Ever diplomatic Ben and Emma and Britt and Taz found some kind words to say about Sonny and Alicia’s disastrous living/dining room when the teams inspected one another’s rooms, but they were the only ones.

The others didn’t mince their words, and that included Sonny and Alicia themselves.

“I love Sonny and Cher so much but look, can we talk about the lounge room?” Mat asked. “Their lounge room has got a three-seater that really is a two-seater and a single armchair. The house sleeps potentially 10! I am speechless.”

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When Sonny and Alicia saw the other teams’ rooms her deflation turned to outright self-loathing.

“I felt so disappointed in myself and just embarrassed that was the best I could do. We deserved to come last,” she said.

That capped off a rotten day for the pair, with neither able to muster much will to keep going. On top of the judges’ criticism, they were down about the fact they were missing their little boy’s ninth birthday, and when a family friend called them to let them know she was planning to surprise him with some balloons and presents it was too much for Sonny, and he left the car crying.

“Sonny is a very positive person. He’s usually the one that picks us up so when he’s down I don’t know how to cope,” Alicia said.

She ended up being comforted by Britt and a tiling Cursio brother while Sonny got a loving pep talk from Taz in a heartwarming scene that ended with both men telling one another “love you mate”.

The teams were working on their rumpus rooms, with a slender $10,000 to spend.

Most teams were choosing some kind of second living/theatre room arrangement, with couches, TVs and shelving a common theme.

Britt and Taz on the other hand, were creating what they were confident was the first “wellness area” on The Block 2025. They’d ordered two reformer Pilates machines to go in their room along with two full length mirrors flanking a TV. They also revealed that their room would open out on to an outdoor area featuring a spa, cold plunge pool and sauna.

Mat and Robby were planning the do the bare minimum in their room in order to save money for their no-longer-so-secret wine cellar. By putting nothing more than a couch and TV in their room they were plotting to not only save case from their budget but also win the $10,000 budgeting prize.

They were also finally heeding Dan’s advice and staying on site to help their builder, rather than paying him to insulate which a horrified Dan discovered him doing last week.

But first they headed off for a night with Scott Cam at a trout farm, where they witnessed the farm owner’s two-year-old grandson crash a car into a tree in what was a Block, and possibly an Australian, first. Miraculously, nobody was hurt.

Back on site Han and Can were working hard to repair their relationship with Sonny and Alicia after last week’s copying accusations. Whether it was a simple coincidence or something more sinister, Han needed to clear the air, so took Alicia aside.

“Honestly from the bottom of my heart I’d give you the shirt off my back. I want you to know that,” she said.

Alicia appeared ready to put the matter, and the residual awkwardness, to bed.

“To be honest, I’d just rather accept that apology and move on. Things are going to happen here, it is what it is,” she said.

But that didn’t mean things weren’t festering, not helped by Mat’s inconsiderate decision to deliberately exclude Han and Can from a group pub dinner to which everyone else was invited.

Emma offered to ride share with Han and Can to the event only be told by Han “I don’t think

we’re invited. It’s not that vibe.”

“I’m sure you’d be invited. It’s everyone. Did Robby message you,” a dismayed Emma asked.

“No message, that’s enough,” Han replied before slamming the caravan door shut.

Mat was unrepentant, claiming the fact both Han and Can were ill was the reason he excluded them.

“They were not invited. They were sick. They were extremely unwell and I didn’t want to be in that position,” he said.

“It would have been nice to be asked, and we could have been the adults and said no sorry, we are too sick,” Han fairly reasonably said when asked about the exclusion by a producer.

It was hard not to feel sorry for her when the producer then asked if she had ever felt deliberately excluded before. While it was a first for Can, Han shrugged and said she’d been used to that kind of treatment at high school.

“It’s not my first rodeo. I’m an adult. It didn’t upset me that much. If I let that affect me I would not survive here, that’s for sure.”

Come on Mat, don’t be that guy.

MISSED AN EPISODE? HERE’S ALL OUR RECAPS SO FAR

Episode 1: Why no NSW applicants were good enough for The Block

Episode 2: The worst day on The Block

Episode 3/4: ‘Tear them off’: teams forced to rip tiles from walls

Episode 5: Judges feedback leaves one contestant vomiting

Episode 6: Dan and Dani’s heartbreak

Episode 7: The big problem with the Block house designs

Episode 8: Robby and Mat’s drunken blunder

Episode 9: ‘An up-market nursing home’

Episode 10: Can faces the wrath of Han

Episode 11: Han micromanaging from her sick bed

Episode 12: Sonny cops a spray from Alicia

Episode 13: Brutal feedback leaves Block team confused

Episode 14: Han and Can are in trouble with Dan, and other contestants

Episode 15: Han explodes at Dan in shocking tirade

Episode 16: Defiant Han gets epic dressing down from Scott Cam

Episode 17: Two teams are smashed by hyperbolic judges

Episode 18: Two teams start the week devastated by judges’ feedback

Episode 19: Copying scandal erupts as Alicia and Sonny point the finger

Episode 20: Ben and Emma drop good news into tense Block week

Episode 21: Ben and Emma and Sonny and Alicia cop the wrath of the judges

The post The Block 2025 Episode 22 recap: As Sonny and Alicia despair, Mat summons his inner Mean Boy appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Home values in regional SA are surging at a faster rate than those in any other city or ­region across the country, both over the past 12 months and past five years.

PropTrack’s September Home Price Index shows they are up 13.3 per cent on the same time last year – or $56,000 – and 95.9 per cent compared to September 2020.

Darwin recorded the second highest annual growth at 10.4 per cent, while Brisbane was the runner up for five-year growth at 91.7 per cent.

The median house price for a property in regional SA is now $467,000.

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House prices were 12.98 per cent higher – or $55,300 – than a year ago, taking the median to $473,000, while units were up 16.1 per cent – or $61,400 – with a median of $425,000.

Ray White SA chief executive Matt Lindblom said demand for property in many regional areas was still high.

“The market has been very strong on the Yorke Peninsula and also in the South East,” he said.

“There are a lot of people deciding to move out of Adelaide and move to the Yorke Peninsula.”

He said many people, particularly those looking to free up capital, were turning to the Yorke Peninsula because it wasn’t too far from Adelaide.

Meanwhile, Mr Lindblom said Mount Gambier was also attracting people from interstate.

“Mount Gambier is a strong economy, it’s halfway between Adelaide and Melbourne so you’ve got residents from both investing there.”

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While those areas were attracting many owner occupiers, Mr Lindblom said Port Augusta and Whyalla had strong investor markets.

“Even if you’re looking at the Riverland – towns like Waikerie are still strong, I think that’s about affordability and the lifestyle,” he said.

While not recording double-digit growth over the past year, home values across metropolitan Adelaide were still climbing quickly.

They recorded a 9 per cent rise over the past year, adding $70,700 to the median price, which stood at $853,000.

They were also up 88.9 per cent over the past five years.

House values were 8.79 per cent higher than a year ago – or $74,000 – taking the median to $925,000, while those of units were up 9.87 per cent – or $57,200 – to a median of $642,000.

REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh said Adelaide, as well as Brisbane and Perth, have had an “exceptional run of growth” over the past five years.

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“However, we are seeing that the pace of growth is normalising after what has been an exceptionally strong period, and we’re also seeing that reflected in forward-looking indicators like inquiry per listing,” she said.

“We’re seeing that inquiry per listing in each of those capitals is coming back off incredibly elevated levels over much of the past couple of years, so signalling a more normal phase of growth in each of those markets after an exceptional run of outperformance.”

Ms Creagh said national growth was driven by the three markets for much of last year, but so far in 2025 there was a more synchronised upswing with the renewed momentum that interest rate cuts have brought to demand.

The post Regional SA leading home value growth with 95pc gain in five years appeared first on realestate.com.au.

Home prices on the Gold Coast are closing in on Sydney, with values surging almost 9 per cent in the past year – more than twice the pace of the market leader.

The latest PropTrack Home Price Index, out Monday, found the Gold Coast median house price was now $1.32m – the only regional market in the country where prices outstrip its capital.

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This as Sydney’s median house price hit $1.581m in the latest figures, growing at a slower pace of 3.8 per cent per annum.

REA Group senior economist Eleanor Creagh said “Gold Coast is the only market in Australia where the capital has a cheaper median than a regional centre”.

“The median value of houses in the Gold Coast, at $1.32m, is really starting to close in on Sydney.”

“The Gold Coast is continuing to see strong home price growth, kind of in tandem with the broader southeast Queensland market. It’s very much a continuation of the trend we’ve seen over the past few years.”

“You’ve got lifestyle, demand, hybrid work, flexibility, infrastructure investment ahead of the upcoming Olympic Games. There have been a lot of factors really underpinning demand on the Gold Coast.”

There was a slight glimmer of hope for those struggling to keep pace with rising prices.

“We are starting to see that the pace of growth is slowing somewhat, but I would characterise that as more of a normalisation, rather than an indicator that prices are going to fall anytime soon.”

“Certainly with interest rates having fallen this year and sentiments having improved, it’s likely the prices in the Gold Coast are going to continue lifting in the months ahead.”

This as the data showed Brisbane home prices surged $86,000 in the past year – the biggest single rise of all Aussie capitals – up 9.6 per cent annually to reach $936,000 for all dwellings (including houses and units) and a powerful testament to the Queensland capital’s resilience.

Regional Queensland set an even hotter pace with a 9.9 per cent rise – seeing medians rise by $75,000 to $738,000 – with a shocking four of its SA4 regions topping national charts off huge double digit growth in the past year.

Townsville led the nation with its 17.6pc surge to $569,000, followed by Mackay–Isaac–Whitsunday which hit a 14.7pc rise to $565,000, Central Queensland increased 14.3pc to $547,000 and Toowoomba (west of Brisbane) was up 14.1pc to $697,000. Their closest regional rival in the rest of the country was the South East of South Australia that saw a 13.9pc increase to $525,000.

Australia has now seen eight consecutive months of growth with home prices hitting a new high nationally and records tumbling across the country as the property juggernaut shows no real sign of a slowdown.

Ms Creagh said the market upswing was being fuelled by interest rate cuts, improved buyer sentiment and stronger borrowing capacity.

She said regional Queensland was firmly in the spotlight for investors and other buyers now.

“As we enter spring, the housing market appears poised for another leg higher, albeit strengthening in some capitals while normalising in others.”

For Brisbane, this means that while growth may be moderating slightly off its blistering pace set since the pandemic, the city remains a powerful force in the housing market.

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Townsville has cemented its position as Australia’s strongest-performing housing market, with home values up an outstanding 17.6 per cent in the past year.

The latest PropTrack Home Price Index. out Monday, showed Townsville dwelling price growth led the nation with a 17.6 per cent jump to $569,000 – a pace that was about 3 percentage points ahead of its closest growth rival – the Mackay Isaac Whitsunday region.

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PropTrack Senior Economist Eleanor Creagh said “Townsville remains the strongest performing region in Australia. That has been the case for quite some months now”.

Given rising rents and migration continuing to climb, Townsville was expected to remain one of Australia’s hottest regions for the near term.

Ms Creagh said Townsville’s growth was “really being underpinned by the comparative affordability of the region and strong population growth” – a feature stretching to other parts of North Queensland.

“When you look at these regions, they’re some of the cheapest within regional Queensland and are continuing to see strong population growth.”

This as the data showed Brisbane home prices surged $86,000 in the past year – the biggest single rise of all Aussie capitals – up 9.6 per cent annually to reach $936,000 for all dwellings (including houses and units) and a powerful testament to the Queensland capital’s resilience.

Regional Queensland set an even hotter pace with a 9.9 per cent rise – seeing medians rise by $75,000 to $738,000 – with a shocking four of its SA4 regions topping national charts off huge double digit growth in the past year.

Townsville led the nation with its 17.6pc surge to $569,000, followed by Mackay–Isaac–Whitsunday which hit a 14.7pc rise to $565,000, Central Queensland increased 14.3pc to $547,000 and Toowoomba (west of Brisbane) was up 14.1pc to $697,000. Their closest regional rival in the rest of the country was the South East of South Australia that saw a 13.9pc increase to $525,000.

Australia has now seen eight consecutive months of growth with home prices hitting a new high nationally and records tumbling across the country as the property juggernaut shows no real sign of a slowdown.

Ms Creagh said the market upswing was being fuelled by interest rate cuts, improved buyer sentiment and stronger borrowing capacity.

She said regional Queensland was firmly in the spotlight for investors and other buyers now.

“As we enter spring, the housing market appears poised for another leg higher, albeit strengthening in some capitals while normalising in others.”

For Brisbane, this means that while growth may be moderating slightly off its blistering pace set since the pandemic, the city remains a powerful force in the housing market.

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Queensland hotspots dominate a new list revealing the next wave of high-growth property markets.

Hotspotting released its latest Top 10 National Best Buys Report which reveals the property markets across Australia best positioned for medium to long term capital growth.

The report highlights locations where infrastructure investment, economic momentum, and dwelling type align to create compelling opportunities for investors and homebuyers.

Inner Brisbane tops the list while the Sunshine Coast came in second place.

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Hotspotting Director Terry Ryder said the list was about identifying markets before they peak.

“These are markets where affordability and infrastructure investment are laying the groundwork for sustained capital growth in the years ahead,” Mr Ryder said.

Mr Ryder said Inner Brisbane was undergoing a major transformation ahead of the 2032 Olympics, with infrastructure upgrades like the Cross River Rail and Brisbane Metro driving demand.

“With nearly 75 per cent of dwellings being apartments or townhouses, the precinct offers affordability and strong rental yields,” he said.

“This is one of Australia’s most dynamic urban markets. It’s where infrastructure meets inner-city lifestyle.

“We’re seeing a generational shift toward apartment living, and Brisbane is leading that trend with confidence.”

Hotspotting General Manager Tim Graham said the Sunshine Coast was evolving into a major economic corridor, supported by projects like the Maroochydore CBD and Sunshine Coast University Hospital.

“Detached homes and townhouses dominate the market, attracting both families and investors,” he said.

“This region is no longer just a holiday destination – it’s a growth engine.

“The scale of infrastructure here rivals some capital cities, and that’s translating into real estate momentum.”

Nationally, Greater Darwin (NT) came in third on the list, followed by City of Frankston (VIC), Launceston (TAS), Greater Geelong (VIC), and Wagga Wagga (NSW).

Greater Hobart (TAS), Badgerys Creek Precinct (NSW), and City of Yarra (VIC) rounded out the top 10.

Mr Graham said the research not only unveiled the regions undergoing transformation, from inner-city regeneration to regional revitalisation, but also the best dwelling types to purchase in each location.

“Markets such as Inner Brisbane, Greater Darwin, and the Sunshine Coast lead the list, with others like Launceston, Wagga Wagga, and the Badgerys Creek Precinct offering compelling value plays,” Mr Graham said.

“We’re not just identifying growth – we’re forecasting transformation.

“These markets are evolving in ways that will reward early movers.

“Some of the most overlooked locations are now outperforming because they’ve quietly built the fundamentals such transport links, job hubs, and planning frameworks that support sustainable property markets.”

Hotspotting’s methodology was as much about what was not included in the top 10.

“Markets like Perth, Adelaide, and the Gold Coast have already delivered years of double-digit growth and no longer meet the criteria for future-focused investment,” Mr Ryder said.

“We don’t chase yesterday’s winners because we’re focused on identifying markets before they peak.

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