Will The Block 2026 cast make money at auction? New property laws explained

The Block 2026 finale is set to feature a never-before-seen format change that will completely shake things up — and no, it doesn’t have anything to do with billionaire Adrian Portelli.

For the first time in the show’s history, the reserve prices for all five properties will be made public seven days before they go up for auction thanks to Victoria’s new auction laws, which went into effect on October 1. This is a major shift from previous seasons where the teams and their agents kept reserve prices secret.

Buxton Ballarat director Mark Nunn, who is representing House Three’s Lisa and Rosco this season, told PEDESTRIAN.TV that it’s a “significant change” that “adds a level of transparency” to the auction process.

“It's really driven by the underquoting laws and making sure that consumers have got transparency around their expectations on where properties are going to sell for,” he explained.

“I actually think it's a really good thing. I think it's going to have a good effect for both buyers and sellers going into an auction because that doesn't mean buyers can't bid beyond the reserves. Once they get to the reserve, it doesn't stop anyone from bidding more than that.”

How will the Victorian auction changes impact The Block 2026?
 

While fans have questioned whether teams will now make significantly less profit on auction day due to the change — especially considering two houses didn’t even sell last season — Nunn said he’s hopeful that teams will be given “realistic” reserve prices this time around.

“Channel 9 wants all the houses to sell as well, so it's in their best interest for them to sell, and they want all the contestants to make some money out of the process,” he shared.

“So even though I don't know what the reserve is, I think from the information I've been getting, they’re going to be pretty realistic about it.”

As for Lisa and Rosco’s chances of taking out the win, Nunn revealed that he’s had plenty of interest from both investors and families, and he’s confident the couple have produced a great house.

“We've had an amazing marketing campaign that we've been running for them. We've done everything we can, they’ve done everything they can, so now it is up to the market to show up and bid, and that's what we're hoping happens,” he said.

The Block airs Sunday at 7pm and continues Monday to Wednesday at 7:30pm on Channel 9 and 9Now.

This story was originally published on PEDESTRIAN.TV