It has been perfectly legal to purchase real estate with your self directed IRA funds since 1974. In fact, there are only two things you cannot use your self directed IRA to purchase – life insurance and collectibles. Check out the IRS website at
www.irs.gov
where this question is specifically addressed.
There are a couple of rules – any profits must be directed back to the self directed IRA and any real estate investments may not be used by yourself or your immediate family, otherwise the ‘profit’ you make from their use would be regarded as a withdrawal from your self directed IRA and subjected to the usual taxes and penalties.
The IRS, in its wisdom, defines immediate family as you, your spouse, your parents, grandparents, children and grandchildren. But it does not mean your brother, sister-in-law or their children.
There is a simple answer as to why you haven’t heard of this before. Most self directed IRA funds up to now have been invested with stock brokers, bankers or other financial advisors who deal in those types of accounts. Because what they know are stocks, bonds and CD’s, and because they make a commission off of those things, that is what they are going to recommend.
Besides real estate you can also invest in notes, commissions, options, private placements, accounts receivable, timber deeds, crops, cattle, stock, bonds, mutual funds and certificates of deposit.