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Links to earlier Channel 9 The Block (2011) Threads on Australian Property Forum:

Channel 9 The Block 2011: Purchase, Reserve & Sale Prices, Renovation Costs, Rental Yields; Block houses lose half a million dollars each.

The Block: Reality bites for Nine as TV homes fail to sell; Only 1 sold on The Block

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Sneak peek of 'The Block' 2012!

by Jonathan Chancellor | Property Observer

The Block 2012 filming is well underway on Dorcas Street, South Melbourne, but its key point of difference has yet to get through Port Phillip Council. The Channel 9 reality television shows – which will headline the 2012 programing launch by the network after its stellar 2011 season – features the formulaic four adjoining properties. It is Victorian terraces this time – unlike the Richmond cottages last year.

But plans to demolish an adjoining cottage on Montague Street to make way for rear four-car garaging with loft rooms has yet to get through the council. There are three objections to the plans, which are being considered by council staff. It is usually council policy that matters with fewer than 15 complaints are dealt with by delegated authority by council officers and needn't go before a council meeting for final approval.

Filming began late last month, with the show expected to air in February, with Scott Cam back as the affable host. Nine has been keeping details of the fifth series a big secret, having not provided any information yet on the contestants. But some details of the series are expected to be unveiled at today’s programming and sales launch. The series – which aired in an expanded format last year – rated more than 1 million viewers daily, with the series finale in August pulling in 3.2 million viewers nationally.

The production company spent some some $3,025,000 on four unrenovated terraces in Dorcas Street.

Read more: http://discover.realestate.com.au/buying/sneak-peek-of-the-block-2012

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Tricks of the tradies

Stephen Lacey, December 17, 2011

Don't be fooled, that "quick DIY job" that looked so easy on TV will ruin your Christmas holiday break. There's plenty of fudging on renovation reality shows, writes Stephen Lacey, unless there's an auction involved. Anybody who has renovated a house or tried to spruce up a yard knows what an ordeal it is. So why does it seem so bright and rosy on all those home-makeover shows? Clearly, there's a certain dramatic licence - a licence that might see 30 tradesmen and labourers hiding off camera, waiting to swoop with their tools.

On Seven's short-lived garden renovation show Ground Force, up to 15 people would work in the wings to complete the task. "We'd sometimes have four carpenters and six labourers on site," a former crew member says. "And it was never acknowledged on air." The same thing happened on Nine's version of the premise, Backyard Blitz. "The presenters would do a piece to camera where they were seen to do something while a team of 20 tradesmen came in and actually finished the job," our source says.

Read more: http://smh.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/tricks-of-the-tradies-20101122-1835f.html

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The seven-step plan for renovating in the new year

By Patrick Bright, Thursday, 05 January 2012

The secret to renovating for profit is in selecting the right property, conducting thorough research and having a good plan. It is important that the type of renovation projects you attempt is in line with your level of knowledge, skills and tradespeople contacts. There are literally hundreds of improvements, big and small, that you could do to increase the value of their property. By using some common sense I believe most people can handle a basic rejuvenation without too many dramas. The trick is to add more value than the actual cost of the improvements. This is my seven-step plan to renovate properties for profit:

Step 1: Understand the renovation profit formula
In simple terms the renovation formula is: Your renovation profits margin equals the renovated value of the property minus the purchase price and total renovation costs. Once you understand the theory you’ll see where the profits lie. The formula is like the filter through which you view a property.

Step 2: Work out how much you can afford
You need to have enough saved to cover the three major costs of renovating: the cost of buying the property, the cost of renovating the property and the selling costs or the ongoing costs to hold the property.

Step 3: Target the right type of property
Match your risk profile to the right type of property. Before buying a property to renovate it is important to consider your risk profile carefully, including how comfortable you are with the possibility of losing money, or that the return on investment may not be as high as you had hoped for. If you’re new to property investing and/or you’ve never renovated a property before, I recommend you cut your teeth on a simple project. Start off with an apartment – it’s better to start small to minimise your risks.

Step 4: Market research and preparation
This involves identifying suburbs with the greatest profit potential, researching property values, brushing up on design and decorating, and selecting a team of quality tradespeople.

Step 5: Select the right property type
Look for a property with the maximum profit potential. Your first consideration here should be the condition of the property. Search for something rundown, but not totally derelict.

Step 6: Pay the right price
Work out the maximum you can afford to pay and still make a healthy profit. One of the fundamentals of renovating for profit is that you buy well. I always begin with the end in mind, by that I mean I work out what the post-renovated value will be, the costs to get it in that state, calculate the holding costs, decide on the amount of profit I want to make then I know my maximum purchase price.

Step 7: Get the work done on time and within your budget
Avoid profit-shrinking cost overruns and delays. Make sure you use a spread sheet to schedule the works. You need to ensure all the tradespeople do their work in the right sequence. Always add a buffer of a day or so around each tradesperson. This gives you wiggle room if there are delays.

Read more: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/renovating/the-seven-step-plan-for-renovating-in-the-new-year/2012010452960

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The Block and The Renovators to square off, and Channel 31's Melbourne Property TV hopes to get a Logies look-in

By Larry Schlesinger, Friday, 17 February 2012

Channel Nine’s The Block will compete with Channel Ten’s The Renovators as well as 21 other reality television shows for the title of best reality program at this year’s Logie Awards. In terms of viewer numbers The Block was a much more successful show drawing 3 million viewers to its series final while The Renovators managed just 1.26 million.

In the category of most popular factual program the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV)-backed Melbourne Property TV, which runs on Channel 31 is nominated alongside Channel Nine’s Hot Property show, hosted by The Castle’s Michael Caton. In the lifestyle program category, three popular property shows are competing for the title, these being Channel 7’s Better Homes and Gardens and two Lifestyle Channel shows Relocation, Relocation Australia and Selling Houses Australia Extreme.

Read more: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/renovating/the-block-and-the-renovators-to-square-off-at-the-logies-and-channel-31-hopes-to-get-a-look-in/2012021753431

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Sydney re-embraces its passion for The Block as (South) Melbourne swan song series kicks off with bigger numbers

By Jonathan Chancellor, Tuesday, 17 April 2012

With Sydney almost back in love with property, The Block, Channel 9’s reality property series, returned to the airways last night with a stronger following than last year’s Melbourne series. The first-night ratings – with the four derelict terraces in South Melbourne barely sighted – attracted an average 1.4 million viewers, bettering last year’s 1,342,000 debut viewers of the Richmond renovation.

Ten’s juggernaut MasterChef doesn’t start for another two weeks, so The Block began without serious opposition. The competition came internally with eight couples desperate to move in – and in the first week being paired off and pitted against each other in a 24-hour, do-or-die room fit-out challenge at a quaint red-painted Melbourne residence. It was not however the four unrenovated terraces which the production company spent some some $3,025,000 on in Dorcas Street, South Melbourne last year.

The next series of The Block seems set to return home to Sydney, as the production company has recently bought four single-level semis at Bondi, close to the southern end of the coastal strip. The hush-hush purchase, which echoes its previous property acquisitions of four adjacent properties, has possibly cost $4.4 million or more. Each of the three-bedroom semis (pictured below) sits on a 260-square-metre holding.

The 2012 opening night of The Block recorded a peak of 1.9 million viewers within the hour, compared with 1,723,000 viewers in last year’s opening hour. It was the night’s second most watched program – behind The Voice talent show, with 2.5 million. Last year the keener watchers were in Melbourne, with 523,000 viewers compared with Sydney’s 365,000 viewers. Last night there was less of a gap, with Melbourne on 508, 000 and Sydney at 404,000. The 1.4 million mix was made up by 259,000 Brisbane viewers, 116,000 in Adelaide and 118,000 in Perth.

The first season of The Block was filmed in Bondi in 2003, with 2.2 million watching weekly – and the auction finale episode attracted 3.1 million viewers, which was the second-most watched event of 2003. Its 2003 first series coincided with the peak of the property boom along the east coast Sydney property market.

Read more: http://www.propertyobserver.com.au/renovating/sydney-re-embraces-its-passion-for-the-block-as-south-melbourne-series-kicks-off-with-bigger-numbers/2012041754309

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The Block

Ian Cuthbertson, The Australian, April 23, 2012 9:16AM

"DON'T judge a block by its cover," says host Scott Cam in this fifth series of the renovation reality program, sounding a bit like Frank 'N Furter from The Rocky Horror Show in street clothes. Cam is talking about how the downmarket street view of the block, revealed for the first time tonight, is misleading. He isn't kidding. From the back, it looks more like a bomb site than a row of terraces.

"What have we got ourselves into," says contestant Brad, on copping an eyeful for the first time.

This year $125,000 is given to all four finalist couples, and they must use it wisely, to be judged on criteria such as creativity, design, planning, budgeting, execution and selling.

Read more: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/television/the-block/story-fncnkjtl-1226335942511

Mr Griffin

24 Apr 2012, 08:33 AM

Without me reading all those articles, does anyone know how much the block paid for these houses?

mugshot

24 Apr 2012, 08:49 AM

Mr Griffin

24 Apr 2012, 08:33 AM

Without me reading all those articles, does anyone know how much the block paid for these houses?

They paid 3 million for the 4 terraces.

Last year they lost $800K per house on resale.

The Melbourne market is arguably worse this year.

How much will they lose this year!

NotFooled

24 Apr 2012, 09:36 AM

The Block is about as relevant to the Aussie property market as Justin Beiber is to quality music.

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RECAP: The Block gets twice as bad

Steve Molk
May 6, 2012 - 7:31PM

In tonight's two room reveal episode of The Block, the teams all miss out on sleep, but only one misses out on plumbing, grouting and well, finishing. "Hell week" delivers, and our detailed, if flexibly accurate, recap relives all the highlights and lowlights from what they said, what they thought and what we all know they really meant.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/tv-and-radio/recap-the-block-gets-twice-as-bad-20120506-1y6f5.html#ixzz1u8bYuzFl

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The Block inspection: Crowds expected

Chris Vedelago
May 12, 2012

Here are the dates you've been waiting for, Block-a-holics. The four South Melbourne terrace houses on The Block will be open for inspection on Saturday, June 16 and Sunday, June 17 for what is set to be a massive circus, if history is anything to go by.

About 25,000 fans turned up in Richmond for the first open in last year's series, followed by another 10,000 people on the second day.

Private Property believes the grand finale auction will be on June 30 at the properties at the corner of Dorcas and Montague streets.

Rumour says asking prices of the properties range from $1 million to more than $1.2 million.

Read more: http://theage.domain.com.au/real-estate-news/the-block-inspection-crowds-expected-20120511-1yg5p.html