The Block 2018: Why Alice Stolz awarded Jess and Norm the Domain magazine cover prize

It’s a funny thing, watching a project evolve from the point of inception right through to the sale of it in just 12 fast and ferocious weeks. But, after 14 seasons, we should all know by now that when it comes to The Block, anything’s possible.

I confess to having hunches about who’s going to sink and who will swim when I see the profile of the contestants and, after our first meeting, those feelings begin to crystallise into opinions that usually solidify pretty quickly.

Full disclosure – this was never more true than in the case of Jess and Norm. Their sunny Queensland nature, their mess(!), their zaniness and, in some regard, their untamed passion made me conclude that these two wouldn’t be the Domain cover winners.

I just didn’t hold out hope that they would they pick up on Melbourne sensibilities when it came to renovating.  I thought they wouldn’t know when to exercise restraint, and that they wouldn’t quite master the quiet and refined notion of luxury omnipresent in prestige Melbourne property.

And yet week after week, they delivered it. The flourishes of marble, the grown-up and anchored styling, the restraint of unique styling – those beautiful Indigenous pieces, their entire kitchen, the bedheads, the art work.

The most defining element of The Block  this season is the diversity of what’s on offer. Drawn to beautiful heritage features? Head over to Kerrie and Spence’s. Need space and low-maintenance living­­­­­­­­? Make your way to Courtney and Hans. Have a lust for a contemporary abode with a bit of fun and bling? Look no further than Sara and Hayden. Yearn for an NYC vibe and amped-up sophistication? You’ve got all that at Chez Bianca and Carla.

Related: View the five Gatwick apartments for sale

• Kerrie and Spence: 1/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Hans and Courtney: 2/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Sara and Hayden: 3/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Norm and Jess: 4/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda
• Bianca and Carla: 5/34 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

And, of course, the Domain cover stars Jess and Norm have created an oasis that will suit a buyer who wants it all; penthouse luxury and sophistication but with just enough twists to make this, for my money, the most elegant and chic apartment on the market.

My role was to walk through The Block each week and pressure test the teams on whether they were thinking strategically enough about who their eventual buyer was. After all, any one can renovate but it’s selling the properties that counts.

Who is nailing that is no easy feat. Part of it really comes down to buying basics. An ideal auction or sale for the vendor is one where there are multiple bidders, and the easiest way to win on that front is to have a property that appeals to a broad pool of buyers.

This season, in my mind, that is Jess and Norm. They’ve created a home that could suit a young or more mature professional (albeit with deep pockets) who wants a luxurious pad with an oversized terrace that’s just made for entertaining.

I think adding something as simple as a patch of grass has also helped them enormously. By doing so, they’ve found a solution to the perennial apartment problem of no greenery and may appeal to downsizers who can’t quite bear the concept of no greenery or spot for a pet to lounge or even a grandchild to toddle about.

Their use of marble also is a gentle nod to luxury and I think the ample cupboard space in the bedrooms taps into the other negative normally hurled at apartment living: not enough storage. The beautiful herringbone parquet is an elegant base for those soaring ceilings and the stunning fireplace is a design feature in itself (and all the better for being moved to its rightful spot).

Having said that, the other apartments, while all sublime in their own right, have more distinctive features about them. Did they pigeon hole themselves too much? The proof will be in the pudding and the bidding numbers.

And of course, as with anything to do with The Block, there’s the massive element of the unknown. Depending on where the reserves are set, the winner may be in the older-style apartments that may not command such lofty prices as the penthouse. Kerrie and Spence and Sara and Hayden will certainly feel vindicated if so.

Whatever the outcome, and however much the contestants may have their hearts in their mouths during the auction, a property is ultimately worth what a buyer is willing to pay for it.

See you at the auctions.