San Francisco, CA

$1.4 million San Francisco house snapped up for shockingly low price — but it comes with a huge headache

Published

1 year ago

November 26, 2024

.4 million San Francisco house snapped up for shockingly low price — but it comes with a huge headache

A classic Edwardian home in San Francisco‘s Russian Hill with timeless character has been snapped up for $488,000 by a savvy homebuyer.

The unusually low price is far less than half of the city’s $1.2 million median list price and an even smaller portion of the property’s estimated $1.4 million value.

Though the home might seem like a dream bargain at first glance, it comes with a rather astonishing catch: The new owner may not move into the property for the next 30 years.

According to the listing, the property is currently tenant-occupied under San Francisco’s tenant protection laws, and the current lucky occupant, who pays an incredibly low monthly rent of $417, signed a lease that locked in strict rent controls and grants occupancy rights extending until 2053.

These laws are designed to protect long-term renters, securing low costs over a years long period and enabling the current tenant to take full control over payments of all utilities, including water, garbage, and energy bills.

There’s no wiggle room either. The sale was strictly as is, according to the listing, which also noted that agents were unable to guarantee access to the property for an inspection or even a walk-through before purchase.

The seller also had the right to reject or counter any offers.

Perhaps understandably, given the legal complexities that come with the home, any potential buyers were urged to review the full disclosure package and consult with an attorney before committing to purchasing the house.

And that’s not the only “catch” to have come with the property.

Per the listing, the former male owner of the house died inside it. He was over the age of 100 and died of natural causes.

When the home was first listed, it sparked a frenzy of excitement and intrigue.

One neighbor at the time, Ilia Smith, told ABC News that there was a line of people wrapped around the block waiting for a chance to peek inside the unique home.

“My husband came in and said, ‘You’ve got to look out the window. There’s a line from the house all the way to the middle of the block,’” she said.

Ultimately, it was revealed that the home had been the subject of a bitter family feud, according to the San Francisco Standard, which reported that the home was listed by Todd Lee, who is the son of the current tenant, Sandra Lee.

According to the Standard, the property was purchased by Sandra’s parents, Florence and Kenneth Goo, in the 1970s. The Goos lived there for many years until they both died in the home, in 2006 and 2018, respectively.

Sandra, who has been living in the home since 2018, told the Standard that the property had been listed by her son without her permission. He was unaware of the iron-clad lease clauses that Kenneth had secretly written into her rental agreement before his death, she added.

“If it wasn’t for the lease that [my son] didn’t know about that was made in 2018, I don’t know where we’d be,” she told the publication. “It’s unfathomable, the deception, the betrayal—this is my son doing this to me.”

Property records indicate that the home was actually purchased by Sandra’s daughter, Cheryl Lee, suggesting that the family rift has since been put aside and that the new owner will not have to worry about dealing with the difficulties of having a stranger occupying their home for the next three decades.

At the time of the home’s original listing, experts at local company Kinoko Real Estate explained the complexities of buying this kind of property. There are a few upsides to purchasing a dwelling that already has a long-term tenant installed, they noted.

“Real estate investors might be intrigued by the long-term investment opportunity,” the company’s website said. “The guaranteed rental income for nearly three decades is attractive, especially considering San Francisco’s historically rising rents.”

However, according to Kinoko, the downsides are much more obvious.

“While the long-term rental income might be enticing, there are some significant drawbacks to consider,” the website goes on. “Firstly, the buyer has no control over the property for nearly three decades. Major repairs or renovations would be at the mercy of the tenant’s cooperation.

“Additionally, predicting the housing market in 2053 is a fool’s errand. There’s no guarantee the property will appreciate in value as much as hoped, especially considering the long wait time.”

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San Francisco, CA

Floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade get finishing touches

Published

8 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Floats for San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade get finishing touches

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — ABC7 Eyewitness News got a sneak peak as crews put the finishing touches on the floats you’ll see at Saturday’s San Francisco Chinese New Year Festival and Parade.

Since it’s the year of the fire horse, you’ll see a lot of horses and fire symbolism on the floats, housed at Pier 19.

“So Year of the Horse, it’s energy, it’s passion, it’s momentum so a lot of things that we’re really hoping to embody in the new year,” said Stephanie Mufson, owner of San Francisco-based The Parade Guys, which designs and constructs the floats.

She said they’ve been building them for about three months, with the designs starting in November.

MORE: Bay Area artist brings Year of the Horse statue to life for Golden State Warriors

“We’re in the home stretch,” she said. “We’ve got a couple of days left and we’ve got a nice little team that’s cranking out all the finishing work that needs to go into it.”

Derrick Shavers was sanding some wood that will be painted and become cherry blossom trees on a float.

“It’s exciting,” Shavers said. “I look forward to coming every year and just creating and making things shine and sparkle.”

Bon was painting mountains for a float, making sure everything is perfect in time for the parade.

MORE: Meet the 2026 San Francisco Chinese New Year Parade mascot, Maverick

“It’s one of the few parades that actually happens at night still,” Bon said. “So we got to make sure all the lighting is in check, and people are safe on the float. It’s all in the details, just for it to walk by you for 10 seconds.”

Ten seconds that bring so much joy to those watching the parade.

Here’s how you can watch the parade on ABC7 Eyewitness News on Saturday, March 7.

Coverage starts at 5 p.m. wherever you stream ABC7.

SF Chinese New Year Parade 2026: How to watch ABC7 Eyewitness News live coverage

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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San Francisco, CA

Celebrated San Francisco historic landmark, the Huntington Hotel officially reopens

Published

20 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Celebrated San Francisco historic landmark, the Huntington Hotel officially reopens

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — First opened as apartments in 1922 and converted into a hotel two years later, the Huntington was once a playground for socialites and Hollywood stars.

It shut its doors in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and remained shuttered until this week, following new owners and a million-dollar, top-to-bottom renovation.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony was held for The Huntington Hotel in San Francisco’s Nob Hill neighborhood Monday.

The hotel officially reopened on Sunday.

Mayor Daniel Lurie attended the celebration for the hotel on California Street.

“This is another sign that San Francisco is on the rise, when you have major institutions and major hotels reopening,” Lurie said. “We’re seeing it in Union Square. We’re seeing it now up here on Nob Hill. This is an exciting moment for San Francisco.”

What doom loop? Downtown San Francisco showing signs of economic rebound, experts say

The hotel, known for its iconic sign, will be restoring the landmark sign to its former glory.

Many say it’s a symbol of what’s going on in San Francisco.

MORE: Nordstrom making return to San Francisco with new concept, mixed reactions

“It came to symbolize San Francisco’s decline during COVID when it shut and it now, I think, symbolizes San Francisco’s rebirth,” said Greg Flynn, Flynn Group Founder, Chairman, and CEO. “It’s sort of the perfect symbol of it because it’s coming back better than it ever was.”

Alex Bastian, President and CEO of the Hotel Council of San Francisco, said hotel occupancy rates are up in 2024.

“Our data team crunched the numbers, and the four-week rolling hotel occupancy rate for San Francisco Bay Area hotels is 55.1 percent as of January 17 of this year. Compare that to January 17 of 2021, during the pandemi,c when it was 13.1 percent.”

Of course, the Super Bowl helped.

Here’s what Super Bowl LX visitors are saying about San Francisco

“There’s no marketing campaign better than what we achieved as San Franciscans,” Bastian said. “The mayor and his team really elevated the game. They did an incredible job. We are so fortunate, as a city, because so many came here and they left their hearts here in San Francisco.”

Eyewitness News wasn’t allowed to gather video of the hotel’s features, but the hotel provided renderings of a sample room.

Matthew de Quillien, The Huntington Hotel General Manager, said the hotel has 143 rooms, many of them suites. Also, the Nob Hill Spa, Arabella’s Cocktail Salo,n and a reopening of The Big Four Restaurant, featuring its famous chicken pot pie.

“Our owner was able to find the original recipe from the 70’s and we remastered it and we’re … serving it to our guests,” de Quillien said.

He said rates range from $600 a night to $7,000 a night for its Presidential suite.

The restaurant opens to the public on March 17.

If you’re on the ABC7 News app, click here to watch live

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Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Vigil held for 2-year-old girl killed in SF Mission Bay crash

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. – Walk SF and Families for Safe Streets held a vigil Monday evening to honor a 2-year-old girl who was struck and killed by a driver Friday night in San Francisco’s Mission Bay neighborhood.

The crash happened just before 9 p.m. at Fourth and Channel streets near Oracle Park. Police said the child’s mother was also injured and taken to a hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. The driver remained at the scene, and authorities said drugs or alcohol are not believed to be factors.

Community heartbroken

Community members gathered at the intersection Monday to light candles and lay flowers. Among them was the Howard family.

“We’re just heartbroken and sad,” said Hidelisa Howard.

“I was thinking about heartbroken parents, someone who cannot get their daughter back,” said John Howard.

The intersection is designated as part of San Francisco’s 2022 High Injury Network, identifying streets with the highest concentration of severe and fatal traffic crashes. Speed cameras were recently installed in the surrounding neighborhood.

Jodie Medeiros, executive director of Walk SF, called the crash a tragedy, noting a previous fatal collision involving a child at Fourth and King streets several years ago.

Traffic intensifies

Parents in the area said traffic has intensified with nearby events and development.

“We love having people here in the neighborhood, and it’s brought a lot of life to the area,” said Hidelisa Howard, who lives nearby. “But at the same time, we have people coming in from out of the area. They’re not familiar with the streets, they’re running the lights, they’re running the crosswalks.”

District 6 Supervisor Matt Dorsey said the intersection has been problematic.

“Sometimes people go too fast. I don’t know that this was the issue here, but we need to do everything we can to make our neighborhoods and our streets safer,” Dorsey said.

On Monday, crews with the SFMTA repainted crosswalks and re-timed traffic signals at the intersection.

“It just feels like there’s so many young children in this neighborhood that there should be improvements made to the way that the traffic flows around here,” said Aanisha Jain, a San Francisco resident.

San FranciscoNews

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