Business
Mark Wahlberg’s new $37 million mansion skyrocketed in value. Here’s what fueled the megahome’s extraordinary rise
Actor-entrepreneur Mark Wahlberg paid $37 million for a fully furnished mansion in Delray Beach, Florida, last month. The deal piqued interest and prompted coverage from TMZ to Architectural Digest, with most of the focus on the celebrity buyer.
But aside from the name recognition, the home’s skyrocketing price over the past five years also makes it stand out.
The actor’s transaction in October marks the home’s fourth sale in that same time period, and a dramatic 118% price increase from its sale in January 2020 when the fully furnished mansion traded for $17 million.
The grand entrance to the almost 17,800 sq ft estate known as Palazzo di Lago.
Daniel Petroni
The estate, located at 9200 Rockybrook Way, saw a rise in value that outpaced not just the local market, but also many of the top luxury markets in America.
In Delray Beach, the average sale price for a single-family luxury home, represented by the top 10% of closed sales, rose by just over 78%; Los Angeles was up 30%; the Hamptons rose 44%; and Manhattan increased just 4.5% according to Elliman Report data from the first quarter of 2020 to the third quarter of 2025.
The home’s steep rise in value even outperformed the S&P 500, which was up about 100% over the same time period.
One mansion, four sales
The massive resort-style pool in the backyard is flanked by adult palms, a jumbo chess set, fire features, and a waterfall with a grotto below and a hot tub on top.
Daniel Petroni
Remarkably, the residence has traded hands four times since 2020. Just one real estate broker represented the listing in all four transactions, making the soaring value of the seven-bedroom, 10-bath mansion even more unique.
Back in 2020, Douglas Elliman real estate broker Senada Adzem represented the original owners of 9200 Rockybrook, when the house was known as the Sundara estate. Three years later, Adzem represented the mansion’s second owners who listed the home again, when it sold for $26 million, up 53% in just three years.
A little over a year after buying the place, public records show a trust connected to William Cafaro, the co-president of a retail property development company in Niles, Ohio, and the home’s third resident decided to sell. Adzem was once again the listing agent.
This transaction was more unusual. Cafaro sold the home as part of a larger $50.5 million deal to purchase a Ferrari-inspired mansion less than half mile up the road in Stone Creek Ranch. Casa Maranello, as it’s known, was being sold by local developer Aldo Stark, of Prestige Design Homes, with Adzem as the listing agent.
Cafaro paid for the new home with $24.5 million in cash, plus the deed to 9200 Rockybrook Way, which was valued in the deal at the same price he’d paid for it: $26 million.
When that sale closed in January 2025, Stark became the fourth owner of the mansion and he immediately started a dramatic multimillion-dollar renovation of the almost 17,800-square-foot megahome. He scrapped the old Sundara name and clad the home’s old sheet-rocked walls in polished rare stones and bold high-gloss Guyana wood from Brazil.
A side-by-side before and after of the foyer’s grand staircase. Stark added a 30-ft tall vegetation wall and finished the adjacent walls in high-gloss Brazilian wood.
He installed vibrant green vegetation above a grand stairway and into the ceilings.
Stark completely reimagined everything from the kitchen to the clubroom and filled the residence with bespoke furniture.
The kitchen before.
Daniel Petroni
The kitchen after. The new-look includes counters clad in Orobico Grigio marble, floor-to-ceiling walnut cabinetry, vegetation accents in the ceiling and 30 tear-drop shaped light fixtures.
And about two moths after closing, the megahome was listed for sale for a fourth time.
Reemerging with a new look, new name and a new price tag, one of the few things to remain the same was that Adzem was once again the listing agent.
The lounge bar before.
Daniel Petroni
The lounge bar after.
Daniel Petroni
The home, now called Palazzo di Lago, debuted with an ambitious $45 million asking price, $19 million more than what Stark paid for it two months earlier and 165% more than what it sold for in 2020.
By October Adzem closed the fourth deal and delivered Palazzo di Lago to its fifth owner, who the buyer’s broker, Michael Costello of Compass, confirmed to CNBC was Mark Wahlberg.
One of the mansion’s two home offices clad in great wave marble.
Daniel Petroni
According to Florida’s Multiple Listing Service, the fully furnished mansion closed at $37 million, $11 million more than what Stark bought it for seven months earlier, and up 118% from its 2020 sale.
And Adzem pulled off an uncommon feat in real estate, selling the same house four times in five years in transactions totaling $106 million.
Primary bedroom
Daniel Petroni
Five owners across five years seems like an unusually high turnover rate, but Adzem has a simple explanation.
“People’s circumstances change and they have different chapters in their life. So we were privileged to be able to guide this home through different evolutions and different owners and be able to add value to it,” Adzem said.
According to Adzem, the mansion’s remarkable appreciation was fueled by a multitude of factors. Here are the top five:
1. The pandemic
Adzem attributed a large part of the 53% rise in price from 2020 to 2023 to the pandemic, which made demand and prices for homes in South Florida surge.
“After Covid, our market definitely accelerated,” she told CNBC.
Her walk-in closet is Chanel-boutique inspired
Daniel Petroni
2. The ‘micro-market’
Some of the other market dynamics driving the price of Palazzo di Lago are unique to Stone Creek Ranch, which Adzem described as a luxury “micro-market.”
The exclusive gated community spans about 187 acres with 37 luxury homes each on about 2.5 acre lots. It’s a tight supply that’s seen pricing dramatically impacted by a wave of new construction homes that have traded at record-breaking prices. Those recent comps helped push the price of Palazzo di Lago higher.
Even the price of dirt in Stone Creek Ranch is on a steep rise. Back in 2013, the empty lot at 9200 Rockybrook Way traded for $800,000. In 2021, Adzem sold a comparable 2.5-acre lot for $1.7 million.
“The last one they traded was $6 million,” Adzem told CNBC. “However … there are no vacant lots left in this community.”
And Adzem believes a more than threefold rise in the price of dirt here is just the beginning. She points to the fact that 2.5-acre lots worthy of a megahome are hard to come by in Palm Beach County, and the dwindling supply in this neighborhood in particular will push lot prices even higher.
“I feel like the dirt is going to double because the only upcoming potential sales would be teardowns.”
His closet takes inspiration from Tom Ford.
Daniel Petroni
3. The power of VIP neighbors
Another market driver: the tiny community’s growing list of VIP owners.
In 2021, billionaire hedge fund manager and owner of the New York Mets, Steve Cohen purchased the home next door to 9200 Rockybrook Way for about $22 million, according to MLS.
“[Potential buyers] typically do look to know who else owns in the community. That’s important to them,” Adzem said.
Rich and famous residents can create a halo effect and make nearby real estate more desirable to potential buyers. And there’s no shortage of ultra-high-net-worth neighbors living nearby, including several present and former CEOs of Fortune 500 companies, a former NFL player, and a pop star, according to Adzem and public records.
And now some might even see Walhberg’s new ownership as adding to the community’s allure. Meanwhile, developer Stark just finished construction and recently moved into his own 32,000-square-foot mansion.
4. Wealth migration
Wealthy buyers looking to escape the tax burdens of their home states continue to see the tax advantages offered in Florida as a big draw and that helps drive and sustain demand.
“We saw a big influx and continued influx of buyers from California, from New York, from Connecticut, and they want what you see here,” Adzem told CNBC.
The open-concept kitchen flows into a family room with faux vegetation that accents the ceiling.
Daniel Petroni
5. The multimillion-dollar renovation
Adzem also credited Stark’s renovation with adding to the estate’s value.
“He didn’t go neutral and he didn’t go very light with color scheme. He really wanted to make an impact and put his own taste here,” Adzem said.
Adzem and Stark would only characterize the expense as “a multimillion-dollar renovation,” so it’s unclear exactly how much it took to turn a home built in 2017 into the new Palazzo di Lago.
But Adzem told CNBC the dramatic renovation and the new “James-Bond-inspired vibe” were the final catalysts that delivered a buyer willing to pay a premium.
Correction: William Cafaro paid for the new home with $24.5 million in cash. A previous version of this story omitted the million. The price of the home rose 53% from 2020 to 2023. An earlier version misstated the percentage.
Business
India EV Market Hits 2.3 Million Sales In 2025, Policy Support, Festive Demand Drive Adoption
India EV Market: India’s electric vehicle (EV) market crossed a major milestone in 2025, with total EV sales reaching 2.3 million units, accounting for 8 per cent of all new vehicle registrations, according to the Annual Report: India EV Market 2025 prepared by the India Energy Storage Alliance (IESA) based on Vahan Portal data. The report, released this week, highlighted that EV adoption accelerated steadily through the year, supported by policy incentives and a sharp festive-led surge in the final quarter.
India’s broader automobile market recorded 28.2 million vehicle registrations in 2025, with two-wheelers remaining dominant, accounting for over 20 million units, or 72 per cent of total sales. Passenger four-wheelers crossed 4.4 million units, while tractors and agricultural vehicles exceeded 1.06 million units, reflecting broadly stable demand across segments. The report noted that overall vehicle sales growth remained steady during Q1 to Q3, followed by a festive-led acceleration in Q4, aided by GST benefits and year-end consumer demand.
Electric two-wheelers continued to anchor EV adoption, with 1.28 million units sold, representing 57 per cent of total EV sales. Electric three-wheelers (L3 and L5 combined) followed with 0.8 million units, or a 35 per cent share, while electric four-wheelers recorded sales of 1.75 lakh units. In the electric four-wheeler segment, the report noted strong momentum in electric goods carriers, particularly in small and light commercial vehicle segments, indicating early progress in the electrification of logistics applications.
Among states, Uttar Pradesh emerged as India’s largest EV market in 2025, with more than 4 lakh EV units sold, accounting for 18 per cent of total EV sales. Maharashtra accounted for 2.66 lakh units, or 12 per cent, while Karnataka recorded 2 lakh units, or 9 per cent. Together, these three states accounted for over 40 per cent of national EV volumes.
Despite lower absolute vehicle sales, states such as Delhi, at 14 per cent, Kerala, at 12 per cent, and Goa, at 11 per cent, recorded higher EV-to-ICE ratios. The report also noted that Tripura, at 18 per cent, and Assam, at 14 per cent, recorded robust EV-to-ICE ratios in 2025.
The IESA report stated that the government determined the electric three-wheeler segment had reached a sufficient level of market maturity and penetration, at around 32 per cent. A major policy development during the year was the conclusion of India’s largest-ever electric bus tender. Convergence Energy Services Limited (CESL) announced the successful completion of a 10,900 electric bus tender under the Rs 10,900 crore PM E-DRIVE scheme, aimed at accelerating green public transport.
The report indicated that while EV penetration remained strongest in light vehicle segments, the government’s focus on electrifying heavy commercial vehicles, supported by dedicated charging infrastructure development, continued to strengthen the long-term electrification roadmap, positioning India’s EV ecosystem for sustained growth beyond 2025.
Business
AI shopping: Google partners Walmart, Shopify and Wayfair to turn Gemini into in-chat checkout platform; what you need to know – The Times of India
Google has expanded the shopping capabilities of its Gemini AI chatbot by partnering with major retailers including Walmart, Shopify and Wayfair, enabling users to browse and buy products directly within the chatbot, the company said on Sunday, AP reported.The move, announced on the opening day of the National Retail Federation’s annual convention in New York, positions Gemini as both a virtual shopping assistant and a transaction platform, allowing customers to complete purchases without leaving the chat interface.According to Google and Walmart, an instant checkout feature will let users buy products from participating retailers through multiple payment providers directly inside Gemini. Customers who link their Walmart and Gemini accounts will receive personalised recommendations based on past purchases, and items bought through the chatbot can be added to their existing Walmart or Sam’s Club online carts.“The transition from traditional web or app search to agent-led commerce represents the next great evolution in retail,” Walmart’s incoming president and CEO John Furner said in a joint statement with Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai.Google said Gemini’s shopping feature can respond to product-related queries — such as recommendations for ski gear — by pulling items from participating retailers’ inventories and facilitating purchases within the same conversation.The announcement comes amid intensifying competition among tech giants to dominate AI-powered commerce. Google, OpenAI and Amazon are all racing to enable seamless shopping experiences that take users from product discovery to checkout within chatbots.OpenAI and Walmart unveiled a similar partnership in October, allowing ChatGPT users to purchase most items available on Walmart’s website through instant checkout, excluding fresh food. Ahead of the holiday shopping season, OpenAI also launched in-chat purchasing for select retailers and Etsy sellers.Salesforce estimates that artificial intelligence influenced $272 billion, or about 20 per cent, of global retail sales during the recent holiday season.Google said the AI-assisted shopping features in Gemini will initially be available only to users in the US, with international expansion planned in the coming months.
Business
Which Transactions Are Tracked by the Income Tax Department? Check Key Reasons Why You Haven’t Received Your ITR In 2026
Transactions Tracked By Income Tax Department: Imagine you buy a coffee, pay for your movie ticket, or transfer money to a friend. Most of these everyday transactions go unnoticed, yet some payments, investments, and bank movements quietly catch the attention of the Income Tax Department. Have you ever wondered why certain transactions are tracked while others are not? In this article, we will explore which financial activities the tax authorities monitor and which ones remain beyond their radar.
Transactions Tracked By Income Tax Department
According to Section 285BA of the Income Tax Act and Rule 114E of the Income-tax Rules, 1962, certain high-value transactions that exceed specified limits in a financial year must be reported to the Income Tax Department. This is done by filing a Statement of Specified Transactions using Form 61A. The purpose of this reporting is to maintain transparency in financial dealings and help detect any cases of tax evasion.
The Income Tax Department keeps an eye on certain high-value financial transactions. For instance, cash deposits exceeding Rs 10 lakh in savings or fixed deposit accounts are tracked, as are cash deposits or withdrawals over Rs 50 lakh in current accounts. Credit card payments above Rs 1 lakh in cash, or Rs 10 lakh through other modes, also attract attention.
Adding further, the property transactions worth Rs 30 lakh or more, whether purchases or sales, are monitored, along with investments in bonds, shares, or mutual funds exceeding Rs 10 lakh. These thresholds help the authorities track significant financial movements while routine transactions usually remain beyond their radar.
Transactions Not Tracked By Income Tax Department
The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) fact-checking unit clarified a viral claim suggesting that the Income Tax Department monitors citizens’ emails, social media accounts, online shopping, digital payments, and personal apps. According to the official statement, the Income Tax Department does not track online shopping, digital payments, app-based transactions, or any form of personal spending behaviour. There is no mechanism to monitor an individual’s digital or online activity.
Income Tax Refund Delay In 2026: Key Reasons
If you filed your income tax return (ITR) for FY 2024–25 and are still waiting for your refund in 2026, you are not alone. Many taxpayers are feeling uneasy as refunds seem slower this year. For returns filed for FY 2024–25 (Assessment Year 2025–26), the department has time until December 31, 2026 to process them under Section 143(1) of the Income Tax Act. This means refunds can legally take several months, even after successful filing and verification.
Several factors can cause delays. Very high refund claims can trigger extra checks, while mistakes or mismatches in your information are another common reason. It’s important to ensure your bank details are correct and that your PAN is linked to your Aadhaar. On top of that, any unpaid taxes from previous years can block or reduce your refund. Paying attention to these details can help your refund reach you faster.
Paris Hilton assures fans Britney Spears is ‘doing good’
The Caps are seeking consistency. They’ll try to find it in Nashville.
Maxim Naumov is an Olympian less than a year after his parents’ tragic death
-
Entertainment4 days agoDoes new US food pyramid put too much steak on your plate?
-
Sports7 days agoVAR review: Why was Wirtz onside in Premier League, offside in Europe?
-
Politics4 days agoUK says provided assistance in US-led tanker seizure
-
Entertainment4 days agoWhy did Nick Reiner’s lawyer Alan Jackson withdraw from case?
-
Entertainment7 days agoMinnesota Governor Tim Walz to drop out of 2026 race, official confirmation expected soon
-
Business7 days ago8th Pay Commission: From Policy Review, Cabinet Approval To Implementation –Key Stages Explained
-
Sports7 days agoSteelers escape Ravens’ late push, win AFC North title
-
Politics7 days agoChina’s birth-rate push sputters as couples stay child-free