EXCLUSIVE: Maddie says she and her sister Charlotte were in the middle of making a morning snack when they got a phone call that would change both of their lives forever.
Maddie and Charlotte, 24 and 22, said they would be “stupid” not to seize the opportunity to compete on The Block after contestants Jesse and Paige were dropped from the show.
As the youngest team in The Block's history, the sisters say that while age isn't necessarily an advantage, their wealth of building experience is.
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Although Maddie and Charlotte have degrees in accounting and business administration, they consider themselves full-time property flippers.
After working a number of jobs while at school, the girls left school in 2020 with around $100,000 to buy their first property.
Fast forward four years and they are now successful home flippers, owning one property and in the process of selling three properties.
You can meet Maddie and Charlotte in the video above.
The sisters bought their first home in 2020. (Provided)
In an exclusive interview with 9Entertainment, Maddie and Charlotte detail their incredible achievements and explain how they got their start in the real estate industry.
When it comes to saving for a down payment, Maddie and Charlotte say “every penny counts.”
“From a young age, we babysat, worked at McDonald's, helped out in the family business, tutored, taught, literally anything we could,” Maddie said.
“So by the time we graduated from high school and college, Charlotte, my brother and I had saved up a decent amount for a down payment.”
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The Sydney sisters had bought their first home outside their home city, instead buying a shed in Newcastle which they described as a “terrible property”.
“That's all we can afford,” Charlotte added.
“It was literally falling apart, but for two years we worked with carpenters every afternoon and evening.”
The sisters admitted they thought it would just be cosmetic renovations, but it ended up being much more extensive than they had originally anticipated.
But their efforts ultimately paid off.
Maddie and Charlotte are hands-on renovators. (Provided)
“We sold that house and built another one behind it,” the sisters explained.
“As the land was large, we divided it into plots and built a project house at the rear.
“I was really lucky to buy before COVID and sell when the market was at its peak.”
Their first successful home flip became the foundation for all subsequent projects.
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Maddie and Charlotte are grateful that their parents, who both work in the finance industry, taught them how to manage money from an early age.
“Our parents always taught us to be wise with money,” Maddie says.
“They literally gave us Excel spreadsheets when we were 5 years old and encouraged us to start saving money.”
The girls moved into their block in just four and a half days, with the master bedroom and walk-in closet completed.
To see how Maddie and Charlotte make it in their first reveal, tune into Sunday's episode of The Block, which continues Monday to Wednesday at 7.30pm on Nine and 9Now.
Want to see more Brock in action? Check out the video below:
Stream every episode of The Block for free on 9Now.
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