Buying Blind: Why this Melbourne family of 5 nearly broke the experts
Last night’s episode of Nine’s Buying Blind saw a family of five move back to Melbourne after living in their dream home in Brisbane.
Purchasing a home for Mal and Kristen, who have three kids together, quickly turned into a nightmare for the experts because of the surging Melbourne market.
The family returned to Victoria after Mal received a job offer and so they could be closer to their extended families.
However, finding a home that was big enough for the family, within their budget of $1.45 million and didn’t require too much work proved to be a problematic task.
The couple were determined to make the next move their last, and relied on the Buying Blind experts to choose the perfect home for their family.
“The Melbourne property market has exploded in the last seven years,” said buyer’s agent Rich Harvey.
“They’ve got a budget of $1.45 million, which is a decent budget, but you'd be surprised at how little their money can buy in Melbourne.”
Shaynna replied: “Rich, I think this could be your hardest one yet.”
The search in Melbourne’s north east for a home with four bedrooms, two living rooms and a feature kitchen within their budget almost drover Rich to breaking point.
Unfortunately, he missed his deadline, and the family had to move back with Kristen’s mum, Jan, when their lease ended.
Seven people squeezed into one property for four months while the search continued.
The stress prompted Shaynna to give some stern words to Rich about his search, telling him: “It’s your job, Rich, sorry – get over it.”
Finally, Rich found a house that ticked all the boxes and was in the perfect location for the family.
With 12 interested parties, Rich used his negotiation skills to get his offer of $1.335 million accepted.
The team then worked to transform the “ugliest” house on the street to a modern abode, with Shaynna hiring landscapers to create a wall garden feature at the front door.
The interior of the home was dark throughout many areas and tainted with an out-of-date carpet but it was soon transformed for the family.
All the stress and work by the experts and team paid off when Kristen burst into tears during the reveal and Mal expressed his shock through laughter.
“We just feel so lucky… I just know we’re going to be so happy here. Thank you for listening to us, thank you for giving us this,” Kristen said to the experts.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the transformation of the home.
What do you think of the renovation? Share your thoughts in the comments below.