If she's a smart lady she would realize that your hard-earned money, is best spent on your future, in Real Estate. 

I want to be smart with the minimal cash that I have and make sure that I am buying a great deal to protect myself.

I guess I'm just not smart enough to see how raising interest rates benefits anyone other than banks and lenders.

Next time, I'll mention it so they get a nudge if they weren't smart enough to consult their tax professional first before doing something involving RE and their taxes.

It helps to be smart, but it's not a required ability for RE Investing haha. 

Lots of money flying around in SF and contractors are BUSY, and smart enough to know they don't need to win but 1-in-10 deals they bid.  

Also you can pay for them from providers like ListSource, ListAbility, SMART Leads, or Ken Clothiers Find Motivated Sellers Now.

I am a full-time technology consultant who got into real estate by what only could be God's plan!  

Hopefully you're walking away with some experience and knowledge that you can use on future investments.It appears you're making a smart move doing a 1031 exchange out of a negative cash flow property and into other markets where you can actually get better returns and positive cash flow. 

Atleast That way you’d know they are atleast smart enough to type or use the internet