'We've been keeping a secret': Ex-Block stars purchase their 'forever home'

Former Block stars Rachel and Ryan have purchased their 'forever home' six months after selling their Cottage Revival property.

The expert renovators announced the news in an Instagram post to their 44k fans with the text "We've been keeping a secret for the past few months."

"Yesterday, we did something we've never truly felt ready for... We bought our forever home."

Rachel and Ryan gained popularity after competing on The Block 2022 as last-minute replacements for Elle Ferguson and Joel Patfull.

Ferguson, a model and influencer, and Patfull, a former AFL player, left the show abruptly after Patfull's mother suffered a serious injury.

Ring-ins Rachel and Ryan came in after the couple quit, and walked away from the season with $169,000 profit for their Gisborne house.

Due to their popularity with audiences, the makeup artist and plumber landed their own TV show Holiday Home Makeover with Rachel and Ryan.

After several house moves and renovations, the couple revealed this week they would begin "the biggest renovation of our lives."

The post explained that they had been approached to sell their Cottage Revival home "exactly as it was".

The couple said they went back and forth before agreeing to sell the home and move onto their next renovation project, until the kids had their say.

"Our kids told us they didn't want to move again. And that changed everything."

Rachel and Ryan began spending their days searching listings and weekends attending open homes until they came across a house that stopped them in their tracks.

"We didn't say a word as we wandered through it - which is very, very unlike us. We left in separate cars, and before I could call Ryan... he called me.

"We both just knew. This was the one."

The couple purchased the Oyster Bay house for $1.92 after a "tense" auction

Set on a 1100-square-metre block, the property had been held by one family since 1961.

"You can feel the love of those years in every inch of the land," the couple wrote. "Warm, lived in, full of history and heart."

The cottage-style home features two bedrooms, one bathroom, modern kitchen, open-plan living area with sunken lounge and outdoor swimming pool.

Fans of the couple were quick to offer their congratulations, writing "big congratulations to you guys" and "Congratulations guys so exciting, can't wait to see it transform".

Former Block stars Ricky and Haydn also jumped in to celebrate the purchase, "Congrats guys, such a good feeling when you secure the place of your dreams, can't wait to see what you do!"