Home / Business and Economy / Woman Buys Million-Dollar SF Home for $25K, Gets Alley Instead
Woman Buys Million-Dollar SF Home for $25K, Gets Alley Instead
8 Dec, 2025
Summary
- Buyer won a property auction for $25,000, expecting a house.
- The actual property purchased was an 82-foot portion of an alley.
- City officials state they provided clear language and parcel maps.
A San Francisco resident, JJ Hollingsworth, thought she acquired a prime property for a mere $25,000 through a tax-delinquent land package auction. The winning bid was for 1926 Kirkham Street, adjacent to her own home. However, upon reviewing the documentation, Hollingsworth discovered she had purchased the alleyway itself, not the house.
The auction's terms specified that it was for land parcels rendered unusable due to their size or location. Hollingsworth and her partner missed this crucial detail in their last-minute decision to bid. Notifications about the alley auction were sent to five nearby property owners, including diagrams and parcel numbers.
Despite the buyer's surprise, the tax collector's office maintains that all legal requirements were met. Officials stated that accurate parcel maps and clear language were provided, and prospective bidders had opportunities to ask questions. The property address listed, 1926 Kirkham Street, is a two-story triplex that was valued at over $1 million in 2024.
