Home of the Century

Shelley Craft, best known for The Block, and her husband Serge have bought, renovated and sold more homes than most people could imagine. But after years of flipping properties around Byron Bay, what do they know about buying a home that the rest of us don't?

Darren Palmer and Erin Holland visit Shelley and Serge at their latest renovation project to uncover how they spot potential in a property, find off-market opportunities and make smart decisions when buying and renovating. From the mistakes buyers make at open inspections to the secrets behind their successful house flips, the couple share the lessons they've learned along the way.

In this episode:

• What Shelley and Serge look for when inspecting a property

• How buyers' agents access off-market homes

• Why location and local knowledge matter

• How to spot renovation potential others might miss

• The design decisions that can make a home more desirable

Century 21's Home of the Century

Proudly brought to you by the world's most recognised real estate brand.

🌐 homeofthecentury.com.au

📘 facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentury

📸 instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury

Home of the Century is the video podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Property can feel out of reach, and Season 2 of Home of the Century is here to show you the different ways people are finding a way in.

Hosted by Erin Holland and Darren Palmer, this season brings you honest conversations with everyday people who took a leap on property and made it work for them. It's the kind of listening that leaves you thinking you could do this too.

Century 21's Home of the Century  

Proudly brought to you by the world's most recognised real estate brand

Most of us will face it at some point. Your own life, your own family, your own mortgage... and then a parent needs you to step in and help with theirs.

Liam sold his mum's beachside apartment of more than a decade, shortlisted and interviewed agents on her behalf, and ran the negotiation from a hotel room in Texas at midnight. Erin and Darren find out how he chose the right agent when it wasn't his own money on the line, and why that one decision shaped everything that followed. It's an honest look at the sandwich generation... the people caught between raising kids and guiding ageing parents through one of the biggest moves of their lives.

In this episode...

• How to shortlist and interview agents, and the non-negotiables worth holding firm on
• Why chemistry and trust can matter as much as being the top sales rep
• How to test whether an agent can position a tricky or unusual property
• What to watch for when an agent over-quotes to win your listing
• How to weigh using a buyer's agent against doing it yourself

Follow for more:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠homeofthecentury.com.au ⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentur⁠⁠⁠y

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury⁠⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury⁠⁠

Home of the Century is the podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate.

Everyone tells you renovating is the smart money. So what makes a couple stop, look at the plans they'd already had approved, and walk away from the whole thing?

That's the question at the heart of this episode. Erin and Darren find out how Sally and Nick learned to trust their timing... when to sell, when to hold, and when the renovation everyone assumes is the clever play is actually the riskier one. It's a conversation about reading the market, knowing your own limits, and making the move that's right for your family rather than the one that looks good on paper.

In this episode...

• How to decide between renovating and buying new... and the hidden risks that tip the balance

• Why your personality and your relationship matter more than the spreadsheet

• How to recognise when it's genuinely the right time to sell

• What to watch for when you buy a home from people you know

• How to stop buying with your heart and start buying on the numbers

  
  

🌐 homeofthecentury.com.au

📘 facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentury

📸 instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury

🎵 tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury

Home of the Century is the podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate.

Thirty years ago, Peter and Jenny saw a photo in a magazine. They couldn't even see the house... just a lake, some trees, and five acres an hour from Sydney. It was in their price bracket, so they backed themselves and bought it.

Your hosts Erin Holland and Darren Palmer visit Guestlands in Arcadia, a property that looks like it was lifted straight out of Tuscany. Peter and Jenny share how a modest purchase became a thirty year investment... building the gardens over two decades before transforming the original house into an Italian villa, and watching a personal passion quietly grow into a thriving accommodation business.

In this episode...

• How a modest entry price can become an extraordinary long-term asset

• Why patience and a decades-long view can outperform a quick flip

• What owner-building involves... and how to manage trades and control costs

• How a private home can grow into an income-producing business

• What to weigh up before buying acreage outside the city

🌐 homeofthecentury.com.au

📘 facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentury

📸 instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury

🎵 tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury

Home of the Century is the podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate.

Most people who've made serious money in property show you the highlight reel. This episode goes everywhere else.

Your hosts Erin Holland and Darren Palmer sit down with Craig and Sam, a couple who've moved through ten properties across two cities and raised three kids along the way. They talk openly about the property they wish they'd never sold, the renovations that ran well over budget, and the contracts they signed right before two major market shocks. Darren also shares his own story... the year his biggest property win and his biggest property loss landed within months of each other.

In this episode...

• Why selling too early can cost you more than holding through a downturn

• How to budget a renovation properly... and why adding 10% is no longer enough

• How to protect yourself when you buy right before a market shift

• What not to do at an open home if you want to keep your negotiating power

• A first home buyer checklist: keep a buffer, don't overstretch, and why getting in beats waiting

Follow for more:

Website: ⁠⁠homeofthecentury.com.au ⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentur⁠⁠y

Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury⁠

Home of the Century is the podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate.

Smallzy has spent 23 years in the rooms, at the dinners, on the tours. He knows what people want before they know they want it. Turns out... that's exactly the mindset you need when you're buying and selling property.

Your hosts Erin Holland and Darren Palmer visit Smallzy at his stunning Sydney home... and what follows is one of the most entertaining and genuinely useful episodes in the series. From prepping a property for auction to understanding what buyers are actually feeling when they walk through the door, this episode covers everything you need to know before the hammer falls. And then Peter Matthews, one of Australia's most experienced auctioneers, steps in with the insider knowledge most buyers and sellers never get access to.

In this episode...

• Why your first property doesn't have to be your forever home

• The 30 minute pre-inspection checklist that had the agent asking for the playlist

• Why depersonalising your home isn't just about tidying... it's about psychology

• What's actually driving interior design trends right now and what that means for your home

• Peter Matthews on what every buyer should know before they walk into an auction room

Follow for more:

Website: ⁠⁠⁠homeofthecentury.com.au ⁠⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentur⁠⁠⁠y

Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury⁠⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠⁠tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury⁠⁠

Home of the Century is the podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate.

What would your life look like if you stopped competing for space in the most expensive city in the country... and just left?

That's the question at the heart of this episode. Two kids sharing a bedroom, 13 years in the same inner city apartment, and a property market that kept moving the goalposts. Sound familiar? For one Sydney couple, the answer wasn't to stretch further into debt. It was to reimagine what the same money could actually buy somewhere else entirely.

Your hosts Erin Holland and Darren Palmer sit down with Tamiaya and Dan in their stunning new home... and what follows is one of the most joyful and honest conversations. This is the sea change conversation most people are quietly having right now. And nobody is telling it more honestly than these two.

In this episode...

• Why 13 years in the city wasn't enough to keep them there
• How they got their kids across the line on the decision
• The auction they lost... and why they're now grateful they did
• Why renting before buying was the smartest move they made
• What the same money actually buys you beyond the city
• How Dan's career landed perfectly at exactly the right moment

Follow for more:

Website: ⁠⁠homeofthecentury.com.au ⁠⁠

Facebook: ⁠⁠facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentur⁠⁠y

Instagram: ⁠⁠instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury⁠⁠

Tiktok: ⁠⁠tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury⁠

Home of the Century is the podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate.

The question every growing family eventually faces... do you move, or do you build what you need right where you are?

Your hosts Erin Holland and Darren Palmer sit down with Claire and Mick Neil, a Sydney couple who bought their inner city home while living overseas, raised three boys in it, and chose to stay and build. In this episode they share the honest version of what that actually looks like... the budget blowouts, the nine months living on site with three kids, the council battles, and the result that transformed their home and the suburb around it.

And for anyone thinking about selling... they also get into what renovation actually does to your property value, what buyers are really looking for, and how to know if you're adding equity or just spending money.

In this episode...

• How to decide between renovating and moving... the real conversation

• What a 20-35% contingency actually means in practice

• How to choose the right architect and builder... and why the relationship matters as much as the resume

• The hidden costs nobody warns you about before you start

• What adds genuine value to your home when it comes time to sell

• Whether they'd do it all again

Follow for more:

Website: ⁠homeofthecentury.com.au ⁠

Facebook: ⁠facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentur⁠y

Instagram: ⁠instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury⁠

Tiktok: ⁠tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury

Home of the Century is the podcast that takes you inside the honest conversations most people never get to have... first home buyers who backed themselves against the odds, families who chose to stay and build, investors who made bold moves at exactly the right moment, and everyday people who found a way in when the door felt firmly closed.

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate.

The property market feels impossible right now. But what if the biggest barrier isn't the market... it's the way you're thinking about getting in?

In Episode 1, Erin Holland and Darren Palmer get personal. Filmed at the apartment where Darren's entire property career began, this is the conversation most first home buyers never get to have... raw, honest, and full of the kind of insight that only comes from having actually done it.

In this episode...

• The creative financing strategy that got Darren into his first property... and how it applies right now

• Why sitting on your savings might be costing you more than you think

• What you should always pay for in a property... and what you can change later

• How to research a market before you make your move

• Why there is no single path into property... and how to find yours

Follow for more:

Website: homeofthecentury.com.au

Facebook: facebook.com/c21.homeofthecentury

Instagram: instagram.com/C21_homeofthecentury

Tiktok: tiktok.com/@c21_homeofthecentury

Powered by Century 21, Australia and New Zealand's most trusted name in real estate