Reality TV inspired renovators abandon half-finished Sydney homes amid soaring building costs

Charles Corby is the director of Charlie Property and a professional renovator. Picture: Supplied Ambitious renovators who bought Sydney homes after being inspired by reality TV have been abandoning home renos mid-project over crippling rises in building costs. The result has been a steady stream of unfinished homes coming onto the market for sale, often stripped down to just wooden beams. Charles Corby is the director of Charlie Property and a professional renovator who said ”The Block effect” is feeding home renovators with idealised expectations of the construction industry. MORE: Thousands of unfinished homes to be abandoned Mr Corby bought 76 Jones Ave Moree for $70,000 where the suburb’s median house price is $299,000. Mr Corby estimates it will take $300,000 to finish the renovation work. Picture: Supplied MORE: Home price crash deepens but with a twist “The problem is that mum and dad renovators or kind of wannabe house flippers might only watch The Block or renovation TV shows, and not understand what’s behind the walls,” said Mr Corby. “So once they start getting into it, they realise that it’s not just a cosmetic renovation like you might see on The Block. “The reality i...