9 Stunning Mansions You Can Own for $300,000 or Less
Is the only thing missing from your dream mansion the money to buy it? For those willing to update or relocate, hunting for the mansion of your dreams might not mean a choice between breaking the bank and breaking your heart.
While luxurious Los Angeles estates may be out of the picture, it's not impossible to find affordable mansions elsewhere in the U.S., complete with grand ballrooms, heated pools, operational elevators and more.
Here are nine mansions now for sale that you can live in for $300,000 or less. Pro tip: If you are buying your dream home be sure to protect it with a security system.
Address: 104 S. 2nd St., Columbia, Pa.
Size: 7 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, 4,780 square feet
Listing price: $170,000
This stately blue mansion with distant Susquehanna River views has been in the same family for 70 years, says Jeff Seibert, the home's listing agent and owner of Associates Real Estate Company.
"It still has 70% to 75% of its original features," Seibert said. "It has original flooring, fireplaces, mantles, crown moulding and a continuous three-story staircase."
Located in the middle of the Columbia Historic District, the house is surrounded by buildings of similar stature, but 104 2nd St. stands out with its bright blue facade. Outside the home, a small yard houses a wrap-around porch and side garden.
The mansion, which hit the market for $170,000 in November, is priced "about where it should be" for the local market, Seibert says.
View more photos on Zillow.
Address: 816 W King St., Martinsburg, W.Va.
Size: 10 bedrooms, 5.5 bathrooms, 5,278 square feet
Listing price: $299,900
Not sure how to fill the space in your new mansion? This 10-bedroom brick home could help you make some money on the side.
According to its Zillow listing, the 5,278-square-foot brick mansion at 816 W King St. in Martinsburg comes with hardwood floors, a wrap-around porch and several smaller interior apartments. Future owners, the listing says, can choose to live in the larger main residence, complete with grand room and fireplaces, and continue to rent the smaller spaces, or combine the rooms for "an even greater grand residence."
View more photos on Zillow.
Address: 225 N Maple Ave, Hannibal, Mo.
Size: 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4,563 square feet
Listing price: $299,900
Current owner Tyler Matthews says his favorite part of the mansion at the corner of North Maple Avenue and Bird Street isn't its curved staircase, arched pocket doors, textured ceilings or exposed brick -- though it's not hard to appreciate these.
"My favorite part of the house is the grandness of it," says Mathews, who bought and renovated the home with business partner, Scott Bean. "You walk in there and you’re instantly amazed."
When Mathews and Bean, partners at J.T. Rivers Real Estate, purchased the property for $90,000 in early 2017, the two developers saw the mansion's glory days waiting to be restored. The home's historic details, like arched French doors and built-in wooden shelves, were in place, but the mansion needed some infrastructure work.
"We did pretty much everything," Mathews says. "We repainted, refinished the floors, added an HVAC system."
Climate control was one of the reasons the partners picked up the house for cheap, Mathews says. Without a central heating system, controlling the temperature in the large house was difficult.
Newly refinished and listed for $299,900, the property is just waiting for someone with an appreciation of history to move in, Mathews says.
View more photos on Zillow.
Address: 31 Franklin Dr., Bridgeton, N.J.
Size: 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 4,982 square feet
Listing price: $239,900
A villa fit for a 19th century industrialist is up for grabs in Bridgeton.
Known locally as the "Nail Master's House" or "Nail Master's Mansion," the home takes its nickname from its first resident, R.C. Nichols, who managed the nearby Cumberland Nail & Iron Works in the mid-1800s.
An Italianate-style villa on a street full of Victorian and Georgian colonials, the Nail Master's Mansion stands out for more reasons as well, says Diane Kolman, listing agent at Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors. The three-story home has an operational elevator and open staircase.
"As you walk in the front entrance, it’s a beautiful foyer area with at least 12-foot ceilings," Kolman said. "As you go to the right, you’ll find a parlor and living room and as you go to the left, you’ll find a dining room, a tea room and a sunroom."
The home also has a large modern kitchen, laundry room, two-car garage and, Kolman says, windows that fill every room with natural light.
"It’s placed beautifully, so architecturally, it’s a masterpiece," Kolman says.
View more photos on Zillow.
Address: 4000 W Peachtree Lane, Muncie, Ind.
Size: 4 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 6,080 square feet
Listing price: $189,900
Throwing the ultimate housewarming party? There's room for 20 cars full of your closest friends in the driveway at 4000 W Peachtree Lane in Muncie.
"There used to be lots of political meetings there, big lawn parties, things like that," says Janet Blackmer, a listing agent with Coldwell Banker Lunsford.
Indeed, the 6,060-square-foot house has plenty of room for entertaining. The mansion's focal point is its four front columns, which support the roof over a two-story covered porch. The home sits on nearly an acre of land and comes with a basement recreation area and unfinished third floor.
The hardwood floors a due for a shine and a the kitchen could use some updating, but the house is priced to allow for that, Blackmer says.
“Not everybody is an old-house person," says Blackmer, "but for those who are, this place is a gem."
View more photos on Zillow.
402 Main St., Ripley, Ohio
Size: 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 5,620 square feet
Listing price: $275,000
The future owners of the "Silver Point," a Georgian-style mansion in Ripley, Ohio, will inherit plenty of history with the old house.
Located alongside other stately homes, the mansion is locally known for being the home of Samuel Hemphill, a preacher and abolitionist who built the home in 1841. A news article about the home's history recalls visits from President Ulysses S. Grant and President Rutherford B. Hayes, who were friendly with Hemphill.
The house, which is listed for $275,000, has served as a bed and breakfast as well as a single-family home.
View more photos on Zillow.
Address: 17 Oak Ln., Davenport, Iowa
Size: 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, 6,200 square feet
Listing price: $269,900
Behind this Davenport mansion's gray exterior is an updated home with oak floors, French doors and a private wine cellar.
Built in 1903, the mansion comes with six fireplaces, original wood paneling and trim and a recently-remodeled kitchen. 17 Oak Lane's 6,200 square feet of living space include three stories, five bedrooms and a finished basement with an original wine cellar.
View more photos on Zillow.
Address: 155 E Main St., Afton, N.Y.
Size: 6 bedrooms, 5 bathrooms, 4,000 square feet
Listing price: $299,000
This 1832 Greek Revival's location is so picturesque it operated as a bed and breakfast for several years.
Located on the banks of the Susquehanna River, the former Jericho Farm Inn B&B has plenty of room. The home, which sits on four acres of land in total, comes complete with grand ballroom, several fireplaces, pool house and heated in-ground pool.
View more photos on Zillow.