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As The Simpsons famously advise: “You don’t win friends with salad!”

But, on The Block, a gourmet barbecue is a sure-fire way to sweeten the relationship with the other competitors.

Still riding high from their trifecta of victories, Tam and Jimmy decided to splurge some of their $49,000 kitty on a $1000 fancy feast for their neighbours in the hope of squashing any sour grapes.

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Jimmy and Tam host a BBQ to help the other contestants get over their three wins in a row.

The laid-back couple wisely realised that their steady stream of wins and now bulging budget had put a target on their backs with the other contestants.

Everyone — including Harry, who had initially refused the invitation because he felt he had too much work to do to sit around shooting the breeze over snacks — certainly enjoyed Tam’s champagne, devilled eggs and array of cold meats.

So much so that they resolved to make it a weekly tradition. From now on, the winners will host a party for the losers on the night after judging.

But it would take a lot more than snags and alcohol to smooth things over entirely as the other teams, after surveying Tam and Jimmy’s winning ensuite, felt the Queensland duo were being treated a little too kindly by the judges, Shaynna Blaze, Neale Whitaker and Darren Palmer.

Making matters worse, the other teams reckon Tam and Jimmy have been enjoying an advantage with their 1950s property because it has needed very little demolition work, meaning the couple could spend more time and energy purely on their renovation and styling rather than the messy grunt work of pulling out cupboards, walls and ceilings.

Harry was in a thunderous mood thanks to his ongoing lack of success and the formidable task that awaited him in Master Bedroom week.

Harry lets the expletives rip.

Harry and daughter Tash went from famine to feast on the floor space front. Their guest bedroom was the smallest bedroom on The Block, but their master bedroom is by far the biggest. Unfortunately, with their work week reduced by a public holiday (which prevents the use of power tools on site), they were struggling for time to do justice to their epic project.

Their bedroom and walk-in robe will be a whopping 33 square metres, which is larger than most studio apartments and just the sort of lux sanctuary to make a would-be Brighton dweller bid up big at the coming auction.

The scale of the project had Harry so concerned that he spent too much time agonising over whether to pull the Hipages lever (which would enable him to have a squadron of tradies on site to assist him free of charge) or getting stuck into doing the work himself.

Adding to his frustration, he tarried too long to collect his timber from a waiting truck and the delivery guy elected to drop it down the block from The Block. Harry then had to spend what little time he didn’t have this week carting the timber to the building site — accompanied by an expletive-laden tirade.

When he finally sprang into action on prepping his room, Harry did such a thorough job with his demolition work that foreman Dan feared he’d left the house structurally unsound, with too little of the exterior wall left to safely hold up the roof.

“He should know the processes by now. It’s week three,” Dan said. “But he’s going backwards not forwards. There just doesn’t seem to be enough hours in the day for Harry to get everything done. He needs 48 hours to a day, not 24.”

Keith thinking about how much he loves Benny Hill.

Dan appears to be becoming more and more like grouchy foreman Keith with every season.

Speaking of Keith, he wasn’t going to let Dan do all the heavy lifting on the negativity front. He pulled the pin on Jasmin and Luke’s demo work when he discovered they’d hurriedly pulled apart a wall that could contain asbestos.

Work on the site had to be halted for safety inspections and one of Keith’s lengthy and tedious lectures.

Even though the house was declared asbestos-free, Luke and all his tradespeople were forced to sit through another safety briefing to make sure that they had well and truly learned their lesson.

Demolition was giving George headaches (and some limp jokes about erectile dysfunction) as well.

With no work crews on site for the public holiday, George and Sarah got cracking together on their master bedroom. The couple were forced to start pulling down walls around an intricate plaster ceiling rose that they had salvaged and left on the floor to reinstall later.

Keith, ever the prophet of doom, pointed out that the rose was at risk of being damaged by George’s one-man demolition work. George explained, however, that he had no choice because he had no tradespeople on site and the rose was too heavy and fragile to be moved by him and Sarah.

“I can’t get it up,” George lamented.

“Do you have trouble getting it up, George?” a sniggering Keith responded (I can imagine Keith was a big Benny Hill fan back in the day).

Getting to Jimmy and Tam’s wardrobe requires a trip past a dunny.

A war of the roses erupted when George joked to Sarah that he had thrown out the ceiling rose she had so carefully rescued for her new bedroom. Thankfully, he had stowed it safely in their beach box as she had muttered warnings of “instant divorce” if it had ended up in their skip. Remarkably, she didn’t shed a single tear during the heated exchange.

Things were far brighter for The Block’s resident winners. With $49,000 sitting in their bank account they have planned a bedroom with “all the bells and whistles” (that is TV renovation speak for a soaring cathedral ceiling and fireplace).

The duo also seemed hellbent on making their toilet the place to be seen.

They had to shelve plans for their bathroom to be separated from the bedroom by a glass wall that could be frosted for privacy at the flick of a switch when they discovered it would come at a cost of an eye-watering $16,000.

Their curious new plan now requires anyone wishing to enter the walk-in wardrobe to do so via the toilet. This means you could be caught with your pants down if your other half decided to visit the wardrobe to change his or her own pants.

MISSED AN EPISODE?

Episode 8 recap: Judges pull no punches on grieving Daniel and Jade

Episode 6-7 recap: Sack your builder: Keith slams ‘pathetic’ work

Episode 4 recap: Luke and Jasmin’s big stuff up

Episode 3 recap: “So two years ago”. Team’s boring room slammed

Episode 2 recap: Disappointment as Block houses are handed out

Episode 1 recap: Block 2020 tears start flowing early

The post The Block 2020 episode 9 recap: Are Jimmy and Tam getting too much love from the judges? appeared first on realestate.com.au.

This is your unique opportunity to buy a highly-sought after new home and make a contribution to three great causes at the same time.

The sale proceeds from this rare two-bedroom apartment, with resort-like facilities will be donated to charity.

The estate owner, who wishes to remain anonymous, wanted the auction proceeds to be split equally across RSPCA, Beyond Blue and Cancer Council ACT.

A great apartment for a great cause.

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A generous move at any time, especially with all charities struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Perfectly situated in one of the most resilient growth markets in the country, this 90 sq m plus internal flat at 60/23 Aspinall Street, Watson, ACT has had plenty of interest.

And if you haven’t seen it yet, get in quick because it goes to auction on Wednesday night.

The apartment features a double balcony, two carparks in a secure garage with direct access to the apartment, and a large master with ensuite.

“Watson is a beautiful location and close to many amenities while still having that suburban feel,” said sales agent Andrew Grenfell, from LJ Hooker – Dickson, who holds the listing with fellow agent Andrew Browne.

The 90 sq m+ internal space has attracted many eager buyers.

As has the double balconies and resort facilities.

“It’s nice and leafy at the foothills of the Mount Majura nature reserve but also close to everything including walking and bike tracks and good schools.

“It’s a fantastic white collar, green lifestyle to buy into.

“It’s at a good price point and there has been a lot of interest from first home buyers, families and investors.”

The apartment has a price guide of $345,000+ and features balconies at both ends with access to a tennis court, a salt water swimming pool and BBQ areas in the complex.

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Proceeds will go to charities RSPCA, Beyond Blue and Cancer Council ACT.

The median value of a two-bedroom unit in Watson is $356,000.

Canberra home values have been one of Australia’s best performing during COVID-19 and over the past year. The national capital was one of only three major cities, along with Hobart and Darwin to enjoy positive home value growth over the month of August (0.5 per cent) and over the last quarter (1.3 per cent), according to CoreLogic data.

The property is close to the bike trails of Mt Majura. Picture: supplied

Dwelling values have risen 6.9 per cent over the last 12 months, second only to Sydney’s 9.8 per cent rise and ahead of Melbourne’s 5.9 per cent increase.

“Watson is one of the suburbs where we have seen apartment prices hold and even grow in value recently,” Mr Grenfell said.

“It’s a great area and a great opportunity.”

“This home is ideal for all types of buyers. At this practical price this could be a great investment, it could attract first home buyers, families, downsizers and any others looking for easy living or a healthy investment.

Watson is a short drive to the Canberra city centre

“This property will sell due to the reasonable price guide and the estate is motivated to get the money to the charities as soon as possible.

The generous donation to charity, gives it further appeal.

“Working on a sale like this hits very close to home, many of us in the office have felt the effects of these charities work,” Mr Grenfell said.

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“It is a proud moment to see a transaction like this happen knowing that the funds will be used to provide care and assistance to those who need it.

“It’s been aa really testing year and these charities have been hit hard. They do a lot of great things and help a lot of people in need, so it’s great they will receive the proceeds.”

The property goes to auction this Wednesday, 9 September, at 6:00pm.

The post Rare chance to make a real difference with your next home buy appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Jules Robinson and Cameron Merchant have bought their first home together. (Photo by Mark Metcalfe/Getty Images)

The Married At First Sight success story Cameron Merchant and wife Jules Robinson have bought their first home ­together. They’ve spent $1,806,000 on their family home in Cromer.

Settling just weeks ­before the pair welcome their first child in mid-September, the four bedroom home is getting a quick makeover. However, the couple have ­apparently chosen not to find out the gender of their baby, which has limited choices for the nursery by their decorators, The Block duo Mitch Edwards and Mark McKie.

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The couple paid just over $1.8m for the home.

The modern kitchen.

The four-bedroom, three bathroom, northern beaches house last traded for $1,075,000 in 2014.

It had recently been a $1300 a week rental before its sale by Belle agent Nick Duchatel, who sec­ured a pre-auction deal.

Cromer has 40 properties currently for sale on realestate.com.au, which puts its four bedroom median price at $1.65 million. Based on five years of sales, Cromer has seen a compound growth rate of 6.6 per cent for houses.

Open plan living with bright interiors.

The home last traded in 2014.

The buy comes after Merchant sold his one bedroom Kirribilli apartment for a loss. It fetched $926,000 post-auction having been bought for $941,000 in 2017, just before he took part in the Channel 9 show in 2018. Merchant retains an investment in Dee Why’s Grand Reef complex which cost $720,000 in 2014. The Cromer property was bought by the couple, who married last November, although Jules’ co-ownership has been registered under her maiden name.

The post Married At First Sight’s Cameron Merchant and Jules Robinson buy home in Cromer appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Only 11 homes sold under the hammer during Melbourne’s first weekend of September, starting the spring selling season in almost complete silence.

It came as a ban on private property inspections was extended through to October 26, causing concern the traditional selling season would be put on hold entirely.

Despite the quiet weekend, successful sales were recorded for all but two of the 13 auctions reported to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria.

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3 Allison Road, Mont Albert North was one of just 13 auctions on the first weekend of spring.

A Mont Albert North house at 3 Allison Road was one of the houses that succeeded in the tough auction conditions.

Ray White Blackburn director Peter Schenck said there were five registered bidders who pushed the sale price to $1.17m.

“To have it sell for above $1m, when a week ago buyers were saying they wouldn’t pay more than $1m, is amazing,” Mr Schenck said.

“It proves that buyers are out there and auctions are the way to go to get premium results.”

It sold for $1.17m.

There were five registered bidders competing for the property.

It was the third property the auctioneer had sold via an online sales platform during coronavirus lockdown.

Private sales are still being sealed across the city, with two Doncaster East units sold by Phillip Webb last week.

The agency’s Doncaster East sales consultant Harry Fares said 1/11 Dehnert Street sold for $795,000 after it was advertised with an $835,000 asking price.

1/11 Dehnert St, Doncaster East sold via private sale.

The unit transacted for $795,000.

There were 16 offers on the properties across 108 days, mostly from first-home buyers and investors.

Another unit at 2/243 Blackburn Road sold last week after just 32 days on the market. There were three offers on the property before it sold slightly below its $530,000-$580,000 price guide for $510,000, according to CoreLogic.

Big results have been recorded by homes amid stage four lockdown restrictions.

2/243 Blackburn Road, Doncaster East sold after just 32 days on the market.

In August, a Fairfield house at 36 McGregor Street soared $350,000 above reserve to $1.45m.

Jellis Craig Northcote’s Sam Rigopoulos said there were more than 20 registered bidders for the three-bedroom house.

He said a “scarcity of stock” and remaining buyer demand would help boost the market once restrictions lifted.

36 McGregor Street, Fairfield sold in August for a $350,000 premium.

Plenty of potential inside the Fairfield house.

Another lifestyle property at 105 Arcadia Avenue in Mickleham sold for $2.05m last month, making it one of the suburb’s most expensive homes.

The Eleet Wyndham City director Sahil Kakar said the four-bedroom house passed in at auction for $1.8m in October last year, when the market was much stronger.

“Nothing in Mickleham has been sold for this price that is less than three acres (1.2ha), so it has set a record by that measure,” Mr Kakar said.

105 Arcadia Avenue, Mickleham sold for $2.05m

The property scored one of Mickleham’s most expensive sales.

“We did an off-market campaign for two months before putting it on the market, which generated a lot of good leads and offers, but nothing as close to what the owners wanted.

“By the end of the campaign we had four buyers interested, who all bid over the phone … the ones who bought it were able to walk through the house about five days before stage four restrictions hit.”

Scoring a deal during stage four coronavirus restrictions had spurred on inquiries from other local vendors, who were keen to sell once restrictions were eased, Mr Kakar said.

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