Aussie woman couldn’t afford a home, so she turned an abandoned church on FB marketplace into her dream home

With the rising property prices, being able to afford a house is quite challenging. To remedy that, people tend to get creative with their spaces. A woman did just that when she bought an abandoned church from Facebook Marketplace and decided to restore it to make it her home. However, the history of the church and why it was abandoned is still a mystery. The woman, Fanny Barlow, who goes by @fannybarlow on TikTok, shared the details of her purchase on the platform.

"My name is Fanny, and I bought an abandoned church off Facebook Marketplace. We got the keys for it today, and this is the condition of the building," Barlow highlighted while showing her viewers the inside of the church. "It is a pretty dazzling shade of brown. We will be measuring it up today." The windows in the house were pretty big. "The council doesn't know anything about this building. They don't know when it was built or who built it," Barlow revealed. "No one can tell me anything. It is referred to as the mystery church by the council here."

She shared that they would try and see if they could revive the property. "The last time it was used was over 40 years ago, as far as I know, at least as a church anyway," Barlow emphasized how the place had beautiful tall ceilings, and she couldn't wait to get started working on it. She also wondered what could have happened to the building. 

She told Newsweek, "I bought it as my first property. I live in Brisbane, Australia, but couldn't afford to enter the property market here." She went on to explain that she wanted to buy a property so she could get out of Brisbane before the Olympics, which will be held there in 2032. "The Olympics is going to be a nightmare for residents in the area, and I don't want to be here for it or pay the increased rents and costs when it happens," she said. "So I bought the church with the intent to secure my retirement years at the same time."

Moreover, the video received more than 315k views and over 21k likes. People expressed their thoughts on the church in the comments. @_sharn_ wrote, "Hi there, I believe I know this church very well. It caught my eye instantly, and I recognized it straight away. I lived in the house on the block behind it. The house I was in was owned by the family for years. I will send you a message to make sure it's the church I'm thinking of, and I can get some more information on it to pass on to you."

@____tl commented, "Not sure if this helps, but neoclassical gothic style churches began in the Victorian period in Australia. I’m a designer and builder and love history, especially buildings in this era and Art Deco." @hay.jackson remarked, "Have a look into Kaurihohore historic church. It’s a church just north of Whangarei and looks very similar to this one. That church was opened around 1871, so it could give you some sort of idea about when it was built. Just saw you’re in Australia. Whangarei is in New Zealand. But still have a look into it as it’s eerily similar." 

In a follow-up video, Barlow revealed the amount of money she had spent to buy the church. She shared that she had paid 75,000 AUD ($47,681.25) plus 10% GST for the property. More specifically, she paid $82,000, "which is less than a deposit for a family home in Brisbane, and I own it outright," she told Newsweek. "The construction is hardwood and masonite; it is not asbestos. But this paint is looking like it could be lead paint," she said in the video. The church came with half an acre of extra land, and they would check the place for metal and paranormal activities.

You can follow Fanny Barlow (@fannybarlow) on TikTok for more lifestyle content.