This year The Block NZ is breaking new ground by adding a third judge to the team of industry experts.
All have strong ideas about what they do and don’t like, and a shared desire to see houses where form and function are paramount – more than just tasteful interiors.
READ MORE: Find out if your suburb is rising or falling
The real estate expert this year is Lauren Mirabito, who is general manager at Ray White Carpenter Realty on the city's North Shore. She brings not only extensive experience in the real estate industry to her judging role, but also plenty of practice as a renovator. And she’s experienced the dramatic changes in Auckland real estate.
Start your property search
“We bought our first family home in Torbay at the end of 2007 and paid $550,000. We sold it two years later for $575,000, then those owners sold it two years later for $590,000. It sold again recently for $1.77m!”
Lauren absolutely loves Auckland's Point Chevalier - where the contestants will be battling it out.
“It is an eclectic, vibrant community that is full of solidly built Kiwi homes with lots of character and charm. The fact that it is on a peninsula means it will always be a close knit, coastal community and will never lose that city fringe/seaside vibe.”
The auctions are still a long way off, but Lauren is confident that they will be a huge success.
“I think buyers will respond well to The Block NZ homes this year as you get the best of both worlds: character and charm plus all the benefits of new build with insulation, double glazing, internal access garage, and a considered layout. Then you add in the exceptional interiors, and competition is bound to be high.”
Chris Stevens, founder and director of award-winning commercial interior design studio CTRL Space, loves creating interiors in restaurants, bars and homes that are functional and comfortable, but also luxurious.
As an avid surfer, Chris’s own preferences are, not surprisingly, based on an appreciation of Californian modernism with its clean lines and a restrained material palette. “Less is definitely more, in my book,” he says.
Chris believes that form follows function in architecture and design. “If a room doesn’t function as it is intended to, I’ll be deducting points for that.” He also wants to see an overall concept thread for the whole house. In his private life, Chris hasn’t actually done a lot of renovating up until now.
“Most of the houses we have owned have been family homes and only needed minor renovations. Our current home is a long-term BIG project, but we will be here for a while – with no intention of flipping anytime soon!” Talking about Auckland’s property market, he says: “It’s out of control and difficult to fathom how and when it will calm down.”
Fellow interior designer Ann-Louise Hyde, of Hyde Inside, has worked on luxury houses all over the world, and says she brings a “practical, not snooty” approach to design and adapts easily between minimalist and maximalist-minded clients.
She’ll be watching contestants on The Block NZ to see if they get the practical elements right before infusing their houses with “originality, warmth and creative soul.”
“Around the world, people pay a premium for beautiful, safe places to live. That’s us – it’s supply and demand!”
The new teams who will be battling it out in Pt Chev, Auckland. Photo / Supplied
She’s not afraid to voice her views on the bigger housing picture, saying that Auckland house prices are high compared to our low incomes because of New Zealand's low productivity in house construction.
“If the government could get on with sorting the Resource Management Act and then get out of the way, the private sector would get houses well-built a whole lot faster and more supply would steady the prices.
“There are architects and pre-fab-build companies chomping at the bit to deliver high quality, low-cost, energy efficient homes, yet no-one can actually move to get them built because of the present laws and issues with councils.”
Looking ahead to The Block NZ’s 2021 auctions, Ann-Louise says: “I think this year will be an absolute bonzer for our teams. Even houses with little going for them are selling well, and from what I’ve seen so far these will be extremely desirable homes.”
- The Block NZ premieres on Monday June 14th at 7.30pm on Three and ThreeNow.
