Tag: foxtel

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RENO ADDICT

Selling Houses Australia new presenters revealed to join Andrew Winter

Andrew Winter will be joined by new presenters Wendy Moore and Dennis Scott as production commences for the 14th season of the popular LifeStyle Channel renovation show. It’s hard to imagine not one but two new personalities on the show!

Photo: Nicholas Wilson

FOXTEL today announced the replacements for Shaynna Blaze and Charlie Albone after they both left the show. Production starts next week with the Selling Houses Australia team scouring the length and breadth of Australia’s heartland, bringing their inspired ideas and expertise for interior and exterior makeovers.

Shaynna’s replacement, Wendy Moore, headed up Australian Home Beautiful as editor-in-chief for more than 12 years, combining her expertise in interiors and design with a strength in communicating with a passionate audience. With interior design and makeover projects also under her belt, Wendy became a judge on Channel 7’s House Rules for seven seasons.

Charlie Albone, Andrew Winter and Shaynna Blaze were known for their banter and chemistry

More recently, she took on the role of Group General Manager of FOXTEL’s LifeStyle Group overseeing all aspects of FOXTEL’s iconic LifeStyle brand including LifeStyle, LifeStyle HOME, LifeStyle FOOD channels and FOX ARENA. She will reportedly continue in this role alongside her Selling Houses filming commitments.

Dennis Scott will be the new resident landscape expert, bringing a wealth of experience in sustainability and a passion for designing functional and uniquely Australian outdoor spaces. Dennis owns Lush Landscape Solutions in Brisbane and previously had an NRL career which spanned ten years. It began in 1996 when he played for the Brisbane Broncos. He then joined Canterbury-Bankstown in 1999 for the next six years, then linked with Craig Bellamy and the Melbourne Storm for two seasons in 2005 and 2006.

Announcing his NRL retirement following a long battle with injury, Dennis made the tough transition to a career after sport. He undertook a mature age carpentry apprenticeship at his friend’s construction company. It was during this time where Dennis turned his hand to landscaping. He fell in love with it and realised his dream of starting his own business.

Charlie left the show late last year and replaced Jason Hodges as the landscaping expert on Better Homes & Gardens. Shaynna followed suit earlier this year and continues to be a judge on The Block. The end of an era indeed!

FOXTEL’s Executive Director of Television, Brian Walsh, said: “We welcome Wendy and Dennis to the Selling Houses Australia team who will bring their wealth of expertise and their own unique personalities to our much-loved flagship series with Andrew at the helm. With people spending more time in and on their homes, Selling Houses will continue to connect and thrive with our audience after an already incredible successful 13 years.”

Andrew Winter said: “I am actually a person that has always liked change… I mean I can’t even keep a house that long. The timeline for Selling Houses Australia has been completely thrown with everything going on in the world, and I have been waiting impatiently and can’t wait to get back out there. I am really looking forward to working with Wendy and Dennis and welcome them to the team because we are so ready to hit the road.” 

Selling Houses Australia is produced by Warner Bros International Television Productions (WBITVP) exclusively for FOXTEL’s LifeStyle Channel and returns in 2022.

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Expert Tips Outdoor & Exteriors

Interiors Addict TV: with Charlie Albone from Selling Houses Australia

We love Charlie Albone, our resident expert on all things outdoor on sister site Reno Addict, and of course slightly better known for his role on the top rating LifeStyle show Selling Houses Australia.

In this episode of Interiors Addict TV, Lauren Ellis talks gardens with Charlie; everything from how to create a garden that suits your house, what formal gardens are all about and how not to make mistakes with colour! And don’t forget to watch to the end for Charlie’s number one gardening tip! Enjoy!

Watch all our other Interiors Addict TV episodes.

Read Charlie’s articles on Reno Addict.

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Expert Tips Interviews

3 real estate selling tips with Andrew Winter

Yesterday, we interviewed Selling Houses Australia host Andrew Winter about the upcoming new series on the LifeStyle Channel. Today, he shares three things to bear in mind when selling your home…

1. Don’t neglect to see your home as the overall package. Units and townhouses are increasingly part of the landscape and they all have common areas. If they’re scruffy, do something about it! If there’s a scuffed wall, ask the body corporate what the paint colour is and paint it yourself.

2. Don’t automatically assume you have to do a makeover prior to sale. You do one because you want to get the top price, but if the market’s bubbling over already, you can get away with more (or doing less in this case!). Be careful not to overcapitalise.

3. Don’t get too wrapped up in the agent’s commission. As a former real estate agent I feel I can comment on this one. I do feel, that overall and in most parts of Australia, agents’ commissions are pretty fair. The problem is when you get to really expensive homes in places like Sydney and the agent’s commission becomes $30,000, and once you add stamp duty to that for the next purchase, you’re looking at $80,000 just to move up the road.  Then the agent who sells the $400,000 home gets $10,000 and can you really argue that it’s a third of the work? So I do think it is fair to try to negotiate on some of the really big commissions.

Watch Andrew on the new series of Selling Houses Australia on the LifeStyle Channel from Wednesday 4 February 2015. 

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Designers RENO ADDICT

Andrew Winter chats about Selling Houses Australia season 8

Charlie Albone, Andrew Winter and Shaynna Blaze were known for their banter and chemistry

I don’t know about you, but I’m counting down to the new series of my favourite show, Selling Houses Australia, starting on Wednesday (4 February). I couldn’t wait to chat to host Andrew Winter, in my opinion, one of the most amusing men on television! Perhaps it is the Brit in me that finds his sarcasm and bluntness utterly hilarious, but I can often be heard shrieking at the television when he delivers one of his crushing comments about a homeowner’s decor choices or DIY handiwork. For me, the reasons this show is in its eighth series are obvious, and Andrew’s just one of them.

Andrew Winter
Andrew Winter

Andrew would like to say it’s all down to him, but he admits it has just as much to do with his co-hosts Charlie Albone and Shaynna Blaze, suspecting a lot of female viewers are tuning in for “young Charles” over him. But that’s okay, because he thinks he has the best job in the world. Forget that Great Barrier Reef job Andrew says, he gets to say what he really thinks as well as getting away with doing barely any manual labour (although he tells me he is “flat out” driving and fetching coffee!). And let’s not forget there is a real point to the show; helping people who really need to sell their most expensive asset and are failing miserably.

Eight series is no mean feat. Andrew remembers thinking if they managed to do five and get a sixth commissioned that would be pretty amazing, and now here we are. “I’m absolutely delighted and I still enjoy it. I think we’ve been on so long now that we’ve unintentionally become a barometer of the Australian housing market. We started the last series, for example, with a house on the Gold Coast that sold for 10k over what they expected and that hadn’t been heard of for five years before then! So it’s interesting to watch these thing over the years.”

Andrew, Charlie and Shaynna’s genuine chemistry is clear and I find they’ve all become more equal stars of the show as time has gone on. “The three of us get on really quite well despite being totally different,” Andrew says. “Charles has a pretty crude and appalling sense of humour which always shocks Shaynna, but I of course, am always perfectly lovely!” On a more serious note, Andrew says there’s no pretence. All three of them are experienced and qualified in what they do and they just get on with it. “Everyone thinks they’re an interior designer these days because they’ve done some six-week course, but come back to me when you’ve worked in the industry for five or 10 years, and Shaynna’s done that and more. Charlie runs his own landscaping business and I was a real estate agent for years.

Charlie Albone, Andrew Winter and Shaynna Blaze front Selling Houses Australia
Charlie Albone, Andrew Winter and Shaynna Blaze front Selling Houses Australia

“It’s not a fluffy makeover show. Our brief has always been clear: take a property that can’t be sold and sell it! Of course, it isn’t always possible but we will do our utmost.” And someone upstairs, says Andrew, is looking down on them and continuing to hand them the amazing stories of the homeowners which really add to the show’s appeal. “Maybe that’s why I can get away with being a bit harsh, cheeky or rude, because the end game is not about winning a prize, it’s about selling a house that really needs selling for whatever reason. We can get in there and kick it up the whatsit and get it sold.”

What always drives me mad though, is when, despite the trio’s efforts and an auction bringing a realistic selling price, homeowners get greedy or, for whatever reason, decide to dig their heels in and not sell. And this often brings some of frustrated Andrew’s harshest words! We can expect plenty of the same in the upcoming series, as well as the cheapest house they’ve ever worked on, with Andrew saying at least three episodes fall into the “confrontational” category. Can’t wait! “I’m so glad I live in a gated community with security,” Andrew quips.

One of the best things about his profile on a top rating TV show these days, is that when Andrew consults privately to people trying to sell, they take his ideas on board, something that rarely happened in his 15 years as a real estate agent. “I go and sit there and they actually listen!”

I’ve already seen episode one and you’re in for a treat! and with Andrew pointing out that Foxtel is cheaper than ever, he hopes as many of you will be tuning in as possible!

Selling Houses Australia series 8 starts on Wednesday 4 February 2015 on the LifeStyle Channel at 8.30pm AEDT.

Tomorrow on the blog, Andrew shares the top three mistakes he thinks people make when selling their homes.  

Categories
Designers Expert Tips

Shaynna Blaze talks window fashions from Selling Houses Australia

Sponsored by Luxaflex Window Fashions.

The LifeStyle Channel’s hit series Selling Houses Australia, has wrapped its seventh and biggest season yet and is already gearing up for another! Interior designer Shaynna Blaze provided practical advice for Australians navigating their way through the real estate market, from a million dollar waterfront mansion, a historic country pub and every home in-between that no one can sell and no one wants to buy.

Luxaflex Window Fashions, the leading blind manufacturer in Australia, was a major sponsor, providing a variety of custom-made window fashion solutions throughout the series. I caught up with them to provide some of the show’s highlights, and offer some practical advice on the best window fashions solution for your requirements, whether you’re looking for privacy, light, energy-efficiency or innovation. Here’s a few of my favourite picks from the season:

1. The ”waterfront wreck” from Gray’s Point had no proper bathroom, no balustrade on the balcony, no steps on the front door, and with a reserve of $1.4 million, it was in need of a major makeover! Shaynna requested Silhouette Shadings to soften the look and light in the bedrooms. I love these shades because soft vanes are suspended between two sheer fabrics, which can be opened for a full, soft focus view, closed for privacy, or tilted for the perfect light control. The white fabric on the back reduces glare and UV rays, whilst ensuring an uninterrupted view from the inside out.

Luxaflex Silhouette Shadings - Gray's Point

In this episode, she also installed Roller Blinds in the bathroom, in a new fabric called Atmosphere Translucent, featuring Sanitized® Antimicrobial Protection, which effectively reduces the development of bacteria, odour and mildew – ideal for bathrooms, particularly waterfront properties!

LUXAFLEX® Atmosphere Translucent - Grays Point

2. Recognised as one of the most energy efficient window coverings on the Australian market, Duette Shades feature a unique honeycomb structure, creating cells which trap air and act as insulation for your windows. The Duette Architella Shades Shaynna chose for a property in Monterey, NSW feature a neutral appearance from the outside, while on the inside, can feature one of many modern colours and evolving designer fabric ranges. In this instance, Shaynna chose a Duo-Lite design option combining Elan Translucent and Blockout Fabric in Linen colour, on the one shade, for the ultimate in versatility, privacy and light control. Other than keeping this front-facing family room warm in winter and cool in summer, one of the reasons I love this window fashion is because the 100% polyester fabrics are anti-static, repelling dust, and in most circumstances, light dusting with a feather duster is all the cleaning that is needed to keep clean! (Click here to see how the energy-efficient Luxaflex Duette Range of Shades work.)

Luxaflex Duette Shades - Monterey

3. Effective interior design means having a look that combines functionality and versatility, and Luxaflex Pirouette Shadings deliver just that – the functionality of privacy and a controlled view all in one, with a beautiful fabric appearance. Shaynna chose Pirouette Shadings for a property in Greenwich, NSW, to provide privacy in the small bedroom. The Pirouette Shadings feature soft, horizontal fabric vanes attached to a single sheer backing, controlling light and allowing you to look out in a new unique way that doesn’t compromise on privacy. With a sophisticated look inside, the sheer back of the Pirouette also offers functionality by way of reducing glare and harmful UV rays.

LUXAFLEX® PIROUETTE®Shadings - Greenwich 2

In the parents’ retreat, Shaynna chose roller blinds, which are suitable for small, large, narrow or even bay windows. In this instance, they are operated with a classic chain drive, but the whisper quiet Qmotion remote control motorised option is also convenient and affordable. QMotion Technology includes durable batteries hidden in the roller tube, meaning there’s no need for an expensive electrician!

LUXAFLEX® Roller Blinds - Greenwich

For more information about Luxaflex Window Fashions.

Season 8 of Selling Houses Australia will premiere on Foxtel’s The LifeStyle Channel in early 2015.