See the Churches That Make Divine and Affordable Homes

The typical home’s amenities might include modern appliances and open layouts, but what about a bell tower and 125-year-old stained-glass windows?

If that idea appeals to you, then a converted church might just be the answer to your prayers.

“You can feel all those people who came before you, all the weddings and funerals,” agent Ted Murphy Jr. with E.J. Murphy Realty, who is selling a converted church in Cornwall, CT, tells Realtor.com®. “And, oh, yeah, you’ve got a bell tower. You can ring that bell anytime.”

The former Congregational church, built in 1900 and converted into a stylish 2-bedroom, 2.5-bathroom single-family home, is listed for $350,000. But come with a contractor.

“It needs a lot of work,” admits Murphy.

The HVAC system is good, but the roof should be replaced, he says, estimating that it will cost $200,000 to $300,000 to get the church back into shape, a big reason for the relatively low price tag, which comes out to $222 per square foot.

The former church was bought in the mid-1970s by a woman named Priscilla Miller Pavel, who lived in New York but would camp out at the church on weekends while she slowly renovated it over a decade—adding septic and plumbing systems—until she and her pastor husband were able to move in permanently.

The pastor’s daughter is selling the home.

Since he lowered the list price by $40,000, Murphy says there has been an “avalanche” of interest. Potential buyers have included a hotel owner, artists looking for a gallery, and a carpenter wanting to turn it into his home.

“No one can tear it down; it’s an icon,” he says. “A buyer will want to preserve it.”

Should your church tastes run much more luxurious, there’s the Siloam Methodist Church in Philadelphia, built during the Civil War between 1845 and 1860. It’s listed for $3.5 million.

Converted into two loft rental apartments, plus an owner’s apartment on the ground floor, as well as a photography studio, the turnkey church is also ready to earn income.

For a turnkey single-family church, try the Wyebrook Missionary Baptist Church, which is listed for $1.3 million.

Located in Honey Brook, PA (a state apparently chock-full of for-sale churches), and built in 1887 as a school, the former church is now a four-bedroom, 3.5-bathroom home on 1.6 acres.

It’s the “perfect combination of old meets new” with 12-foot ceilings, exposed stone walls, massive original posts and beams, and modern appliances and amenities.

The kitchen features an Ilve 48-inch Nostalgia dual fuel range featuring seven sealed burners, a griddle,l and a 5-cubic-foot oven with an integrated Zline range hood.

And so you don’t forget you’re living in a unique home, the top floor has a “one of a kind stair tower” with outdoor access.

The church trend

Church attendance has been on a fairly steep and rapid decline for decades. On any given weekend, about 3 in 10 U.S. adults attend religious services, down from 42% two decades ago, says Gallup News.

Almost all religious faiths have seen a decline in attendance. The exceptions are the Jewish and Muslim faiths, with slight increases.

Since about 2000, the number of Americans who belong to a church, synagogue, or mosque has plummeted from around 70% to around 47% in 2021.

This has led to a plethora of churches across the country coming on the market. Bad for religion, but good for those jonesing for history and a renovation project.

Consider looking in the Northeast—where church attendance is half that of the South, meaning more inactive churches are for sale.

Individual buyers aren’t the only ones noticing that abandoned churches offer a special opportunity to preserve history while helping alleviate the housing crisis.

Recently, a developer applied to turn the former Wilton Baptist Church in Wilton, CT, into multifamily homes.

Going ‘full church’

For the full-on church experience, it would be hard to beat the Saint John Kanty Church for sale for a mere $400,000 in Buffalo, NY.

“This remarkable historic church campus is ready for visionary new owners to lovingly restore and reimagine its future,” says the listing.

One of the benefits of buying a church is that it often comes with more than one structure: the congregation area and the staff area.

Established in 1891, the church has three masonry structures situated on 1.59 acres. There’s the one-story church encompassing approximately 15,337 square feet of living space, a three-story rectory with 9,579 square feet, and a three-story convent boasting no less than 13,248 square feet.

“There’s a lot of opportunity,” Ayat Nieves of Iconic Real Estate tells Realtor.com. “I’ve heard from schools, community centers, event spaces, Airbnbs, apartment developers—you name it.”

While the convent portion of the church can be made residential, there are some restrictions on the church portion.

The agent notes that the seller—the Catholic Church—will be removing most of the religious artifacts, unless the buyer wants them.

“Some buyers may not want those items, others may want them,” the agent says. “The sellers are open to all possibilities.”

He says he already has some offers on the church, but they all are commercial developers. Not only can churches come with the usual array of challenges that any historical property does—outdated electrical and plumbing, lead paint—but the layouts can present challenges for the individual homebuyer.

“It’s hard to divide up the space,” Nieves says.

The agent is no stranger to selling churches. This is his third.

Recently, he sold St. Lawrence Catholic Church on East Delavan Avenue for $975,000, almost double the asking price.

“We had twelve offers,” he says.

Part of the appeal of churches is not just the unique and stunning aesthetic of the typical church, but the price point.

“Churches are relatively affordable,” he says.