A property expert has slammed The Block for being ‘out of touch’, saying all four homes auctioned were sold at overstated and unrealistic prices.
Property guru Chris Bellesini told New Idea that the producers of the Channel 9 show had ‘lost touch with reality’ after setting a total reserve price for the five homes at $4.08 million .
One of the properties is still not sold.
Omar and Oz’s home sold for a whopping $1.6 million profit, which Bellesini said was unrealistic.
“I understand why they do it, but they’ve gotten too big now; they just lost touch, the average buyer won’t want to spend that much, and there aren’t enough real buyers to give producers the jaw-dropping results they’re looking for,” he said.
He added that the houses only sold for big bucks because the auction bidder wanted to spend time on TV.
“Basically you have Danny Wallis who is there for his ego and his time on TV, and Adrian Portelli who is also buying for media attention.
“Neither of them are real buyers, they wouldn’t have spent that money or bought those homes if they weren’t on The Block.
“These sales weren’t real, three were sold to Danny for his ego and the fourth to Adrian to promote his businesses.”
The series finale was mired in controversy after Oz and Omar won, with a $1.68 million profit from the sale of a four-bedroom, four-acre property in Gisborne, Victoria.
In the chaotic finale, the couple triumphed after selling their home for $5.6 million.
Rachel and Ryan were the only other contestants to win a significant amount of money, taking home $169,000.50.
Tom and Sarah-Jane took home $20,000 while the remaining contestants didn’t sell their properties overnight.
Omar and Oz picked up the biggest win in The Block history, but some viewers suggested there was more to be won.
The auction quickly became controversial as bidding skyrocketed and there was a back-and-forth between wealthy potential buyers.
One of the men, Adrian Portelli, knew Omar and Oz (he greeted the pair with a hug when he arrived), fueling rumors he was a false bidder planted to drive up the price of the rural house .
Oz, Omar and Portelli have all denied any attempt to raise the price.