Candyland mansion chases sweet $165 million

The laughable Hollywood sign makeover is an classic example of the maxim, “A good idea poorly executed is a bad idea.”

More than 100 million people tuned into the Super Bowl on Sunday, making it SoFi Stadium’s biggest coming-out party to date. The 3.1-million-square-foot complex is a stunner, and if you’re curious about the architectural history, The Times looked into who built it and what makes it so special.

In the luxury market, the week’s biggest listing arrived in Bel-Air, where a mansion called the Manor is looking to make history once again. After setting the all-time price record when it sold for $119.75 million in 2019 (since surpassed a few times), it’s chasing an even bigger sum this time around: $165 million.

If it gets its price, the home — built by producer Aaron Spelling and wife Candy and nicknamed Candyland — will tie a purchase by Jeff Bezos for the second-priciest home sale in Southern California history.

We don’t check in on La Crescenta enough, but every time we do, the small, hillside community makes it worth our while. The area’s notable listing comes from Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, who’s asking $9.8 million for his compound that comes with a house designed by Richard Neutra and a seven-sided futuristic structure. You really need to see the amazing photos on this one.

Now time for some news you can use, if you’re looking to buy a home: Mortgage rates are surging. Costs for 30-year loans rose to a two-year high of 3.69% last week, or 20% higher than they were at Christmas. The trend may bring an end to a red-hot market that was fueled in large part by historically low mortgage rates, which gave buyers significantly more purchasing power.

Insurance rates are also soaring, especially for homes in fire-prone areas of California. If you live or are looking to live in such a place, we built a road map for you to follow to help save on insurance, because multiple insurers offer discounts to homeowners who’ve made fire-related safety improvements to their properties.