- Corine Woodson, 84, is facing a forced sale of her property in Auburn, Alabama
- Her husband’s family purchased the 40.7-acre swathe more than a century ago
- But investors and relatives have moved to sell up their parcels to a local firm where it could be worth tens-of-millions dollars
An elderly Alabama woman is set to be booted from the home where she has lived for 60 years after relatives and investors moved to sell her 40-acre farm that could be worth up to $20 million to developers.
Corine Woodson, 84, is facing a forced sale of her property on Hamilton Road in Auburn after a developer bought up 49 percent of the old sharecropper farm from other relatives.
Her husband’s family purchased the 40.7-acre swathe of woods more than 100 years ago, and it’s now prime real estate thanks to the city’s growth.
But when the original owner died, the property was left to his children or their heirs – meaning dozens claim a share of ownership and they have spent decades bickering over the land.
Now, the family’s ownership appears to be coming to an end with the sale of the property surrounded by luxury housing developments.
The land was valued at $1.2 million between 2002 and 2004. This value has risen exponentially since as rich landowners moved in – and as the area developed into a college town thanks to nearby Auburn University.
Today, the farm could be worth up to $20 million based on other property sales in the area.
Since the land where Woodson’s home sits isn’t divided into parcels but rather by percentage ownership – under a scheme called ‘tenants in common’ – when one owner wants to sell, everyone must sell.
The family, which includes 23 great-grandchildren of the original owner, have spent decades fighting about the property, including lawsuits.
Some say they were tricked out of their portion of the farm and signed it to others in the family.
In 2005, Cleveland Brothers Construction Company LLC bought the 4.1 acres owned by two of Woodson’s in-laws – Mary and Catherine, for an average of $150,000 for the two properties.
This gave them an initial 15 percent ownership of the 40.7 acres, and since then they have bought up even more relatives’ interests in the property, up to a 49 percent ownership.
Woodson’s tiny red-roofed bungalow is now dwarfed by ginormous Christmas card-esc mansions on neighboring plots.
‘[The Original owner] bought in an ideal spot,’ Ben Woodson, one of his grandsons told Al.com in 2018. ‘Mansions are going up all around it. When I was living there it was just woods. Now, you wouldn’t believe it.’
Cleveland Brothers is waiting for a court-ordered appraisal before it can purchase the entire land parcel under Alabama law.
The developers were allowed to do complete the purchase because it came forward before a court deadline to propose its sale. Woodson did not because she thought she already owned the property.
Corine Woodson’s daughter, Melissa Woodson, told the WTVM she feels ‘naïve’ and helpless to change the investment that is now underway.
‘I have even said, “Nobody can just put you off of your property,” and my family members have said, “No they’re not going to do that,” Melissa said.
‘We were, I guess, naïve or not up to par on the law based on that timeframe, but it’s happening right before our eyes. The sad thing is there is very little we can do about it.’
Cleveland Brothers has said it will let Woodson stay on the property for one year after the sale is completed.
