Homebuyers banned from entering own house until 2053

A prestigious house has sold for $1.4 million less than it’s worth thanks to a bizarre clause in the contract. 

In the Russian Hill neighbourhood of San Francisco, a periwinkle-blue 1920s house has been the subject of a baffling deal. 

The house recently sold for just $US488,000 ($753,000) – one-third of the $US1.4 million ($2.1 million) it was expected to reel in. 

Why the massive discount? The new owner won’t be able to move in for 30 years. 

The house is currently occupied by a renter under San Francisco’s robust tenant protection laws. 

In 2018, owner Kenneth Goo signed a strict lease that locked in occupancy rights for the tenant until 2053, the San Francisco Standard reports. 

His daughter Sandra Lee, 83, was the tenant at the time the lease was signed. 

She has reportedly lived there with her 66-year-old daughter Cheryl Lee since Kenneth’s death in 2018. 

To complicate matters further, the homeowner and landlord, Todd Lee, is Sandra’s son. 

Earlier this year, a bitter family feud culminated in Todd listing the property for sale without Sandra’s knowledge. 

However, Todd didn’t know about his grandfather’s secret rental clause. 

“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. It’s unfathomable, the deception, the betrayal – this is my son doing this to me,” Sandra Lee told the Standard. 

The tenancy clause wasn’t the only barrier that prospective buyers had to contend with. 

The sale was listed strictly as is, with agents unable to guarantee access for an inspection or walk-through of the property prior to purchase. 

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

Ultimately, it appears the bizarre situation has come to an unexpected resolution. According to the New York Post, property records indicate that Sandra’s daughter Cheryl Lee has purchased the property, meaning she won’t need to grapple with a stranger living in her property for the next 30 years.