From outback toilets to historic churches: Bargain property that sold for as little as $21k in 2025

Although property prices continued to climb in 2025, there were some affordable finds – with a catch or two.

Buyers who were happy to move many kilometres from the big smoke, or roll up their sleeves and do a hefty renovation, were handsomely rewarded.

Several snapped up properties that cost as little as a new car – one traded for only $21,000, and none were more than $100,000.

New beginning

SOLD - $21,000

6069 Tweed Valley Way, Burringbar NSW 2483

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From the barley-twist columns on the porch to the polished timber floors and French doors, the home exudes character. However, it was flood-damaged and included in a collection of relocatable homes for sale through a NSW Reconstruction Authority program.

The buyer paid $21,000, but they did not get the land in the deal, and have to move the house to another site.

With three bedrooms, open-plan living and dining and the bonus of a sunroom, it will have a new lease of life elsewhere.

The relocatable homes are auctioned without a reserve, so bargain hunters could snap one up for as little as $1 if luck is on their side.

The NSW government purchased more than 700 homes from owners in extreme flood zones, where lives and property were most in danger. Twenty of those sold have already been relocated. Others have been gifted to members of affected communities.

Pull up a pew

SOLD - $80,000

129 EARLE STREET, Iron Knob SA 5611

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Church conversions can make the most sensational renovations. One sold in September in the Eyre Peninsula town of Iron Knob, South Australia, for $80,000.

The weatherboard building sits on a 1013-square-metre block, about 50 kilometres from the nearest large town, which has hospitals, a university and shopping.

The property has a kitchen, two street entrances and all the pews still in place.

Cheap and cheerful

SOLD - $31,000

1-3 James Street, Wilcannia NSW 2836

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The marketing trumpeted this as “one of the most affordable homes on the market in 2025”. Indeed it was, selling for $31,000 – outdoor dunny and all.

The Colorbond-clad home has the potential for up to five bedrooms, on a 2049-square-metre parcel in the town of Wilcannia, in north-western NSW.

It’s within walking distance of the town centre and the Darling River.

History calls

SOLD - $45,000

24 Absolon Street, Dumbleyung WA 6350

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Much of this three-bedroom shopfront property, in the charmingly-named town of Dumbleyung, was ready for the next chapter.

The former nippering store, built in 1912, was marketed as “ready for restoration” on a 1353-square-metre block with main-street frontage. The property is part of a multi-stop historic walk in the town.

NB: A nippering store caters to miners, selling equipment and supplies.

Laid bare

SOLD - $37,500

2 Knox Way, Newman WA 6753

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There were a few reminders left of what this single-bedroom cottage once was. The property sold for $37,500, positioned for its investment potential, in a town in the Pilbara, more than 1810 kilometres from Perth.

Although no floor plan was published with the listing, campaign photos show a kitchen, bathroom, laundry and bedrooms,

“This property is being sold as is, as bare land only,” the listing explained.

Coastal retreat

SOLD - $92,500

105/98 Bungower Road, Mornington VIC 3931

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This cabin is one of the most affordable entry points into the always-popular Mornington Peninsula market.

The single-bedroom, single-bathroom villa is in the permanent residents’ section of the Mornington Gardens Holiday Village.

The catch? You have to be aged over 55 to join the residential community. The buyer, who paid $92,500, also scored a garden shed and carport.

Love, actually

SOLD - $75,437

8 Woods Street, Donald VIC 3480

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“This once-loved home now needs someone to love it again,” the listing said. The Donald terrace had fallen into rack and ruin and was ripe for a buyer to treat it with some TLC.

The weatherboard house with an iron roof, decorative lace verandah, and deep porch was offered a full renovation project or a knock-down job.

The home occupies a 797-square-metre block, only a couple of minutes from the heart of town. The nearest large regional centre is Horsham, about a 95-kilometre drive south-west.