LAS VEGAS — It’s easy to get lost in the ebb and flow of the real estate market in the Las Vegas valley as prices go up and down and demand changes. But there’s one corner of the real estate market that has its own unique challenges.

“We were built on the edge of town when this was the edge of town.  It is no longer,” said Pastor Matthew Krenke, who arrived at Mt. Olive Lutheran Church at the beginning of 2023.

The church, which broke ground on Sept. 1, 1974, in the southeast valley near Flamingo and Sandhill roads is preparing to move.

“Now, we find ourselves at a different chapter of our history,” he said.

The church is changing and that’s why Mt. Olive Luthern is looking to sell.

“We no longer run a school and so now we’re blessed with this large campus,” Krenke said. “But it is a bit of an overhead for our group.”

Currently, it is one of three churches on the market in Las Vegas. The asking price is $2.5 million.

“The demand has always remained pretty high,” realtor Dan Klatt said. Klatt “We probably have 85 churches that are looking for properties right now.”

Klatt is known as the “Church Guy”.

“The Bible says that God, I don’t live in Temples and buildings, I live inside of people,”

Old churches are losing their congregations while new churches are looking for space. It’s a unique market because it’s not always about dollars and cents.

“The church movement process is wholly dependent on God’s timing,” Klatt said.

New Life Christen Center near downtown Las Vegas is also on the market.

“It’s a challenge to sell a church that’s existing. The client has to feel like it’s the right neighborhood, right size, right color,” Klatt adds.

Churches need proper parking, accessibility, and literally above it all — the spiritual component.

“If it doesn’t feel right. If the Holy Spirit isn’t checking all your boxes, you move onto the next property,” Krenke said. “We’re very committed to this neighborhood. We’re hoping to stay put.”

Pastor Krenke knows wherever Mt. Olive Lutheran goes,’ its guiding hand in real estate is a higher power.

Klatt said it takes between 18 to 24 months to sell a church. The most common buyers are schools, nurseries and elder care facilities.