@Dicey Don't downplay $15,000, that's a huge f-ing amount of money! Congratulations!
Best wishes on the rental, I'm still kicking myself I've never owned (kept one). 1st house was meant to be a rental, but had too big of a tax free gain and corporate relo paying it so I had to take the money.
I'm not downplaying the money, but we have plenty of ready cash, and I have received part of a small inheritance this year that would have covered the difference. We met with our CPA last week and we could have given more, but I couldn't talk DH into the max max. He just freaked out over what a large percentage of his 2017 earned income it would have been (i.e. different anchor point for him than for me).
I didn't marry until I was 54. Now we're FI, I'm FIRE, but we live comfortably on his income. He's easygoing about money, so this is the first time in 5 years of marriage that we've had to negotiate over an expenditure, which was 1) totally weird and 2) had the spillover effect of reminding us just how damn lucky we are to have found each other. It also happened rather suddenly, so he didn't have time to process it. (He's a thinker.) Also, charitable giving at the level I am more accustomed to is a new concept to him, so I really can't complain. I honestly think if I'd asked for a huge diamond, or a new car, he would have had an easier time saying yes. It's a total MPP, but it's about a DAF, so here it is.
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Despite lots of looking, we didn't identify a property, but our other realtor called with a lead on a hoarder house three blocks from our primary home, so there may still be some real estate fun on the near horizon.
One of the things we love about our rentals is that we choose great tenants. We're even still friends with the people who bought our flip house. It's like each new property we buy is a chance to make new friends. Unexpected, to be sure, but that's what comes from choosing your tenants very carefully.
In other news, Fidelity processed the check pretty quickly, considering they likely had a high volume. I already setup my first grant. Can't wait to see it approved and sent. This is great!
I had a similar experience with Fido, and am looking forward to building this account.