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Last summer, Mark Cuban found himself seated on a warehouse floor alongside viral sensation Bobbi Althoff, as a guest on her popular podcast, “The Really Good Podcast”.
During the 58-minute interview, Althoff used her awkward yet engaging tactics and got Cuban to open up about a range of topics from the Mavericks to Shark Tank— and even asking him for $5 million to buy a home.
“You could give me a billion dollars right now and it probably wouldn’t even affect you,” Altoff quipped, negotiating with Cuban. “Fine $5 million, we’ll go small. I could buy a house in Southern California.”
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Despite finding common ground over their shared birthday and lactose intolerance, Cuban cautioned Althoff that even with a multi-million dollar handout, California living would still be beyond her means. “I would have given you $5 million for nothing,” replied the Shark Tank star.
Here’s why Cuban cautioned Altoff — plus some options worth considering if you’re priced out of buying a home in California (or any other state) but still want to invest in the lucrative U.S. real estate market.
Alternatives to homeownership in Southern California and beyond
The California housing market has soared to unprecedented levels, with the median sale price reaching a staggering $906,500 as of August, according to Forbes Advisor.
Cuban emphasizes the importance of considering the complete financial picture when thinking about homeownership. While you might believe you can afford the initial down payment, there can be significant ongoing expenses to maintain the property.
“You’d have to pay all those taxes,” said Cuban, nodding to the high property tax rates in California.
According to the California Association of Realtors (C.A.R.), a minimum annual income of $218,000 was needed to afford the median-priced home in California in the first quarter of 2025.
Thankfully, there are ways you can make money on the current real estate market without having to buy a home, pay property taxes, or deal with the responsibilities of managing rental properties and tenants.
For accredited investors, Homeshares gives access to the $36 trillion U.S. home equity market, which has historically been the exclusive playground of institutional investors.
With a minimum investment of $25,000, investors can gain direct exposure to hundreds of owner-occupied homes in top U.S. cities through their U.S. Home Equity Fund — without the headaches of buying, owning or managing property.
With risk-adjusted target returns ranging from 14% to 17%, this approach provides an effective, hands-off way to invest in owner-occupied residential properties across regional markets.
If you are looking to make a larger real estate investment, First National Realty Partners (FNRP) might be the right choice for you.
FNRP is a private equity firm where accredited investors can access institutional-quality, grocery-anchored commercial real estate deals, without the need to source or manage the deals themselves.
Their experienced team has established connections with some of the nation’s largest essential-needs brands, such as Kroger, Walmart, and Whole Foods, giving them access to prime commercial properties both on and off the market. They handle the entire deal process from start to finish, so you can enjoy the benefits of investing in necessity-based real estate without the hassle of buying or managing the property yourself.
If you’re not an accredited investor, crowdfunding platforms like Arrived allow you to enter the real estate market for as little as $100.
Arrived offers you access to shares of SEC-qualified investments in rental homes and vacation rentals, curated and vetted for their appreciation and income potential.
Backed by world-class investors like Jeff Bezos, Arrived makes it easy to fit these properties into your investment portfolio regardless of your income level. Their flexible investment amounts and simplified process allow accredited and non-accredited investors to take advantage of this inflation-hedging asset class without any extra work on your part.
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How would you invest a large cash windfall?
In classic Bobbi Althoff fashion, she not only asked for a $5 million handout from Cuban, but she pitched him on investing in her podcast.
“I don’t know that I’d invest in a podcast,” responded Cuban, despite Althoff mentioning her $20,000 debt related to her podcast.
High-net-worth individuals like Mark Cuban might buy and sell large quantities of stocks, giving them the power to offset their gains with strategic losses to maximize their overall returns through tax savings.
If you have no appetite for the ups and downs of the stock market and you have a large stash of cash you want to invest, there is an array of lucrative alternative assets open to you.
One option is fine art, a private asset that has historically been available exclusively for billionaires like Cuban.
But with Masterworks, that isn’t the case anymore.
Through their easy-to-use online platform, you can now invest in artwork by iconic artists from Banksy to Basquiat without having to get all dressed up to attend an auction to pay the sticker price for a painting.
Masterworks makes artwork accessible to more investors by offering fractional shares of famous artwork. Simply choose your favorites from an array of artwork, as well as how many shares you’d like to buy, and Masterworks takes care of everything else.
Whether you’re buying stocks or investing in alternative assets, having the guidance of a financial advisor is essential.
FinancialAdvisor.net is a free online service that helps you find a financial advisor who can help you create a plan to reach your financial goals. Just answer a few questions and their extensive online database will match you with a few vetted advisors based on your answers.
You can view advisor profiles, read past client reviews, and schedule an initial consultation for free with no obligation to hire.
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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.