Team NSW Steve and Tiana get $250,000 mortgage paid as 2015 House Rules winners
Team NSW won House Rules 2015. Some 1.99 million nationally watched the Channel 7 series grand final, with 1.29 million across the five metro cities, Oztam ratings noted.
Viewers would have expected the Sydney contestants to have the highest mortgage but Steve Falzon - of the father and Tiana, daughter team - bought his Shalvey house, near Mt Druitt for $130,000 around 23 years ago.
He has a $250,000 mortgage that will now be wiped as they won the Johanna Griggs' hosted series. Shalvey prices have meanwhile soared during the filming from $366,000 earlier this year to $391,500.
The Brisbane couple grand finalists Ben and Danielle's mortgage was $405,000. They are the newlywed who bought the Brisbane home four years ago.
House Rules premiered in May 2013 with the state-versus-state renovation series.
Steve's wife Danielle died 19 years ago, leaving him, then 28, to raise Tiana and son Andrew.
Being a single dad, there was no extra money to do work on the house.
He lives in the house with his new partner, Deanne and their son, Rory, 6.
Steve, a metal fabricator, admitted to feeling embarrassed by the unrenovated state of his home.
"I would like to feel proud of this house again. It's been a long-time dream to have this house renovated. And to have my mortgage paid off would be mind-blowing."
Tiana, a childcare director, now lives 20 minutes away with husband Dean.
Shalvey is located 48 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, with around a $391,500 median house price, according to CoreLogic RP Data.