- John O’Sullivan’s Waikanae home, priced at over $2.995m, has been on the market for a year.
- Agent Suzette McArtney attributes the lack of sale to economic factors and affordability issues for young families.
- The property features a heated pool, separate cottage, movie theatre, and sits on an acre of land.
The founder of Summerset Retirement Villages is a bit stumped as to why the dream home he built in Waikanae on the Kapiti Coast hasn’t sold yet, and so is his agent.
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There’s a heated pool, a separate cottage for multi-generational living and a large garden full of bird life, but the property has been on the market a year now.
John O’Sullivan wonders if the monolithic cladding of his highly-spec’d house has put some people off, but says it has “100% clearance” in reports, complies with all the rules, is architecturally designed and was constructed by a top builder.
The house, he says, is in perfect condition, and the grounds are magnificent.
The house at 10A Sunny Glen, Waikanae, is one of the area’s most spectacular - and most expensive - homes. Photo / Supplied
The O’Sullivans built the house in 1990s and extended it in the mid-2000s. Photo / Supplied
Agent Suzette McArtney, of New Zealand Sotheby’s International Realty, says it’s the economy. She is selling at the top end in Kapiti, where there are lots of wonderful, large homes that would be great for young families; the problem is, young families can’t afford them.
Priced at enquiries over $2.995m, 10A Sunny Glen, in Waikanae, is in the top price bracket for the area.
McArtney says the house, which sits on an acre of land across three titles, is fabulous, but feels it’s out of reach for young families. And while older people might have the money, they are not always looking for such large homes, she says.
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It’s a dilemma, but O’Sullivan expects the right buyer will come along. He and wife Rose bought the property in 1998, when there was a little Lockwood home on it. They built their architectural marvel the following year.
In 2006, they sold Summerset for a decent sum of money, and at that point added the movie theatre and a games room. At the same time, they had the house inspected and made sure everything met the new standards on cladding.
“It was beautifully designed and beautifully built, and it complies with all the regulations and has passed all the tests from all the inspectors.”
The house was designed the way the couple wanted to live, and at the time, it was the first time they’d had a nice big master bedroom with an ensuite and a garage with internal access.
The 550sqm house sits on a beautiful 3823sqm section. Photo / Supplied
They had a media room that doubled as an office, a big new kitchen, and they put in a swimming pool for their girls, who were teenagers at the time.
O’Sullivan says the separate cottage has been a real asset. Built for guests, the cottage was where his father lived for the last years of his life. “For dad, it was great because he was able to go in the pool when he was fit enough and walk around the grounds and that sort of thing. It’s lovely.”
The property can also handle large functions – O’Sullivan says they had 250 guests for his mother-in-law’s 100th birthday.
And upstairs, there is a surprise “train” room he created for his grandchildren, which boasts a model train set and images of the beach, the hills and roads around Waikanae. “It’s a lovely feature of the house. I’m hoping whoever buys it really likes it and doesn’t take it out.”
O’Sullivan says he and Rose are selling up because everyone in the family has “buggered off”.
“They’ve gone all over the place, and we’ve got this enormous house.”
They’re not downsizing to a Summerset Village – though it wouldn’t bother him if they were – but are instead building a new home at Kaiteriteri, in the South Island, where the family enjoyed caravan holidays for many years.
McArtney says O’Sullivan’s home is amazing: “It’s got a movie theatre, a train room, solar panels, heated pool, separate cottage, three titles, it’s got an aquifer, meaning it’s on its own water, so it’s a pretty unique property.”
- 10A Sunny Glen, Waikanae, Kapiti Coast, is for sale, enquiries over $2.995m
