Ex The Block stars sell coastal reno project with everything, including cutlery

A mammoth renovation journey has come to an end for former The Block contestants Maxine Stokes and Karstan Smith following the sale of the couple’s coastal home.

The property in the beachside suburb of Merewether in Newcastle, NSW, which was renovated with the intention to operate it as an Airbnb, sold at auction after a two-week campaign with listing agent Tom Lemke from Wilton Lemke Stewart.

The sale price was undisclosed however, it is understood the three-bedroom, two-bathroom house sold within its guide of $1.9 million to $2 million after a bidding war between two registered parties, one from Newcastle and the other from Sydney.

The buyer from Newcastle was the successful bidder and took the option to purchase the house fully furnished.

There are no plans for the new owner to operate it as an Airbnb.

“The buyer will live in the home and they bought it as the whole package, so they literally took it all - the plates, cups, everything,” Mr Lemke said.

The agent said 36 groups inspected the property, with around half of the interest coming from buyers in Sydney.

“It was mainly a lot of downsizers who wanted that lock up and leave, low-maintenance property,” he said.

“The craftmanship and the build quality of the house was incredible, plus all of the inclusions, so everyone that looked at it just loved it.”

CoreLogic records show the couple, who competed in the 2014 season of Channel Nine’s reality show The Block, purchased the 1990s townhouse in February 2022 for $1.07 million.

The property hit the market in March two weeks after they launched the house as a short-term holiday rental, The Palms.

However, the couple backtracked on those plans and decided to sell up and put the money toward funding their dream of travelling Australia with their two children.

It will be the couple’s third trip around the country and their travels will be documented in videos on their social media channels.

The couple has built a following of subscribers publishing travel and lifestyle content across Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.

The sale of The Palms followed a 10 month renovation of the property which was completely gutted and transformed it into a light and bright luxury coastal-inspired home.

Set across two levels, the house has three bedrooms on the top level, a bathroom with a separate toilet and a second living area.

The ground floor has an open-plan kitchen, dining and living space that leads out to a private backyard with a plunge pool and built-in barbecue area.

Features include sandstone walls, blackbutt cabinetry, custom-made arched barn doors and ducted air conditioning.

The kitchen has integrated appliances, a zip tap, tiles by Earp Brothers and ABI brushed brass tapware.

The median house price in Merewether is $1.82 million, according to CoreLogic.

This story was first published as Ex The Block stars sell coastal reno project with everything, including cutlery on view.com.au