Secrets to The Block success

They were apartment number one, the first to auction their property and now the twins from Adelaide have continued their winning streak by taking out Channel 9’s The Block Sky High.
Alisa and Lysandra were the big winners in last night’s auction show when their ground floor luxury apartment sold for $1.435 million, $295,000 over the reserve. This meant they were awarded an extra $100,000, bringing their prize money to a huge $395,000.
However, all five couples were winners on the night, signalling more confidence in the prestige property market according to the twins' real estate agent Anton Wongtrakum, managing director of Dingle Partners.
“The prestige market is one of the areas we work in most,” he told Real Estate Business.
“And over the last year, I have seen a lot more confidence return to the market and this project just highlights that.”
Mr Wongtrakum worked weekly with Alisa and Lysandra throughout the competition to ensure their property was customised to a prestige market.
“In this luxury market, people are fairly precise with what they are after, so we worked very closely with the girls to give them advice to make sure the property would appeal to the right audience,” he said.
“They brought us on very early and then we would meet weekly to make sure the apartment was heading in the right direction.
“The apartment was custom built for what we believed to be the prestige market, and from the results at the weekend, the advice paid off.”
In just a few short months, the five couples took a run-down apartment complex on Park Street in south Melbourne and renovated it, transforming it into luxury apartments. Each couple had to renovate eight bathrooms and four bedrooms.
In second place was the youngest couple on the block, Maddie and Jarrod. Their level four apartments sold for $1.601 million, $291,000 over the reserve price.
Western Australian couple Matt and Kim were $250,000 over their reserve, going under the hammer last but still selling their level two apartment for $1.455 million.
Crowd favourites George and Bec came in fourth, selling their property for $1.507 million, $242,000 over the reserve price.
Meanwhile, the penthouse apartment sold for $1.605 million, earning Brisbane parents Trixie and Johno a cool $205,000.
According to RP Data, the average sale price of a south Melbourne house is $900,000 and $520,000 for a unit.
Gerald Betts, director and auctioneer at RT Edgar Albert Part who represented fourth-placed George and Bec, said last night’s auction results were not a surprise as they were always destined to do well.
“Good properties will always sell, no matter what market you’ve got,” he told Real Estate Business.
“But you get worldwide marketing with a television show like The Block, where other luxury properties couldn’t possible get such attention.”
According to Mr Betts, George and Bec’s apartment was designed with neutral tones and thus appealed to a larger audience. However, he admits they would have preferred to have been second in the auction order.
“The first auction sets the price for the day,” he explained.
“While the second auction still has great buyer interest, we would have preferred to be second.”

Source: Stacey Moseley - Real Estate Business