The Block 2026 auction results: all five Mount Eliza houses sold, and what Victoria's new published-reserve law means if you're buying

By The Rundowns News Desk · Published 1 November 2026

All five houses on this year's season of The Block sold at auction in Mount Eliza on Sunday night, every one of them above its $3.45 million reserve. Courtney and Sev (House 4) won with a $1.27 million result. It's a striking outcome in a soft Melbourne market, and it was also the first Block finale run under Victoria's new rule that reserve prices must be published a week before auction. That rule now applies to every auction in the state, so here's how it works.

The results

The figures below are confirmed by The Age and realestate.com.au's live coverage, and match Nine's official summary. (Nine makes the show and owns The Age. realestate.com.au says it isn't affiliated with the program.)

Contestants keep everything above the reserve. The winners also get a $100,000 cheque and a new prize package that The Age values at about $500,000. House 5's published reserve was $3.5 million, but realestate.com.au explains that Rick and Tayla won a $50,000 reserve reduction in the final week, which brings their effective reserve into line with the others at $3.45 million. That's why their profit is counted from $3.45 million.

That's about $3.55 million in prize money across the five houses, based on the figures above. It's a big jump on last year's Daylesford season. There, realestate.com.au reports, the top premium was $420,000, two houses were passed in, and the total of about $750,000 was the lowest since 2011.

Why it matters: the Melbourne market is weak

The result went against the wider market. The Age says Melbourne house prices are down 6.7% since their December peak. The two big property portals measured this weekend's auctions slightly differently. Domain recorded a preliminary clearance rate of 56% from 380 reported results for the week (per The Age), while realestate.com.au had 52% from 415 results, with 131 passed in and 70 withdrawn.

Don't read the Block numbers as a sign the market has turned. realestate.com.au points out that Block houses are "somewhat of a micromarket". They're brand-new, sold fully furnished with extras thrown in, and heavily promoted on national TV. Regular high-profile bidders also turn up. The $3.45 million reserve was about double Mount Eliza's median house price of $1.72 million, according to realestate.com.au. One more factor for investors: realestate.com.au notes that new builds keep negative gearing and the capital gains discount under the federal budget changes, while established homes lose them.

The new rule: reserve prices are published a week out

Viewers knew the reserves before the finale because of Victoria's new price transparency laws. According to Consumer Affairs Victoria (CAV), the government's consumer regulator, these apply to auctions and fixed-date sales held on or after 16 October 2026. The ABC also reported on them. In short:

• Reserve published at least 7 days ahead. The agent has to ask the seller for a reserve in writing, then publish it in every ad and in the Property Price Statement at least seven days before the auction or fixed-date sale. If it hasn't been up for the full seven days, the sale can't go ahead.
• One number, no qualifiers. The reserve must be a single dollar amount, with no "from", "over", "+" or "starting at".
• Changing it restarts the clock. CAV's industry Q&A says that if the seller changes the published reserve, up or down, the auction can't happen until the new figure has been public for another seven days.
• Sale prices are published afterwards. Agents must add the sale price to the Property Price Statement within seven days of the sale becoming unconditional and keep it public for at least 18 months. Exemptions are available in family violence situations.
• A new Property Price Statement. It replaces the old Statement of Information. It must be shown prominently in online listings and include key features of the property and of the comparable sales.

Underquoting is still illegal. That means advertising a price below the seller's reserve or asking price, below a written offer the seller has already rejected, or below the agent's own estimated selling price. If you think a campaign breaks the rules, CAV is the place to complain.

The criticism

The laws have critics. The Real Estate Institute of Victoria told the ABC it supports the goal but not the design, and warned of "overquoting". Independent economist Cameron Kusher said declaring the reserve on auction morning would work better than a week out. Ray White's Dan White said the rules were confusing. None of them expects the laws to change prices much. The Property Council said supply and demand remain the main drivers.

What this means if you're buying in Victoria

• A published reserve is the price the seller has committed to sell at. It is not a prediction of the sale price. The Block houses went $367,000 to $1.27 million over.
• Check the Property Price Statement for the reserve, the comparable sales, and the suburb median. After the sale, look up what it actually sold for.
• If the reserve changes, the auction date should move. A reserve changed inside the final week with the auction still going ahead is a red flag worth raising with CAV.
• Do your own checks. Zoning, flood overlays and building condition aren't covered by the price statement.

What's next

The Victorian election is on 28 November, and the RBA decides on rates on Tuesday 3 November (see our RBA explainer). Both could affect buyer confidence through summer. We'll update this post if CAV publishes enforcement figures under the new laws.