Investing in real estate with your self directed 401K or IRA

[Frank Brown Jr]

Hi Biggerpockets community,

I've recently been interested in investing in real estate but have had a tough time determining the right path. I've heard you can invest through a self directed IRA or 401K but my question is: Can you get to that money early if I invest through there? So from my understanding I would only really be making money off of the cash flow of my properties and anything I actually make off of selling on the property later down the line would be in my 401K untouchable until I'm older? Is this correct?

If someone has experience with going down this path I'd be glad to hear about it.

Thanks,

Frank