Newbie intro and ? on discounted notes for self directed IRA/401k

[Claudia Burchstead]

Newbie in Lancaster PA. Finally introducing myself after stalking the forums and binge listening to the Podcasts the past few weeks. No interest in leaving my current career but working on subsidizing our retirement with real estate. Very intrigued after listening to Podcast 17 last night with Jeff Brown on using discounted notes through a self directed IRAs or 401K. What’s the downside of this? Is this typically done with your standard financial planner or do you need a specialist?