where, at one stage, bids came in by only $100 increments.
Buxton Ballarat Director Peter Burley said the sale of the home was “one of the hardest fought auctions” that he has been involved in throughout his 24-year real-estate career.
“It would have to be one of the hardest battles that we’ve ever had, absolutely no question about that,” he said.
McEwing Partners Principal Quentin McEwing said the buyer of House 2 was a local Mornington Peninsula businessman, “which is fantastic”.
“They are undecided yet on what they’ll do,” McEwing said.
Following his client’s winning bid of $3.817 million, buyer’s agent Jesse Rugolo said the new owners planned to visit their newly acquired house the same day it was sold.
“They’ll be coming down and getting amongst this,” he said.
He said there was “absolute relief” from the buyers on the other end of the phone when the auction for Gold Coast couple Chantel and Wyatt’s renovation project wrapped up.
“It was a bit noisy in there and then at the same time, I wasn’t sure if they could hear and they knew, but we were going back-and-forth and I think at the end they clicked and they were like, ‘Oh great, it’s ours’,” he said.
“They were ecstatic, they were absolutely rapt.”
The sale of The Block homes to mostly local buyers marks a departure from previous season finales dominated by rich-listers who have helped many auctions get across the line in previous years.
Billionaire entrepreneur Adrian Portelli forked out $15.03 million purchasing all five houses in The Block 2024 auctions. The sales brought his total spending over three seasons of the show to an astounding $31.68 million.
However, Portelli announced he would not return as a Block buyer after his 2024 acquisitions, saying he had “overstayed his welcome” on the show.
IT entrepreneur and The Block auctions veteran Danny Wallis has a portfolio of 14 properties from the Channel Nine series after more than a decade of bidding on the show.
Despite being centre stage again at this year’s finale, he ultimately walked away in Mount Eliza empty-handed after being outbid in all five auctions.
Matt Hampson Matt is a Residential News Reporter based at Domain's Sydney office. He writes about the housing market and property issues impacting renters, mortgage holders and Australians hunting for their next, or first,
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