The Block 2026 filming hits halfway as unsold Daylesford homes linger on market

Contestants on this year’s new season of The Block are officially halfway through filming – and building – their new Mornington Peninsula houses, but for the first time in the show’s history, there are still properties from last year’s season that remain unsold, despite recent price cuts.

The unsold Daylesford Block houses recently had their asking prices reduced to $2.9 million, but Ray White Sunbury agent Aaron Hill , the listing agent for Emma Shanahan and Ben Cox’s home at 5 Cedar Lane, told Domain that House 1 would need to be priced between $2.2 million and $2.5 million to sell.

This could put the house around $1 million below its original price guide and well below the amount the winning couple, Britt and Taz, achieved on auction day ($3.41 million).

“They’re always $1 million overpriced,” Hill says. “I love The Block … I’ve had a great experience for many, many years, but when they pass in, they’re just very, very hard to sell.”

House 1 Emma and Ben

5 Cedar Lane, Daylesford VIC 3460

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It is the first time the house prices have been reduced from the original guide of $3 million to $3.3 million since the failed auctions in October 2025.

Hill says it doesn’t help that Daylesford is a regional town with typically long days on market.

“Every home is on the market for six months up there to a year, even when they’re not overpriced,” he says.

Hill says he feels bad for the contestants, who won’t make a cent, and that he’s unlikely to do another Block.

“I’ve done The Block for many years, and I don’t think I’ll ever do another one because it’s just too unrealistic.”

But Belle agents Shona Halahan and Will Walton, who still have Hannah Thetford and Candace Wood’s House 2 at 4 Cedar Lane on the market, say it was a positive for Daylesford to have secured three sales over $3 million.

SOLD - Price Withheld

4 Cedar Lane, Daylesford VIC 3460

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“We haven’t had homes in Daylesford township sell for that price previously, so when people say, ‘Oh my gosh, The Block was a disaster,’ I say, ‘Well, I actually don’t see it that way,’” Halahan says.

“It wasn’t great for the contestants, but I don’t think it was a bad outcome for the property market, given three out of five sold.”

Halahan remains optimistic about securing a sale, with Belle to launch a revised campaign to stimulate interest in the property. House 2 is now publicly listed at $2.9 million.

There’s cautious optimism that the properties on season 22 may be an easier sell, thanks to their elevated position in Mount Eliza on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula, a 60-minute drive south of Melbourne.

Shanahan, who lives with Cox and baby Bailey on the peninsula, has done a drive-by of the site and anticipates good demand for the double-storey homes.

“Mount Eliza, I think, will actually sell really well. It’s a brilliant location,” she says.

“I mean, you can see the beach from the road, so I can only imagine how stunning the view will be from the actual houses.”

Jarchitecture director Jason Gec lives opposite the Old Mornington Road site and agrees the outlook is impressive.

“They’re kind of at the top of the hill, and because they don’t have trees, their balconies face quite a good aspect,” the architect tells Domain.

Gec, who says homes on his street have sold for up to $23 million, is a big fan of the area.

“I love it,” he says. “There are no car noises, just birds. It’s really beautiful, heaps of trees, space.”

Of course, with building and filming in full swing across the road – Gec says the shell of each new Block house is now clearly visible – it’s not as quiet as usual, but he’s been surprised by how well planned the project has been to date.

“They’ve been pretty good neighbours all in all,” he says. “It hasn’t been dusty or noisy, and the traffic management has been fine. I think they’ve gone around to the local houses and they’re renting backyards to use as parking instead of flooding the streets.”

With their Daylesford property still lingering on the market, Shanahan has no bitterness over the couple’s lack of prize money.

“It’s all part of the game; it’s kind of what you sign up for,” she says. “There’s no guarantee of winning money at the end of it.”

Her advice to this year’s contestants is to “dig deep and make the most of the experience”.

“I think just give it everything you’ve got, do all the challenges, use up every cent of the budget, but don’t go over,” she says.

“And just have fun. I know it’s such a stressful environment, but you’ve got to look at the bigger picture. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity – like, when else can you go and build a house with someone else’s money?

“Luckily, Ben and I had an awesome time doing it.”