Serial buyers and new bidders: Who bought The Block 2025 houses
Danny Wallis made a triumphant return to the winners’ list after two years in The Block wilderness, while two new mystery buyers laid claim to houses in Daylesford on Block auction day.
It was a mixed bag of results on auction day in Daylesford, with three houses selling on The Block and another two passing in.
With serial Block buyer Adrian Portelli hanging up his auction paddle at the end of the last season, word from the ground in Daylesford was that it felt like things had “returned to normal”.
With familiar faces and a host of newcomers on auction day, here’s everything we know about who bought The Block 2025 houses.
House 1, Emma and Ben – Passed in
Despite billionaire Adrian Portelli being spotted in Emma and Ben’s wine room just days before the auction, the serial The Block buyer was a no-show on auction day.
All signs on the day pointed to Portelli popping up to buy House 1. Ray White Sunbury agent Aaron Hill – credited with introducing Portelli to The Block – was the agent for House 1, and Portelli’s secret buyer’s advocate from last season, Mark Errichiello, was front and centre at the auction on the phone with a bidder.
Bidding for House 1 started well, with four bidders – Errichiello, buyer’s advocate Frank Valentic, Bassi Workwear founder Ronnie Bassi, and mystery bidder Rocco – all trading bids from $2.5 million to $2.97 million.
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But all of that led to nothing as the house was passed in on a vendor bid of $3.1 million.
“I think it went well. We had four bidders, which we knew. They all bid, but unfortunately, didn’t get it right where we needed to get to today, and I’m hoping we’ll get them home over the next few days,” Hill said after the auction.
“We had one big guy who was on the phone … unfortunately, there was no reception where he was and I was talking hard money. [He was] in Sydney somewhere on a boat cruise or a boat.”
House 2, Han & Can – Passed in
For the last house to go to auction on the day, Belle Property auctioneer David Holmes launched the auction with a vendor bid of $3.1 million.
And that’s as far as it got.
With no bids in the room, the property was passed in.
Agents Ashlee McKee and Natalie Fagan from Belle Property Daylesford were disappointed with the result and said the high reserve price hadn’t helped.
“We felt the reserves were too high and did not reflect the market we are currently experiencing,” McKee said.
“Should the pricing have been in line with the market closer to $2.8 million, we believe we would have had a different outcome under the hammer.”
Buyer’s advocate Frank Valentic, who purchased House 4 on behalf of an investor just minutes before House 2 went to auction, agreed the price was a factor.
“Obviously the last one [House 2] was bit of a no show once they put their vendor bid in,” he said.
“We would have had a Sydney buyer who would have gone up to about $3 million for that one. Once it went above that level they were out.”
House 3, Britt and Taz – Mystery buyer Alex
With the daunting task of going first, House 3 got off to a cracking start with a lively auction and plenty of bids trading hands.
So quick were some of the bids that serial block buyer Danny Wallis was barely able to finish his eccentric dollars-and-cents bids before he was outbid.
The eventual winner – a buyer named Alex – placed the winning bid of $3.41 million by phone through Buxton agent Peter Burley.
Buxton Ballarat Director Mark Nunn – who took out the win with House 3 in his first appearance on The Block – said they had encountered strong interest in the property throughout the campaign.
“The feedback we received for their campaign was just that people loved it; it was a really homely feel. And that’s how we thought it would be perceived by the market,” he said.
“So, the buyers, particularly the pointy-end buyers, as we got to the end of the campaign they just loved it. So, they came and they bid. We’re very happy for Britt and Taz.”
Nunn said the Victorian buyers of House 3 elected to keep a low profile. While they were on-site, they didn’t want to be on camera, so they elected to bid over the phone through the agent.
“All I can say is they’re a beautiful couple, so we’re thrilled that it went to them.”
House 4, Sonny and Alicia – Toorak investor
There were nerves aplenty as the auction for House 4 kicked off, following House 1 being passed in on a vendor bid.
With $50,000 off their reserve after winning Front Yard Week, Sonny and Alicia’s team went in with a bold strategy of starting the auction with a vendor bid of $3.05 million.
The tension in the room was palpable as BigginScott auctioneer Russell Cambridge cajoled bids from the room in a scene reminiscent of an old-fashioned standoff.
It was a strategy that paid off, with buyer’s advocate Frank Valentic making a call and with one bid winning the auction.
“When we got our instructions from Scott, Alicia and Sonny we knew it was going to probably go that way,” Cambridge said.
“It was just whether or not we could coerce one of the bidders to participate. We were hoping to get two going, but of course, once Frank put in the bid, it was sold, and their tactic worked so good on the crew.”
The property sold to an investor for $3.06 million – putting Sonny and Alicia in second place – and marked the 10th Block purchase for veteran buyer’s agent Valentic.
“My client was like, let’s see how the auction goes first. That’s why I got on the phone and said ‘we’re here, let’s try one more bid’,” Valentic said.
“And I think that would have been his last bid, to be honest. It was good to get a result, but it was an interesting auction.”
Valentic said the buyer was a retired older gentleman who “plays the share market”.
“We’re happy we got [a win for] one of my clients, who’s an investor from Toorak, and we’ve tried to buy probably three or four times on The Block before for him and been unsuccessful, so it was good to get a win,” he said.
“He really wanted House 4 because of the add-ons – the caravan, the car, the $275,000 a year in depreciation, which is the highest we’ve ever seen on The Block.”
House 5, Robby and Mat – Danny Wallis
After failing to buy a house in the previous two seasons, Danny Wallis was not going to be denied on The Block this year.
After being outbid on House 3 in the first auction, Wallis bounced back with his, at times, confusing bids, going up against Farmer’s Arms hotel owner Mitch Duncan and his old The Block sparring partner, buyer’s advocate Frank Valentic.
“Danny’s still there, we’ve been bidding against each other since The Block Sky High in, I think, 2015,” Valentic said.
“So, obviously, the old rivalry is back, and he pipped me on House 5.”
Wallis bought the house for $3,099,999.10 after a series of bids.
It’s the 12th house the IT entrepreneur has bought on the renovation series, after his first purchase of House 2 – renovated by Mike and Andrew – in 2012.
“I liked House 3 because it had the good kitchen and House 5 because it’s on the end and [there’s] no neighbour next door. They’re both nice houses,” Wallis said after bidding on both properties and winning House 5.
Wallis said he “didn’t notice” Portelli’s absence from this year’s show and was happy with his purchase, which he plans to rent out.
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