“All in all it was a good auction, and there was a lot of interest which was reflected in the strong bidding,” Nick Pretorius of Bidline said.

“What we’ve found this year is that we are doing the deals through carefully selected properties, and we are selling and selling well.”

Of special interest was the old Alexander Hotel in central Germiston, which attracted keen bidding and a bid price of R3,15m. The hotel has 20 rooms, two pubs, a restaurant and a pool room. There are five shops on the lower level and subdivisible shops on the first floor. The hotel, on two 495m² stands has a gross lettable area of 4200m²

First on the list was an upmarket warehouse-factory and double-storey offices in Edenvale. The buildings, on a 1078m² erf has a gross lettable area of 1200m² fetched a bid price of R4,2m.

In Roodepoort, a modern factory and office block with a gross lettable area of 935m² and two adjacent vacant stands “surprisingly attracted a lot of interest”. A top bid of R2m was received for the factory and R650000 for the two stands.

A fully let business site on a 1500m² erf with lettable area of 600m² and a rent income of R477956 a year in Randburg attained a hammer price of R2,95m.

More was paid for a factory-warehouse and office complex in Jetpark. It offers 4250m² on a 7890m² erf The complex with two loading bays fetched attracted a final bid of R8,5m.

In Alberton, a four-storey block with a gross lettable area 831m² and a business one zoning attained a hammer price of R2,4m. Bidding was subdued for a Primrose showroom-workshop that fetched a best bid of R1m. But interest was keen in a privately owned cemetery near Orange Farm, which attracted a bid price of R3,5m. “There are not many privately owned cemeteries in the country, and this one has full approval for 17000 graves,” Pretorius said.

Strong bidding was evident in the sale of two business properties in Dalview, Brakpan, where two 970m² erven with a gross lettable area of 500m² attained a knockdown price of R1,4m.

One of the highlights was a BP business site in Bramley, one of four BP properties on offer. It offers three erven of nearly 6000m² in total. “There was a lot of interest in three of the properties, but this one just took off, and was quickly bid up to highest bid of R3,8m.”

Another BP business site was in Ferreirasdorp, one Johannesburg’s first settlements in its mining camp days. The two erven of altogether nearly 1500m² fetched R925000.

“There was lot bidding for the 22ha site in Modder East with a public garage zoning attained a hammer price of R1,95m.

Least attractive to the buyers was the 2954m² site in Falcon Ridge, Vereeniging, which fetched R325000.

“Bidding was slow, and it was only lot of the day for which there was little demand.” The final lot of the auction, a retail development in Waldrif, Vereeniging, described as “a great buy” attained a bid price of R4,25m.

“Major retail leases from a number of national brands have been secured,” Pretorius said.