S3 E1 • Chatswood

Greg and Marge have been trying to sell their four bedroom Chatswood house for 17 months to no avail. Hardly surprising when you see the state of the place - it’s a frightful, unhygienic mess. Their two grown up kids still live at home and aren’t really helping things on the sale front as they’re not overly keen to move on. The asking price is a hefty 1.2 million dollars. Marge and Greg are both worn down by the stress of shiftwork and pressing money worries and feel overwhelmed to the point of inertia. $18,000 is allocated for cleaning, painting, re-carpeting and tidying the garden and deck. Thanks to the Selling Houses Australia team, a beautiful swan emerges from the quagmire and it looks like Greg and Marge may just get the price they need to finally move forward.

Première diffusion : 3 avril 2010

S3 E2 • Newcastle

Cash strapped Julie is heavily in debt and desperate to sell her three bedroom home just south of Newcastle. Originally asking for over $500,000 she’s been chasing the falling market down for two years thanks to the global financial crisis and is now seeking a more reasonable $450,000. However, the home has been badly renovated and the layout is confusing which is probably turning buyers off. Most of the $16,000 makeover is spent adding some much needed colour and life to the place and opening the house up to the garden. After two years languishing on the market – will the property sell at the price Julie needs to pay off her debts and move on with her life?

Première diffusion : 10 avril 2010

S3 E3 • Kallangur

Steve and Louise have had their four bedroom, two bathroom Kallangur house, just north of Brisbane on the market for 11 months with three different agents and an asking price of $359,000. It’s currently tenanted by their twenty year old son and his friend who prefer partying and poker nights, to early starts and clean-ups for inspections. Sadly the house was trashed by the last tenants friends, who didn’t sign a lease and while Steve and Louise have attempted some repairs, it still needs a lot of work. This is almost certainly what’s turning off buyers, who’ll be seeing all the problems rather than its great potential. With a makeover budget of $12,000 the place is transformed, modernised and all the odd jobs finished off in fine style.

Première diffusion : 14 avril 2010

S3 E4 • Maroubra

Ian and Jenny are selling the home they’ve lived in for 35 years to fund their retirement. It’s a five bedroom Californian Bungalow located 200 hundred metres from Maroubra Beach and has been on the market for nine months with an asking price of 1.5 million. Very ambitious, given its dated mismatched interior. Young urban professionals, the most likely buyers, are looking for something smarter than this. After Andrew’s straight talking visit, Ian and Jenny agree to part with $25,000 to modernise the place for sale. The money stretches a long way inside and out and the home blossoms into a lighter, brighter, more stylish property. With the asking price still a sticking point between the agents and the owners, the house is re-launched on the market at auction with a nervous Ian and Jenny anxious to see if they will get the price they need.

Première diffusion : 21 avril 2010

S3 E5 • West Footscray

On a generous whim Tom bought this three bedroom weatherboard cottage in 2009 for his 21 year old son who was on an overseas holiday. He paid $476,000 for it and thought he’d bagged a bargain but unfortunately his son didn’t want it. This was a kid who had other plans for further travel and wasn’t ready or willing to take on a mortgage. So three months later it was back on the market with an asking price of offers over $500,000. An offer duly came in for $510,000 but Tom knocked it back assuming the market was on the rise. But since then he’s had no further interest, perhaps because the property looks sad, dated and dowdy. With a decent makeover budget of $25,000 the house is transformed and the agent confident it will sell at auction, finally freeing Tom of the burden.

Première diffusion : 28 avril 2010

S3 E6 • Bundeena

Andy, Adie and their three year old son live south of Sydney in Bundeena – a unique coastal hamlet with road access only through the Royal National Park. In short, it’s off the beaten track and properties can sometimes shift slowly in this sort of niche market. With an asking price of offers over $690,000 for two bedrooms and a self-contained granny flat, they haven’t had a single nibble of interest. The many unfinished jobs around the house probably aren’t helping, so the Selling Houses Australia team concentrate the $20,000 makeover on all the finishes and making it lighter and more beach friendly. The place looks great for its next open house which attracts several potential buyers and the family are hopeful that it will now finally sell.

Première diffusion : 5 mai 2010

S3 E7 • Castle Hill

In this episode of Selling Houses Australia, the team are brought in to help Monique and Thierry sell their multi level fi ve bedroom, three bathroom family home in Castle Hill. The property was first put up for sale more than two years ago with an asking price of $800,000, which they have since dropped to $765,000. Essentially the negative features of the property outweigh the positives. It’s dowdy, slightly dated with an inconvenient layout, but it is generously proportioned, has a pool and a decent backyard in a beautiful bush setting. Shaynna’s makeover sorts out a lot of the style issues and Charlie creates a second kitchen on the ground fl oor near the pool. The property is much more enticing thanks to the $17,000 worth of changes, but will it now sell?

Première diffusion : 12 mai 2010

S3 E8 • Pacific Pines

Regan and Matthew with their 15 month old daughter are on a quest to move even closer to the water. They have had their four bedroom Gold Coast property on the market for about four months seeking offers over $430,000. Despite the bonus of a pool, the house has the dated, poorly furnished look of a half loved rental and could really use some money for an update and style injection. They also need to link the pool in the front garden with the entertaining area at the back. Regan and Matthew agree to spend $12,000 on modernising the property in the hope of securing a sale.

Première diffusion : 19 mai 2010

S3 E9 • Mitcham

Jacqui and Brian were asking $630,000 for their two story, four bedroom weatherboard home in Mitcham, half an hour east of Melbourne. It was on the market for fi ve months without an agent, just listed on a ‘for sale by owner’ website, where they only received one buyer enquiry and no inspections, so they dropped the price to $580,000. They then did some work painting the outside and certain rooms inside and re-listed it with new photos online which produced two inspections… but still no offers. Despite their efforts, the house remains dated looking and there is still heaps of work to do. So with Andrew as motivator they agree to spend some more money on the property. With a makeover budget of around $15,000 it’s hoped a grand old home will re-emerge and sell quickly with or without an agent.

Première diffusion : 26 mai 2010

S3 E10 • Croydon Park

Peter and Anastasia along with their 11 month-old son need to upsize for their expanding family. They’ve been trying to sell their three bedroom 1920’s bungalow for 12 months with an asking price of between $640,000 and $650,000. It’s the quintessential worst house in the best street – with the main issues centred around the rundown state of the front garden and all the clutter that’s descended since the baby came along. But the agent is confident that after the Selling Houses Australia $17,000 makeover, the property will sell for the right price at auction. With nine out of ten houses sold will the team, for the first time ever, sell all ten houses in the series?

Première diffusion : 2 juin 2010