Originally Posted by FlySkyHigh

It's not really all that complicated. The nickle version is that you can't do work yourself, you can't use the real estate at all for yourself, you can't personally profit, and no one in your linear family can do any of these either. Two examples: Don't buy a beach rental then stay there for even a day; Don't pick up a screwdriver to fix the door knob or do the paining yourself.

I have used my IRA to buy real estate and made much more than the stocks I sold to fund my Self Directed IRA. There are a number of sources online to educate yourself.