Not surprisingly the first room reveals on The Block NZ for 2021 provoked a lot of attention and polarised opinions all over the country.
It’s already fairly clear which teams know what they’re doing, and which ones really don’t, but it’s a learning curve with many weeks ahead – sort of.
READ MORE: Find out if your suburb is rising or falling
Actually, at the end of week two of the Block NZ 2020, the harsh reality of the global Covid-19 pandemic hit home, and contestants were forced to put down their tools and return home for the epic March and April lockdown.
Start your property search
Luckily, work was able to resume again recently and it will be interesting to see whether the continuity is seamless when footage filmed in 2021 kicks in next week.
We’ve already met the judges and it feels as if conflict might be on the cards there - especially between Ann-Louise Hyde and Lauren Mirabito, with estate agent Mirabito basing her decisions on the homes’ saleability and the interior designer going with her creative gut feelings. Chris Stevens seems quite quiet, but it’s early days yet.
Once the winning guest bedrooms were announced early in the week, our teams set about choosing their houses – a process which was somewhat fraught especially as Team Purple, Rach and Janah, had difficulty agreeing, before settling on house number one.
Team Purple’s stylish bedroom design. Photo / Three
Meg and Dan’s bedroom efforts. The couple had wanted to add an extra bedroom. Photo / Three
With that all sorted, the pairs moved in, and ambitious – often major - changes to the plans seemed to be the order of the day, especially with Meg and Dan wanting to add a fourth bedroom, only to discover that there is a minimum size requirement as to what qualifies.
Careful planning is absolutely crucial at this stage of the build when decisions made now can have unexpected or even unwanted consequences somewhere down the track.
Bayleys agent Edward Pack says that the Block NZ homes would have to meet a very high standard in order to compare to recent sales in Auckland’s Pt Chev, where the current season is set.
Pack sold the sensational five-bedroom home of Superette co-founder Rickie Dee and her husband Onny Kaulima in Pt Chev’s Pelham Avenue for $4.2 million in April this year.
Lee and Kaulima bought the house, back when it was a traditional bungalow, in 2014 for $1.3m and set about transforming it, with the help of acclaimed architect John Irving.
“Rickie and Onny had great personal style and paid close attention to detail. Nothing in their house was over-the-top, it was all very tasteful,” Pack said.
The sensationally renovated Pt Chev house that Superette co-founder Rickie Lee sold for $4.2m in April. Photo / Supplied
To create the ultimate Pt Chevalier dream home, he has some helpful suggestions for The Block NZ contestants, based on current demand.
“A fourth bedroom definitely is very sought after – especially in Point Chevalier, and a second living room can also add significant value.”
Pack also notes that home offices are high on buyers’ wish lists and if not a full media room, at least a small nook for watching TV and movies.
“People are really seeking out small but useful aspects, like self-closing cupboard doors, and they’re looking for quality tapware, light fittings and general hardware,” he said.
Pack said that while it would be tempting for Block contestants to do bold things to make their houses stand out, taste was a very subjective thing.
“I think you need to keep that part of your presentation to aspects of the house that can be changed easily if the new owner has a different style.”
Bayleys agent Edward Pack: “When the right buyer sees the right property, they will definitely know it.” Photo / Supplied
When it comes to extras such as hot tubs and swimming pools Pack finds that in general, they don’t make or break sales.
“But because Covid has seen us all spending more time at home, they’re still nice for families to have, so they can relax together,” he said.
Pt Chev has had one of Auckland’s highest property value increases over the past year, and it’s certain the homes will break the $2m mark when they go to auction later this year.
“In the end, when the right buyer sees the right property, they will definitely know it,” Pack said.
