HOME TRUTHS REVEALED

The Selling Houses Australia team take pride in transforming properties without breaking the bank

HOME prices might have been falling in Australia’s biggest cities, but the amount of aspirational properties showcased on our TV networks and streaming services keeps rising. From country chateaux to tiny houses, every type of dwelling, in every condition, has a series. “We have access to so many glamorous shows, and I must confess, I watch them,” says real estate expert and Selling Houses Australia host Andrew Winter.

“Who doesn’t like a bit of a Million Dollar Listing New York and Los Angeles?” he adds. “Oh God, I love it. And then we have other property shows here in Australia, too. But the wonderful thing about good old Selling Houses is it’s real.”

The AACTA-winning series, which has returned to Foxtel for its 15th season, sees Winter and his co-hosts, interior design expert Wendy Moore and landscaper Dennis Scott, come up with cost-savvy facelifts and strategies for properties that have been languishing on the market.

“Real people in real dilemmas, not with big budgets, not with the designer furniture, just normal homes,” Winter says.

“Admittedly, sometimes they’re worth millions. Sometimes they’re worth a couple $100,000, and we do try to cover all price points for that very reason. But it’s all real.”

A fan of the show before joining the cast, Moore – who was a judge on the Seven Network’s House Rules for seven seasons – enjoys seeing realistic solutions to design problems unfold on screen.

“I’d love to have loads of money [for each property], and everyone dreams of having a limitless budget, but the reality is the most interesting things happen when you’re really limited and you’re forced to get creative,” she says.

This season is also a personal one for Moore and former NRL player Scott. A time-capsule of a house in the Western Sydney suburb of Greystanes tugged at Moore’s heartstrings, reminding her of her childhood home, while Scott found himself revamping a desolate garden in Clermont, the rural Queensland suburb where his father lives.

“The vast difference between a home in central Queensland to one in [Sydney’s] Potts Point is amazing,” Scott explains.

“And I think it’s awesome to be able to show the Australian public the different lifestyles that people actually have. So it’s almost like a tourism show as well as a home renovation show.”

SELLING HOUSES AUSTRALIA

7.30PM, WEDNESDAY, FOXTEL AND FOXTEL ON DEMAND