But if you look at bottom of page 9 top of page 10, it clearly states property can't be contributed to the IRA but the funds can used to make the purchase which is what I said. as for holding it as a position, I was wrong I guess in theory if your IRA is large enough to purchase a property (which that word along has many meanings) you can sell what ya got to purchase it bearing in mind the strong limitations like the cash flow can't be another contribution because its passive income and IRA's as we know are funded with earned income or that this can't be personal property it has to be for an investment.

I've got an architectural design picked out, a contractor selected, and I've got the family ready and willing to move into one of the units.

That being said, if you're solely getting licensed for MLS access, I strongly recommend that you speak with a buyer's agent in your market first.

So I strongly believe there is a happy medium here.

Rates are a bit higher than conventional but if you're talking to the right people and have a strong credit score then you should be getting priced out in the mid 5% range which shouldn't eliminate cash flow on a great deal.

BUT, this was a stale deal with strong broker relationship AND very uncommon.1% is the standard I hear. 

In these market, retail buyers are frequently "leveraging" the bank of mom and dad to put cash offers in.So, while leverage is frequently used and can help supersize your assets and cash flow, if you are losing out on deals because you are putting in financed offers, you are still not getting anywhere.My personal recommendation would be to put in as strong an offer as you can, i.e. cash if possible, and quick close. 

I recommend a brick and mortar bank that has a strong online presence.

Economy is strong, prices decent, returns good.

If I was to hazard a guess, I would say expect to see some strong economic shifts in the next 18 months.