Australia’s affiliation with Christianity may be on the wane but the obsession with churches is far from over.
Buyers’ love affair with resurrecting places of worship and converting them into quirky homes underpins strong demand for former holy houses, which for many are the holy grail of real estate.
A former bluestone Methodist church in Little River is the latest to grace the market in the Geelong region.
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The circa 1869 chapel at 4 Boadles Lane has already got tongues wagging on the ‘Churches for Sale Australia’ Facebook group.
With almost 60,000 members, the forum is the go to for buyers and sellers across the country looking to make a heavenly trade.
Group organiser Andy Liebelt said the buyer pool had exploded since the Covid pandemic hit, swelling the group’s original 500 member base.
“I can’t really put my finger on what it is but prices have gone through the roof,” Mr Liebelt said.
“When I started looking a long time ago you could pick up a little country church for $40,000 … now that same church would probably sell for $300,000 or $400,000.”
He said demand was greatest for unrestored chapels as buyers looked to put their own stamp on conversion projects or turn them into accommodation.
“There is something special when you walk into a church, the feeling of calmness, it’s like you’re a world away,” Mr Liebelt said.
“I think people are looking for things that are a bit more unique now and a lot of churches are just out of big towns, more out in the country and we have got a lot of retirees that are buying as well as they want a quiet lifestyle.”
The Agents’ Swarit Verma has listed the unrenovated Little River church with price hopes of $650,000 to $700,000.
The 4047sqm property, which comes with two additional timber churches, last traded for $360,000 in 2019, according to CoreLogic.
Further west, a timber church at 2 Waarre Rd, Port Campbell is also up for grabs for $410,000 after many years happily used as a basic holiday home.
Other regional church building in need of a saviour include the Carrajung Anglican Church, in a town of about 100 people 30 minutes’ drive from Traralgon in Gippsland, and a Victorian Early English Gothic style church at 14 Queens Ave, St Arnaud.
An increasing number of former city churches are also hitting the market amid dwindling congregations.
Australian Bureau of Statistics data reveals 43.9 per cent of Australians now identify as Christian, down from 52.1 per cent in 2016.
An award-winning church conversion just listed in Richmond could be the answer to the prayers of buyers looking for an unusual city pad.
Spanning three levels, the three-bedroom townhouse at 137 Richmond Terrace combines cathedral ceilings with a vast open-plan living zone featuring a 6m concrete kitchen bench, plus a wine cellar and basement garage.
A luxe top floor main bedroom suite has a north-facing terrace framing panoramic city views, while the curved tiled shower is pure theatre from BG Architecture.
Jellis Craig will auction the property on May 20, with prices hopes of $1.85m-$2m.
Originally published as Historic Little River church another divine church conversion prospect to hit the market around Victoria
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