Bobbi Althoff once asked billionaire Mark Cuban for $5 million to buy herself a house. The 29-year-old internet sensation called it going "small," which probably tells you everything you need to know about the tone of the conversation. The exchange happened during Cuban's August 2023 appearance on "The Really Good Podcast." The 58-minute episode had Althoff and Cuban sitting on a warehouse floor while discussing money, business, the Dallas Mavericks, "Shark Tank," and several much stranger topics.
Althoff's deadpan interview style made the request sound almost reasonable. She started much higher, suggesting Cuban could hand her $1 billion without feeling much financial pain. "You could give me a billion dollars right now, and it probably wouldn't even affect you," Althoff told him. She eventually lowered her request dramatically, at least by billionaire standards.
"Fine, $5 million, we'll go small. I could buy a house in Southern California," she said. Cuban did not reach for his checkbook. Instead, the billionaire investor turned the joke into a surprisingly practical lesson about buying a house that you may not actually be able to afford.
Mark Cuban Wasn't Buying the $5 Million House
Cuban / IG / Cuban and Althoff found some unexpected common ground during the 2023 podcast. They share a birthday, both have trouble digesting lactose, and apparently share an appreciation for Target.
None of that convinced Cuban to finance her Southern California real estate plans. The former "Shark Tank" investor had a problem with the numbers, even if the purchase itself came at no cost to Althoff.
"I would have given you $5 million for nothing," Cuban replied during the exchange. His next point mattered more. Cuban explained that simply receiving enough money to purchase a multimillion-dollar home does not mean someone can comfortably afford to own that property for years.
A house keeps sending bills long after the buyer gets the keys. Property taxes, insurance, maintenance, repairs, utilities, and other expenses can turn a supposedly free home into an expensive financial commitment. California property costs made Cuban's argument especially relevant. A multimillion-dollar home can produce significant annual expenses even when the owner does not have a traditional mortgage payment.
The billionaire Shark’s response essentially separated the ability to buy something from the ability to afford it. Those two ideas sound similar, but they can lead to very different financial outcomes. Someone could receive a $5 million property as a gift and still struggle with its ongoing expenses. The house may be paid off, but taxes and maintenance do not disappear because the purchase price came from somebody else.
California Housing Has Become Even More Expensive
Bobbi / IG / When the podcast episode aired in 2023, California's median home sale price was around $742,000, according to figures cited by Redfin.
That was already far beyond what many American households could comfortably afford. Three years later, buying a California home still requires an income that puts ownership out of reach for a huge share of residents.
The California Association of Realtors reported a statewide median price of $887,680 for an existing single-family home in July 2026. Southern California's median price stood even higher at $899,000 that month.
Those figures are nowhere near Althoff's joking $5 million target, but they show why Cuban's broader point still lands. Even an ordinary California home can demand serious financial resources. Affordability data makes the situation clearer. During the second quarter of 2026, only 19% of California households could afford the state's median-priced existing single-family home.
That home carried a second-quarter median price of $916,750. Buyers needed a minimum qualifying annual income of $228,400 to cover the estimated monthly housing payment under the California Association of Realtors' assumptions. That estimated payment reached $5,710 each month.
