MAFS star Chris Robinson has spent more than a decade renovating properties with his builder father, starting with a $109,000 Lithgow home and taking on about 14 projects.

MAFS star Chris Robinson urged buyers to start where they could afford after buying his first home for $109,000 and flipping about 14 properties.

But one of those projects almost proved too much for the Married At First Sight groom and his builder father: a former children’s foster home at 445 Bolong Rd, Bolong, with holes in the walls, monitoring equipment and an awkward layout.

Robinson inspected the South Coast property alone and sent photos and videos to his father in Queensland, who warned him the project was too much work and told him to stay away.
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Robinson bought it regardless.

“I called him and I said, ‘I’m so sorry, but we’ve got another one’,” Robinson said.

“He was just like, excuse my French, ‘Oh, f– k, Chris, we’re done’.”

The kitchen at 445 Bolong Rd, Bolong, after Chris Robinson and his builder father took on the former children’s foster home despite warnings the project was too much work. Picture: Supplied

His father still loaded his tools into the car and drove south, but Robinson said seeing the property in person did little to ease his concerns.

“When he got there, he was just speechless because he thought there’s no way that we can actually flip this property and make money,” he said.

“It had holes in the wall and the layout was really bad. It had really bad energy.

“It was feral. It was gross.”

Robinson spent about a month working on the grounds at 445 Bolong Rd after describing the South Coast property as one of his biggest renovation gambles. Picture: Supplied

The sprawling Bolong property required work inside and out, with Robinson saying there was a point when he feared he had wasted his money. Picture: Supplied

The pair removed walls, repaired and painted the home, added new decks and overhauled the grounds, with Robinson spending about a month working on the gardens.

“That was one where I thought, ‘Oh shit, what have I actually done?’” he said.

“I’ve just wasted so much money. We’re not going to be able to flip that.

“But we did it. We pulled it off.”

Robinson and his father repaired, painted and reworked parts of the former foster home as they sought to improve it without blowing the renovation budget. Picture: Supplied

His own property story began more than a decade ago, when he was in his 20s and searching with a budget of about $200,000.

Robinson wanted to eventually live on the South Coast, but realised buying there was beyond his reach, so he widened his search until he found a property in Lithgow for $109,000.

“I kept having alerts on my phone every time a property would pop up and I waited for an absolute cracker property to come on that I knew I could make money on,” he said.

His father helped him renovate the Lithgow home and the pair kept going, later tackling two properties at Blaxland, five on The Central Coast, projects on the South Coast and two farms at Singleton.

Robinson began buying and renovating property in his 20s and said the experience eventually helped lead him into a career selling real estate. Picture: Supplied

Robinson said their approach was generally to avoid expensive renovations unless the work would materially improve a property, instead looking for cosmetic changes that could deliver the biggest return for the least outlay.

Their projects have included kitchens, bathrooms, decks and opening up living areas, but he said homeowners could waste money by automatically replacing finishes that could instead be refreshed.

Tiles, benchtops and kitchen cabinetry could sometimes be painted or sprayed rather than ripped out, he said.

“So without spending too much money, how can we make this property look the best it possibly can without breaking the budget?” Robinson said.

He has applied some of that thinking to his own farm at 29 Thompsons Rd, Broughton Village, near Berry, completing cosmetic work to the home, improving the pasture, installing fencing and driveways and adding two cabins.

Chris Robinson is now selling his Broughton Village farm as he searches for a bigger “forever farm” where he hopes to raise his future children. Picture: Supplied

Robinson said he had made cosmetic improvements to the home at 29 Thompsons Rd rather than embarking on the kind of extensive renovation undertaken at some of his flips. Picture: Supplied

Robinson said one of his close friends lived in one of the cabins, while tiny homes on the property had also proved popular on Airbnb.

One had been fully booked for a couple of months, while another was probably running at about 90 per cent occupancy, he said.

“I didn’t find love on MAFS, but I’m going to make the most out of it,” he said.

The farm is now for sale as Robinson searches for a bigger “forever farm” where he hopes to raise his future children.

After about 14 property projects with his builder father, Robinson has taken his renovation experience into a new career in South Coast real estate. Picture: Supplied

Robinson said his renovation philosophy was to make homes feel inviting and functional without spending unnecessarily on work that would not improve the result. Picture: Supplied

Robinson was also keen to renovate alongside his father on television if the opportunity arose.

Asked whether they would consider appearing on a celebrity version of The Block, Robinson said: “My dad and I would love to do that. That would be so fun.”

For first-home buyers struggling to afford the suburb or region where they ultimately want to settle, Robinson said his path from a $109,000 Lithgow property to life on the South Coast had left him with one key lesson.

“I wanted to live on the South Coast, but I started where I could afford and I’ve worked my way up,” Robinson said.

“My advice would be: don’t start where you want to end up.”

The Broughton Village property forms part of the South Coast life Robinson said he had worked towards since buying his first property in Lithgow for $109,000. Picture: Supplied

Robinson has improved the Broughton Village acreage with work including new driveways, fencing and pasture improvements, as well as adding two cabins. Picture: Supplied

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