from OneRoof.co.nz
John O’Sullivan and his wife Rosa are downsizing now that their family has “buggered off”.
by Catherine Masters 05 Nov 2025
John and Rosa O’Sullivan have listed their six-bedroom home on the Kapiti Coast after deciding to downsize. Photo / Supplied
* 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.
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 garden has featured in the Waikanae Lions Garden Trail, see earlier posts —Eds
Will he be paying the exhorbitant ‘refurbishing’ cost that his company imposes on residents of their villages when they sell/leave?
Should be deducted from his sale price.
It’s the nature of the Retirement Property Industry generally. As we’ve said before, if people are silly enough to squander money like this, it’s their affair.