How to save The Block NZ: Get out of Auckland!
Real estate agents talk to NIKKI PRESTON on how they would bring the magic back to the reality TV show.
Amove away from the country’s most expensive housing market could make sense for the producers of The Block NZ following last Sunday’s auction flop.
The finale of the tenth season of the reality TV show ended with two of the teams walking away empty-handed after their properties failed to turn a profit. And while one of the show sponsors, TSB, gifted $10,000 to each of the losing teams, future contestants may be put off from taking part if auction gains are not on the cards.
Real estate agents and one of the show’s past winners told OneRoof that the show would be better served if it returned to its earlier format, where contestants had to renovate old homes rather than just “decorating” cookie-cutter newbuilds.
There are early reports that The Block NZ producers may have already secured another Auckland site for the next season, but real estate bosses in cities outside Auckland say moving the show to Tauranga, Hamilton or even Christchurch has merits because each of these locations has plenty of older homes with renovation prospects.
This year’s winners, Chloe Hes and Ben Speedy, sold their terrace house in a new-build development in the hills above Orewa, on the northern fringes of Auckland, for $1.145 million – only $4000 above the reserve, but enough to land them the $100,000 cash prize.
Runners-up Maree and James sold their home for $100 above reserve but they won the People’s Choice Award, which netted them a car worth $28,000. Stacey and Adam’s house sold post-auction at reserve while Quinn and Ben also sold their home post-auction but $39,000 under the reserve.
Mike Pero Orewa owner Lane Sanger didn’t think Auckland should be ruled out completely and said some parts of the super city could still work for the show. He thought sought-after locations such as Point Chevalier and Takapuna, where past seasons have been based, would work better as buyers would pay a premium to get into those areas.
He said the results of this season’s auction reflected the slowness in the housing market and the fact that there was a lot of choice of homes in Orewa.
Caleb Pearson, who won The Block season two with wife Alice, told OneRoof last week that he favoured renovation projects which had a “character element” showcasing the contestants’ renovation and design skills.
Lodge Real Estate Hamilton managing director Jeremy O’Rourke agreed there was probably more money to be made in renovating houses in older more established markets than competing in Hamilton’s new-build market at the moment.
He said plenty of Hamilton suburbs like Claudelands, Beerescourt, Hamilton East and pockets of Fairfield have older houses ripe for renovation.
“It [Hamilton East] has been
“There will be a lot of people, certainly in this market, that would rather look at refurbishing a property than doing something brand new, so that might work a little better.”
quite gentrified. There are lots of character homes there and some of them are sitting on some reasonable sections so they could be cut.”
Tremains Tauranga managing director Anton Jones said The Block producers should also consider Tauranga as they would also be able to find either older houses to renovate or newer subdivisions where there would be terraced housing.
While it depended on whether the producers and their viewers favoured watching older homes being transformed or new homes fitted out, Jones said the aim should be to buy in an area where they could make a profit.
“There will be a lot of people, certainly in this market, that would rather look at refurbishing a property than doing something brand new, so that might work a little better.”
Good suburbs offering potential do-ups included The Avenues and Judea in Tauranga or even some areas of Mount Maunganui. There are also larger sites still available so the producers could also transport another home onto the section as they have done in earlier seasons in a bid to have all four homes lined up next to each other.
But for a property market where auctions still dominate and are working well then Bayleys sales general manager Rachel Dovey said Christchurch would be a good choice for an upcoming season of The Block.
One of the biggest drawcards for Christchurch could be its property prices, Dovey said, because with an average sales price of $790,000, it offered good value for money and housing was still in demand.
“Also due to staff shortages etc. it is more challenging to build and renovate, and the dynamics of the show would provide stimulus for a marketplace which attracts a younger base to property ownership.”
Homes with great renovation potential could be picked up in central locations such as St Albans and Mairehau which have large sections and gardens that could be transformed into Ponsonby-style homes, she said.
But if the producers do want to follow the new-build format used in recent seasons, she said, then the greater Selwyn area might be the place to look as Rolleston was one of the fastest growing townships last year, while Halswell also had a number of new subdivisions and appealed to young families.