48 Edinburgh Drive, Bishopscourt (it's on the M3)
Plot size is 4707m2, dwelling extent is 424m2 according to municipal records
Municipal value is R10.3m
It was sold in 2007 for R6.5m according to public records
Current owner is Up Front Investments 171 (Pty) Ltd.
In 2008 Absa bank filed a liquidation application against the company (not sure what it was related to)
In 2010 this house was up for auction as a "unrenovated home" and "renovation project". ClareMart was the auctioneer that time as well. No idea if it sold that time as the last public data I can find is from 2007. The 2013 article linked to above says "The house was nearly auctioned recently due to municipal debt" and that "a sale in execution was pending, but the debtor went into liquidation".
This is the house that former Fidentia CEO J Arthur Brown was living in in 2013 (you can read that link for that convoluted story). As Absa also filed liquidation applications against Up Front Investments 174 and Up Front Investments 182 as well, I'm not sure if those applications were related to the Fidentia saga.
In 2017 Up Front Investments 171 and 2 others filed an eviction application against a person and 3 others. No idea if it's related to this property, and who the 2 other plaintiffs are, liquidators maybe? A cursory search on the first respondent brings up an debt counselling scam allegation made against a person with the same name and surname.
Satellite photos on Google Maps shows the roof to be have no damage. Google says Maps satellite data is between 1 and 3 years old.
2016, 2017, and 2018 aerial photography shows no damage to the roof. If the listing images is really from a 2018 inspection then what the hell happened? Fire?
I can pull a paid property report for whoever wants one, but this property has more red flags than a girl that chats you up on Voortrekker road.
That being said, even as a plot there might still be opportunity for the brave, considering its Bishopscourt one of South Africa's most exclusive suburbs, a 4055m2 plot three roads down is on the market for R15.9m. One still need to know the whole story around the eviction action and "illegal occupation", what defence did the tenant put up that a warrant of eviction was not issued to the sheriff, we are talking about a multi-million rand property here, people with properties worth far less see their evictions through to the end.
To summarise: a company (who's directors were friends with former Fidentia CEO J Arthur Brown) purchased the property for R6.5m (2007) , neglected it, didn't pay rates, bank filed for liquidation of company (2008), sale fell through due to liquidation (2010), let a convicted fraudster live in it (2013), now (2020) there are and people living in it who are refusing to leave ("currently illegally occupied") and it is being auctioned off "unseen" due to "access not obtainable" with extensive damage.
2010 Advertorial
Current Google Maps
2016 aerial photo
2017 aerial photo
2018 aerial photo
Google Street View