It might cause me financial harm as I have to sell more stocks and might pay short term capital gains vs long term capital gains.

Buy and holding is the best way to building financial freedom.

Fractional TICs give owners the financial independence that has been associated with condos, without the need to wait for a condo conversion, a process which can take anywhere from 2 to 10 years depending on the specific requirements for the subject property.

im in Orange County CA and there is a huge market here for room by room rentals here. i've been doing this for quite some time (over a decade now), and it certainly has its pro's and cons. my advice if you go about this is make sure you do proper vetting before moving someone in... not only for financials/ credit-worthiness, but also for temperament and expectations in a co-living space. we ask a lot of questions like "how do you handle conflict?"

Now it's an out of control machine with a lot of financial incestuous relationship in the tupperware farm.I like your analogy.

I know that the general guidance is that emergency funds aren't to be invested, but given our financial security and the fact that we already have a personal e-fund in a safe, non-volatile location, would it still be crazy/unwise to invest this 15k in an S&P500 index fund in a brokerage? 

@Steve Englehart Cashing out an IRA or Roth IRA to buy rental properties has significant tax and financial implications.

Here's some basic copy & paste info that may help you make better investing decisions:----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Recommend you first figure out the property Class you want to invest in, THEN figure out the corresponding location to invest in.Property Class will typically dictate the Class of tenant you get, which greatly IMPACTS rental income stability and property maintenance/damage by tenants.If you apply Class A assumptions to a Class B or C purchase, your expectations won’t be met and it may be a financial disaster.If you buy/renovate a property in Class D area to Class A standards, what quality of tenant will you get?

My goal for 2025 is to close a minimum of 1–2 deals per month as I work toward creating financial freedom for my family.

However, financial freedom isn’t a one-time event; it’s about sustaining your desired lifestyle for the rest of your life.Once you clarify your goals, the next decision is where to invest.Investment Market/CityThe most important investment decision you will make is where to invest.