Two homes that failed to sell during The Block’s 2025 Daylesford season have finally gone under offer, nine months after the failed auction aired on television. Han and Can’s property at 4 Cedar Lane and Emma and Ben’s home at 5 Cedar Lane are now listed as “under offer” on Domain. Aaron Hill of Ray White Sunbury confirmed that contracts for the Emma and Ben property are currently being sent back by Nine.
The 2025 season produced some of the weakest auction results seen on the show in more than a decade. Only three of the five homes sold on auction day. Britt and Taz’s home sold for $3.41 million, while Sonny and Alicia’s property fetched $3.06 million and Robby and Mat’s home went for $3.099 million.
These results left two teams walking away with nothing despite spending months renovating multimillion-dollar properties.
During the live auction, Emma and Ben and Han and Can watched their houses be passed in at $3.1 million. The homes were listed for sale days later with guides of $2.9 million and $3 million to $3.3 million, respectively. It is now confirmed that neither team will receive any prize money from the show.
Investors and short-term rentals
One of the most interesting stories to emerge since auction night is what happened to the properties after the cameras stopped rolling. The winning property sold for $3.41 million to an anonymous buyer. Months later, the home was transformed into a luxury short-stay accommodation offering rather than becoming a permanent residence.
Sonny and Alicia’s home was purchased by buyer’s advocate Frank Valentic on behalf of an investor client for $3.06 million. The property has since operated as an investment asset and has now been relisted. The final successful sale went to serial Block buyer Danny Wallis, who paid $3,099,999.10 for the property. At the time of purchase, Wallis indicated he planned to rent the home rather than occupy it himself.
The common thread? None of the three homes appear to have been purchased by owner-occupiers looking to live in Daylesford full-time. Britt and Taz’s winning home became luxury accommodation. Sonny and Alicia’s was bought by an investor and is now being resold. Robby and Mat’s was purchased by Danny Wallis as an investment.
The pricing problem in Daylesford
The homes themselves were rarely the problem. The issue was that The Block was asking buyers to pay more than $3 million for homes in a regional market where transactions at that level remain relatively uncommon. Director & Licensed Agent Tom Shaw at BigginScott in Daylesford agrees with this assessment.
“I don’t think the problem was Daylesford. Daylesford remains one of regional Victoria’s most recognisable lifestyle destinations and continues to attract buyers seeking a tree change, weekend retreat or luxury country residence. Rather, I think the challenge was the price point,” Shaw said. “The Block creates extraordinary homes, but they are often delivered at values that exceed what local and regional markets have traditionally supported.”
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Many property commentators argued the reserves were too ambitious for the local market and that bidders struggled to justify the prices despite the quality of the homes. While Daylesford is one of Victoria’s most desirable lifestyle destinations, its traditional buyer pool is far smaller than the markets The Block has targeted in previous years.
The struggles did not end on auction night. Emma and Ben’s and Han and Can’s properties both remained on the market after the finale and have since undergone price adjustments in an effort to attract buyers. Meanwhile, Sonny and Alicia’s relisting means three of the five Daylesford homes have now effectively returned to the market in some form. Han and Can’s House 2 at 4 Cedar Lane has had its asking price revised to $2.9 million, placing it below the $2.99 million reserve set during The Block auction finale. Emma and Ben’s House 1 at 5 Cedar Lane remains listed with a $3 million to $3.3 million guide, although selling agents have indicated further reductions may be required. Perhaps the most startling detail is that agents involved in the campaign revealed neither property had recorded a single inspection this year as the homes sat on the market.
The future of investor buying
No discussion about The Block auctions is complete without Danny Wallis. The software entrepreneur has become one of the show’s most influential buyers, spending millions on contestant homes over the years and often rescuing auction nights that might otherwise have ended in disappointment. But Wallis recently launched a blistering attack on the Federal Government’s proposed negative gearing and capital gains tax reforms, describing the budget as a “s**t show”.
The proposed changes would restrict negative gearing on existing residential properties purchased after July 2027 and alter the way capital gains tax concessions are calculated. Wallis has traditionally treated many of his Block purchases as investments, often renting them out after acquisition. If tax settings become less attractive for investors, the economics behind paying premium prices for Block homes could change significantly. Whether Wallis continues to participate at the same level remains unknown, but his recent public criticism suggests investors will be watching closely.
Why Mt Eliza could solve the issue
The Block’s move to Mt Eliza may solve many of the problems that emerged in Daylesford. Unlike the regional Victorian spa town, Mt Eliza sits within the Mornington Peninsula’s established prestige property market, where multimillion-dollar homes are commonplace and buyer expectations already align with luxury new builds. The suburb offers a deeper pool of affluent owner-occupiers, holiday-home buyers and investors than Daylesford. A sentiment Tom Shaw echoed: “The Daylesford market has always had a ceiling, and whilst there is demand for luxury homes, the pool of buyers above $2 million in a regional town is naturally smaller than in metropolitan markets.”
The Block’s Daylesford properties now face a long road to a sale. Han and Can’s home at 4 Cedar Lane is under offer, but Emma and Ben’s residence at 5 Cedar Lane remains on the market with a guide between $3 million and $3.3 million. This contrast highlights the difficulty of selling high-end homes in regional areas.
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Ultimately, the Block’s experience in Daylesford serves as a case study in market trends. The disconnect between the show’s production values and the regional reality created a challenging environment for sales. As the show moves to Mt Eliza, the focus will be on whether the new location can better match the homes with the right buyers.
