MacDonald Highlands mansion sells for $4.71M

The 2017 Home of the Year in the valley has been bought for $4.71 million by a real estate investor who is the CEO and owner of World Gym Taiwan.

The Sun West Custom Homes design that won the prestigious Silver Nugget Award given to homebuilders was sold to Michael Sanciprian in a deal that closed Aug. 10. Dan Coletti, the owner of Sun West Custom Homes and Sun West Luxury Realty, along with Patty Martinez served as the listing agents. Martin Ojeda of the Rothwell Gornt Cos. was the buyer’s agent.

The two-story Henderson home previously profiled by Real Estate Millions is known as Waters Edge. It was built in 2016 and served as a show home with thousands of people touring the Sun West home for four years.

It measures 7,928 square feet with four bedrooms, six bathrooms and a five-car garage. There’s a main level that includes a raised pool with 12-foot retaining walls and a walk-out basement. From the street, it looks like one level with the lower level hidden.

The name Waters Edge was created because it starts with a water feature on both sides at the front of the house as you walk across a wooden bridge to get to the front door, Martinez said.

“It’s a pretty spectacular home,” Martinez said. “It begins with water and ends with water. The minute you walk through the front door, you see straight through the great room out to the Strip. The house is wide open and you walk out to the disappearing-edge pool. It is an amazing view.”

The water in the front yard falls into rocks and down into the basement into a water feature that drags the cooler air into the main level.

The basement has one bedroom and entertainment area, high-performance surround sound system to watch movies, a sunken couch conversation pit, wet bar and wine bar. The lower level has a three-car garage and a two-car garage is upstairs.

It’s a walk-out basement to the backyard where there’s a putting green.

The main level includes the great room and three bedrooms, a study in the front of the home with glass walls and a glass barn door that allows you to see into the great room and water feature in the front.

The master bedroom faces the Strip with its own patio out to the swimming pool.

In the kitchen, there’s a seamless cooking experience between the stovetop and outdoor ranges. There’s a separation in the appliances and cupboards allowing the glass walls to retract. It has a walk-in refrigerator.

The home has green elements with photovoltaic cells on the roof and water reclamation reusing water on the property for the irrigation system. Natural stone on the exterior and interior keeps the house cooler in the summer.

There is hickory wood throughout, wood floors, travertine floors, a walnut-drop ceiling. There’s high-performance glass used in the home, blown-in insulation and LED lights throughout. It even has hand dryers.

Martinez said the home was listed in excess of $6 million previously and lowered to $5.5 million, where it stood for the past year. It was recently lowered again, to $4.9 million.

“The minute we lowered it under $5 million is when my phone started blowing up,” Martinez said. “I had so many showings.”

In March, Sun West sold its 2019 and 2020 New American homes in Ascaya in Henderson for $5.5 million each. Both were showcased as part of the International Builders’ Show.

Buyer thinks home is ‘cool’

Sanciprian said he looked at the home three years ago and loved the open floor plan, views and water features that were a “big plus” with him. He said he loved the outdoor-indoor elements and how the home flowed.

“You can be anywhere in the house and see somebody,” Sanciprian said. “It’s good for friends and family. It’s probably one of the coolest homes in MacDonald Highlands. The outdoor patio area that faces the pool and fire feature is probably my favorite spot in the house.”

Sanciprian said the home was priced too high at the time in excess of $8 million when he first looked at it and so he passed.

“I live in Asia the majority of the time, but I own a lot of real estate out here so I am always keeping my eye on stuff,” Sanciprian said.

Sanciprian owns commercial land, eight homes, seven condos at Palms Place where he lived in a penthouse, but he called owning fitness centers in Taiwan his profession.

He rents the residential properties. Sanciprian said his move into a home from a high-rise was prompted by COVID-19. The casino at the Palms was closed in March and Palms Place was put on lockdown with the closure of the amenities and services such as the valet at the condo tower.

“I had to park my Rolls Royces in the casino parking lot,” Sanciprian said. “I don’t care what kind of car it is, but if you are paying all this money in HOA (homeowners association) fees, you should at least let the owners park. I was, then: Let’s go find a house, and I will keep the ones I’m renting.”

Sanciprian said he sold his 2,250-square-foot two-bedroom on the 56th floor penthouse for $1.39 million. He said he bought the penthouse six years ago for less than $1 million.

“The time to sell is now because the California buyers are lining up,” Sanciprian said.

Sanciprian said he added a pool table, arcade game and pinball machine and air hockey in the basement to create a game room. He said not only is his new home great for entertainment, but it has a tranquility to it.

“It doesn’t feel like Vegas,” Sanciprian said. “It’s so comfortable. I love the open concept.”

Sanciprian, who turned 46 this past week, said he grew up in a tough neighborhood in Compton, California, with a single mom and two siblings and cleaned gym equipment starting out. He was promoted to selling membership, and later became a general manager of a gym and later a vice president.

He started his own fitness company at 24 in California that he later sold and “never looked back.” He owns 250 gyms and has 17,000 employees in Taiwan.

“We had no money, and I knew I had to make something of my life,” Sanciprian said. “I could be a loser or winner. I thought maybe I should win in life so I could take care of my mom and make sure she has a beautiful life.”

Sanciprian said he bought his mom a home in Anthem in Henderson.

“I am thankful a kid from Compton can do all this for their mother,” Sanciprian said.