Woman Who Bought An Old Church For Under $40k To Live In Explains How She Did It

It's becoming increasingly difficult and expensive to find a home for those who do not already have one or who are in dire need of an upgrade.

TikToker Priscilla Houliston is here to teach us another way: seeking out old churches and other obscure properties that can be re-zoned as a residential home property.

It all started with a few innocent videos that featured her home, an old church in her state, as her video background, with occasional comments about repurposing an old church as her home thrown in. Questions began pouring in about how this was possible, and Houliston realized she had a new mission on her hands: to educate people publicly about how to do the same.

In a video responding to a question about how it was possible to find and purchase a church with the intention of living in it, Houliston pointed out that the initial process is actually very simple and affordable. There are hundreds of old churches listed for sale in the United States, with most of them including the option to re-zone for residential property readily available, and these listings start as low as $30,000 to $40,000.

You can watch the video here:

Of course, there's going to be more to it than simply purchasing the church and moving in, specifically regarding zoning and insurance. If the church property first has to be re-zoned as a residential space, the new owners will have to wait to move their belongings and start sleeping there after the re-zoning has been officially completed and filed.

Insurance can also be quite a hurdle to cross, as Houliston has admitted that it would cost "close to $1 million" to recover the property if disaster were to strike.

You can watch a video about zoning and insurance here:

If these bureaucratic steps do not make potential buyers shy away, there are other factors to consider, as well. While the initial purchase of the home is affordable, there are other home-owning factors to consider, like renovations and heating costs.

Some properties will be in greater disrepair than others, which is something to consider, but some people will want to live in a home that feels more like a "home" than a "church," which could require significant remodeling, if zoning and permits allow it.

Some TikTokers pointed out how extreme it seemed that the heating bills would be, and Houliston admitted that it was very expensive for her and her husband in the beginning, until they figured out a method that worked for them.

You can watch a video about heating costs here:

Many fellow TikTokers could see the appeal of living in a church themselves.

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

@the1870studio/TikTok

With how difficult and expensive it's become to find and and be able to afford a home, it's worth getting creative and thinking about what else might be out there.

The process of making an old church a home will be enough to turn many people away—but for those willing to go through the trouble of buying, re-zoning, and renovating, they could have a much larger home that's sure to be a conversation starter.