The Block 2024 auction: Who is serial buyer Danny Wallis?

With The Block 2024 finale looming, fans are eagerly waiting to see which of the Blockheads will end up cashed up from their efforts and which of them will be sorely disappointed. And, of course, they are also keen to see if serial buyers Danny Wallis and Adrian Portelli show up to shell out a ton of cash and walk away the proud owners of a Philip Island house or two.

53-year-old Danny has made a huge impact on the reality show, spending more than $30 million on properties at the show's auctions over the past few years. The IT guru bought three out of five Block properties in 2022, 2021 and 2020, as well as several others in previous years.

While he bid on two of The Block 2023 properties, Danny ended up walking away empty-handed. Instead, the winning bids – which were for Steph and Gian's property and Eliza and Liberty's property – went to Adrian.

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As he left the auctions, Danny told reporters that he believed Steph and Gian's House 4 and Eliza and Liberty's House 5 sold for "too much", with the properties selling for $5,000,000 and $4,300,000, respectively.

When asked why he didn't go harder to win Houses 1, 2 or 3, Danny had a surprising response, telling Domain, "They're junk."

"[They’re] high maintenance for investment properties, which is what we have to consider," his sister added.

Who is Danny Wallis?

So who is this cashed-up Aussie nicknamed "The man who bought The Block"?

Melbourne-based IT entrepreneur Danny is an Australian rich lister worth around $120 million. He started his career at ANZ before founding IT service management company DWS in 1991.

In 2020, he sold DWS for $126 million cash to HCL Technologies, an Indian tech giant and has become known for his philanthropy.

What Block properties has he bought?

Danny has an unusual bidding style, offering a lot more than the previous bidder and often unusual amounts that have an extra dollar or even a few cents tacked on the end.

The first property he bought was Mike and Andrew's house on The Block Season 5 in 2012, for $1,400,001.01.

It was a few years before he returned to the auctions, buying Mitch and Mark's apartment in St Kilda Olso Hotel for $3,374,000 in 2019.

Then in 2020, he took things up a notch by purchasing three of the homes in Brighton. He bought Harry and Tash's house, Sarah and George's house, plus Daniel and Jade's house.

"What an amazing day it was and a real thrill to buy the three houses," he said at the time. "I was so impressed with the builds this year, the location in Brighton, and the potential as an investor for the properties in the future."

In 2021 Danny also picked up three of the Hampton properties: Mitch and Mark's house, Tanya and Vito's house, and Kirsty and Jesse's house, dropping a whopping $12.2 million in total.

Then last year, he picked up another two homes, Tom and Sarah-Jane's house and Rachel and Ryan's house, straight after they pulled out of the auction.

What does he do with the properties?

Danny doesn't just rent out the properties for profit, he has donated several to charities. The 2021 house he bought which was designed by South Australians Daniel and Jade, whose daughter Isla suffers from a rare chromosome disorder, he made available to his favourite organisation, My Room Children's Cancer Charity. The families of children in hospital can use the property through the charity.

"It is made extra special for me because I know Daniel and Jade have been through so much with their daughter Isla over the years, in and out of hospital, and they will understand just how important the house will be for My Room and all the incredible work they do for sick children and their families," Danny told The Block Shop blog.

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"The My Room Children’s Cancer Charity do so many wonderful things for sick children and their families, and they will benefit so much from having access to Daniel and Jade's amazing home."

In 2021, Danny revealed he planned to also donate Tanya and Vito's home to My Room. "There’s always demand for accommodation for families with kids with cancer," he said. "I bought Daniel and Jade's Block house last year and it's always in use. Now I've bought another one for My Room to help support these kids."

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