The Block finale 2019: Live coverage of the auctions
Thanks for joining us for our coverage of The Block auctions for 2019.
- This live article is no longer being updated.
8.53pm: That’s all, folks! See you next year.
8.50pm: So that is an incredible result for Tess and Luke! You can read more here.
8.48pm: How much did The Block houses sell for?
- Tess and Luke: 38B Grey Street sold for $3,620,000 (total prize money $730,000, including $100,000 winner’s cheque)
- El’ise and Matt: 38D Grey Street sold for $3,450,000 (prize money $460,000)
- Andy and Deb: 38C Grey Street sold for $3,420,000 (prize money $430,000)
- Jesse and Mel: 38E Grey Street sold for $3,378,000 (prize money $388,000)
- Mitch and Mark: 38A Grey Street sold for $3,374,000 (prize money $384,000)
8.48pm: SOLD! For $3,378,000, putting Jesse and Mel $388,000 over reserve, and Tess and Luke have won The Block 2019.
8.47pm: Mel is right, all the contestants have won today.
8.45pm: And after a brief start, bidding is back. How much further will it go?
8.44pm: And a better raise there from Greville Pabst to $3,365,000.
8.43pm: An incremental rise of just $500 isn’t ideal, frankly.
8.42pm: Here’s Danny trying to perplex the competition again at $3,353,333.
8.41pm: Opening bid of $3,333,000 is very strong and hard to say quickly!
8.40pm: Here’s auctioneer Peter Kakos, in his Block debut. Wonder what Jesse will make of his auctioneering.
8.39pm: I don’t mind Jesse’s blazer, I have to say.
8.36pm: So just one to go. How will going last affect Jesse and Mel’s result?
8.34pm: I have a feeling Andy may be eating a lot more than just “name-brand two-minute noodles”!
8.33pm: That’s a great result for Andy and Deb, who look incredibly chuffed.
8.32pm: SOLD! For $3.42m, and $430,000 over reserve.
8.31pm: Inch by inch, they’re getting higher.
8.30pm: And now we’re at Frank v Greville – a situation we’ve seen many times before.
8.29pm: Wait up, here comes Greville and his pocket square.
8.28pm: Nicole is back but not for long. The bidding looks to have stopped?
8.27pm: I am proposing a new twist for next year’s finale – the judges visit and score everyone’s outfits. Plus it’d be another great opportunity for terrific Shaynna Blaze facial expressions.
8.24pm: I must also admit some disappointment that Frank Valentic’s blazer wasn’t as loud as it usually is on Block auction day.
8.22pm: Nicole is out. What about the others?
8.21pm: One thing you can’t hear is something my keen ears did: the alarm on the front door was going off during the auction (slightly drowned out by Scott’s strong vocals) which I must admit was slightly distracting!
8.20pm: This is certainly taking a while with so many $1000 bids!
8.19pm: Interesting tactic from Danny there, trying to edge Nicole from view. Not endorsed!
8.17pm: Deb and Andy had a strong support from family for their auction. And bidding is off to a strong start, also.
8.15pm: Deb and Andy’s moment of truth is here. Here’s auctioneer Scott Kennedy-Green.
8.13pm: This seems a good time to remind you all that The Block is back for next year. Here’s what we know about the 2020 season.
8.12pm: So … what do you reckon will happen from here? Can Deb and Andy or Jesse and Mel top Tess and Luke’s result?
8.10pm: Couldn’t wipe the grins from Matt and El’ise’s faces
8.09pm: This is pretty incredible. So far, the contestants have made $1,474,000 above their reserve prices.
8.08pm: SOLD! For $3.45m, and $460,000 over reserve.
8.07pm: So much bidding. It’s like an Olympic table-tennis match at times.
8.06pm: The underbidder from Tess and Luke’s place is about to play a big role in El’ise and Matt’s auction.
8.05pm: Any doubt there’s money left in the room is surely dispelled now.
8.04pm: An opening bid from Danny at $3.2m. Very, very strong.
8.03pm: Here is auctioneer Russell Cambridge suggesting the D in 38D is for “divine”. Their place is pretty close to that.
8.01pm: So here come El’ise and Matt. The underdogs – their property had the least views on Domain (undeservedly, if you ask me). And here’s another shot of Tess and Luke celebrating.
7.59pm:
WOW that is amazing! That self contained unit was a bloody winner!!! @TheBlock
— Shaynna Blaze (@ShaynnaBlaze) November 10, 2019
7.58pm: At that price, it really puts Tess and Luke in the box seat to nab that $100,000 winner’s prize.
7.57pm: What an incredible start to married life – $630,000 isn’t a bad amount to put in the bank.
7.56pm: SOLD! For $3,620,000, and $630,000 above reserve. “Now we love The Block,” quips Tess.
7.55pm: Incredibly strong bidding here. It is so hard to keep up with the action!
7.54pm: Tess and Luke’s declaration they were the dark horses earlier tonight is now very, very true. We’re $500,000 over reserve and still going.
7.53pm: There we go; bidding is back after a brief lull.
7.53pm: David Wood, the auctioneer here, won The Block in 2017 for Josh and Elyse’s house.
7.52pm: This was such fast bidding. It was hard to keep up – my notes from this auction are a mess!
7.51pm: Another really strong opening bid. $3.2m from Greville Pabst is incredible.
7.50pm: Loving Tess’ pink.
7.49pm: A great result for Mitch and Mark; Tess and Luke will hope it’ll continue for them too.
7.48pm: SOLD! For $3,374,000 and $384,000 above reserve.
7.48pm: And a $6000 bid from Danny – will that be a knockout?
7.47pm: And the bids keep coming. Strong opening auction.
7.45pm: And I promised a look at Mitch’s fashion too. Check out these shoes!
7.43pm: Perhaps add “Frank getting on his phone” to your drinking game.
7.42pm: Nothing unusual in a small pause in proceedings. Nicole really working her buyer there!
7.41pm: It wouldn’t be a Block auction without Frank Valentic getting on his phone.
7.40pm: $3,366,000. Another Danny tactic.
7.39pm: Welcome Nicole Jacobs. And welcome to another Cooley gag.
7.38pm: That is an … interesting bid at $3,308,050.
7.37pm: Definitely keep an eye on the man in the purple jumper.
7.36pm: The bidding certainly came quick and fast and was particularly encouraging for the rest of the day.
7.36pm: Opening bid of $3m is very strong!
7.35pm: Here we are. Damien Cooley, who has won previous Block auctions, is looking after Mitch and Mark’s place.
7.34pm: Told you. El’ise’s outfit is great.
7.33pm: Andy and Deb were distracted yesterday with the bushfires threatening their home. Fortunately all was well but they were understandably anxious.
7.31pm: For context, Domain reported a clearance rate in Melbourne of 70.9 per cent yesterday from 957 scheduled auctions, and 653 reported results.
7.30pm: They seem to have all had their teeth whitened for the occasion?
7.29pm: And there you go. Jesse is where he really didn’t want to be.
7.28pm: This is all over too easily. What’s the catch?!
7.27pm: Jesse has been adamant not to go last, but with only three to decide and El’ise and Matt seemingly going in the middle, there’s not many positions left. Good luck!
7.25pm: What Jesse won’t tell you is that while Courtney and Hans’ apartment last year sold well over reserve, it was well and truly the longest auction last year. My feet were killing me by the end, and I wasn’t even wearing heels!
7.22pm: This is unexpectedly calm compared to last year, when it took Bianca and Carla and Norm and Jess until the next morning to settle auction order.
7.21pm: Andy LOL. Yes we know Jesse is a real estate agent.
7.20pm: Quite selfless of Mitch and Mark to go first but it does seem quite confident. Hopefully the boys’ faith in their buyers is repaid.
7.19pm: United Nations diplomacy eat your heart out.
7.17pm: Melbourne has had the strongest recovery from house price decline in at least 25 years, Domain data shows. This is good news because higher-priced properties tend to lead the rest of the market.
7.16pm: These are the highest reserve prices for Block houses ever. Five being sold together is a big ask.
7.15pm: Mitch and Mark have had the most buyer interest through the sales campaign so will be interesting to see what their advice is on auction order.
7.13pm: Any thoughts on who might benefit from that generous reserve? Tweet me: @AdrianLowe
7.11pm: This really does make things much more level this year, but the styling for a buyer may not be a huge factor. If they’re an owner-occupier, they’ll have their own furniture to bring. Investors are most likely to be swayed by inclusions, as we discussed earlier here.
7.10pm: Oh wait, Jesse is a real estate agent? I had NO IDEA. DRINK!
7.09pm: It’s also very interesting that all five houses have the same reserve. I can’t remember seeing that before on The Block.
7.08pm: That reserve should have at least three of the teams smiling at the end of the auction. You’d think that’s enough to get three strong sales.
7.07pm: Here are the reserves. At $2.99m collectively, that seems encouraging for all.
7.06pm: That’s maths from Scott Cam that I could NEVER do. (That’s why I’m a journo)
7.05pm: The contestants will be advised on auction order by Scott Cam, Domain national managing editor Alice Stolz and senior research analyst Nicola Powell.
7.04pm: No Regrets is an interesting musical choice.
7.03pm: Mitch and Mark are right, momentum in the Melbourne property market has significantly shifted since the couples renovated the properties. And Deb is right to acknowledge that there’s a chance not all will sell.
7.02pm: And here come the Prosegur boys.
7.01pm: So. Many. Throw. Cushions. On. The. Beds. Where do you put them?
7.00pm: But first, a recap of the season that was. Oh, how happy they all looked once upon a time.
7.00pm: HERE. WE. GO. Where’s my wine?!
6.58pm: Looking forward to seeing how the couples determine whose property is auctioned first. But does that matter?
6.55pm: So this season, Mitch and Mark won four room reveals, Andy and Deb, Jesse and Mel and El’ise and Matt won three, and Tess and Luke won two.
6.50pm: Those watching for farrr-shun will be thrilled with El’ise’s auction outfit. It’s pretty great.
6.45pm: I am already in mourning for not seeing some of these shirts again this year. Fortunately, we will always have the memories and the photos
6.40pm: If, like me, you do not have the confidence to don some of Mitch’s great threads but admire how amazing they are, I have a treat for you … a little later. For now, let’s just remember what our Season 15 recapper Simone Mitchell described as “a fabulous shirt/jacket combo”.
6.35pm: Are you having a Block drinking game tonight? Again, I can’t necessarily endorse it but I won’t discourage you. Drink every time someone says “journey”, take a shot every time someone cries and drink a whole bottle if Scott Cam cries.
6.30pm: For those of you into this kind of thing, and it’s certainly not something I endorse, the bookies have ranked Mitch and Mark as most likely to win, at $2.10 favourites. Deb and Andy are next at $3, with Tess and Luke the outsiders at $13. Betting on several sites has been suspended now given the show was recorded yesterday afternoon.
6.20pm: Andy and Deb took part in the auctions while their own home in NSW is under threat from bushfires. Yesterday, Scott Cam spoke about that on Your Domain.
6.10pm: Take a look through the other properties up for auction:
Tess and Luke
Deb and Andy
El’ise and Matt
Jesse and Mel
6.00pm: Mitch and Mark’s listing has been the most popular so far this year on Domain.
5.45pm: At last year’s auctions, it was a come from behind victory for Sara and Hayden, who defied the judges’ reviews to walk away with $645,000.
5.30pm: The biggest winners of The Block were Darren and Deanne Jolly in 2015. Can anyone top it tonight? Take a look at the biggest winners since 2003?
5.15pm: One of the biggest spats this season has been the decision not to let Mitch and Mark have a pool. Take a look back at the biggest spats in Block history.
5.00pm: Earlier this season, we caught up with some of The Block‘s most popular characters: the tradies. Here, they spill on what happens behind the scenes.
4.45pm: The renovation and restoration of The Oslo is a triumph for Grey Street. Read more about the transformation here.
4.30pm: One of the reasons investors love buying properties on The Block is because of what’s included in them, allowing for strong tax depreciation schedules. Here’s what’s included this year.
4.15pm: The final room, or space, to be revealed was the garden. Here’s a reminder of how the teams fared with the judges on Tuesday night’s episode.
4.00pm: If you’re new to auctions, or not from Victoria, this guide on how auctions work in Victoria is extremely helpful.
3.45pm: Just over three hours to go and we’ll be underway. Grab the nibbles, crack a bottle of bubbly: it’s auction time.
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