Given the plethora of property programs screening across both free-to-air and subscription television networks, it would seem we are a nation obsessed with real estate.

Aside from renovation game shows, Nine's The Block (currently drawing six-figure national audiences) and Seven's House Rules (which returns for a second season after My Kitchen Rules), there is a steady stream on Seven's digital channel, 7TWO, and on Foxtel's most popular channel, LifeStyle, of local and international programs about buying houses, selling houses, auctioning houses, decorating houses, demolishing and rebuilding houses and moving house.

British property shows on 7TWO, such as Homes Under the Hammer, Britain's Empty Homes, Secret Location and Escape to the Country, pull decent ratings for their after-hours timeslots. And the LifeStyle Channel's Selling Houses Australia, now in its seventh season, was for the fifth time awarded the top gong at subscription television's annual awards ceremony, the ASTRAs, in Sydney last week. Not only was the show voted most popular, but its hosts, former British real estate agent, Andrew Winter and interior-design whiz Shaynna Blaze (who also co-hosted the event with Fox Sports presenter, Matt Shirvington), were named favourite personalities, Blaze for the second time and Winter for the fifth.

Executive producer of House Rules, Maxine Gray, began making shows about houses in the early 2000s, for American network HGTV (Home and Garden Television). She says that what has seen the genre not only survive, but thrive and evolve, throughout the global financial crisis and various property booms and slumps across Australia, is that it speaks to a universal desire to create the ideal home.

''I think people are holding on to their houses more after the very big property boom, where they could capitalise by changing houses,'' says Gray. ''It has become a case of, 'Let's hold on to this house and put our money into this house and make this our sanctuary and our haven'. It was part of an awakening right across Australia, that you can really affect your quality of life by creating beautiful surroundings. People see the magazines, they see beautiful renovations and they want to know how to do it themselves. It's about creating a beautiful place to live but also expressing yourself and your style through your surroundings. People realise it's not just about what they wear now or what car they drive, it's also about their house.''

Shows like House Rules and The Block, that turn real estate into a reality-style competition, combine property tips with drama for maximum audience participation.

''Every renovation is guaranteed to induce stress, conflict and drama,'' Gray says. ''A renovation is always a journey where you never know what you're going to encounter. On our show, we've had termites and asbestos and possums in the roof. And no matter what the budget, it's never enough. When you compress all of that into a one-week reno as we do, and a really high-stakes competition, where they're all competing to have their mortgages paid off, then you've got great drama, just like a movie.''

According to Winter, the real estate industry has long been fertile ground for drama.

''There's a good chance that there will be something that you can relate to, something that has happened to you,'' he says.

''The problem is weeding out people who are trying to get a helping hand when they haven't really tried to sell their house properly. Buyers get upset about agents when vendors won't accept their offer. At the end of the day, the seller is trying to get as much money as they possibly can - if you were in that situation you would do exactly the same. It's a free market.

Blaze, who is also a judge on The Block, says both shows play to a sense of voyeurism.

''People love sport, they love a competition, they love a winner, they love a loser,'' she says.

''We're loving the fact that we can cheer people on but the fact is also that we can be our own little judges in the lounge room. People feel a connection. They've got an input. And property is one of those things that everyone can relate to. Everyone sees a bit of themselves, but also it makes them feel better to be able to say, 'Oh, I'd never get myself in that situation'.''

With nesting now a competitive sport, interior design trends don't last much longer than a renovation reality season.

''A trend used to last for at least five to seven years,'' says Blaze. ''But because the world is so connected now, four or five trends will happen at the same time. You've got small trends that might cover a year but it's almost a case of anything goes at the moment. When I first started (with Selling Houses Australia), the styling was always about selling the dream and everything came with all the bells and whistles. That became quite homogenised. Now the designs are about feeling a connection with a home and that becomes the lifestyle. So the lifestyle now is not just about having the dream home, but the dream lifestyle.''