Charlotte Ekas and Josh Terrett placed second in The Block: Triple Threat earlier in April, but the couple say their $810,000 cash prize won’t cover their desired home in Sydney.

The couple told The Manly Daily that they were having trouble finding their ideal home.

So far they had looked at a couple of options they wanted to buy, including one property in Manly and another in Willoughby, they said.

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“It was pretty devastating,” Ekas said.

“We’re lucky with the deposit we have. We want to buy something that’s run-down, preferably in Manly or Fairlight, but I think we’re dreaming.”

On The Block’s tenth season, the Manly-based couple had their apartment sell for $2.2 million at auction, putting them second behind winners Darren and Deanne Jolly, who took home $935,000.

But despite their generous cash prize, the couple said they were having trouble borrowing money from the bank after launching their own business, JT Construct and Design. Ekas does design, while, Terrett focuses on construction.

They said mortgage brokers had said to them tongue-in-cheek ‘we know how much you’ve got’, after viewing them on the program earlier in the year.

The pair had also reportedly spent some of their money on new cars and a holiday to South America at Christmas, but most of it remained in the bank.

The couple have dispelled suggestions they’re getting engaged, with Ekas saying she wasn’t planning on following suit with her sister in the near future.