Self-directed IRA and 401(k) success stories needed

[Jeff Barnes]

I am seeking out success stories. Specifically, I want to know how you have used your self-directed IRA or 401(k) or any other type of retirement plan to invest in real estate and how that is worked out for you.

Have you invested in fix and flip properties? What about commercial, apartment, or multifamily properties? How many deals have you completed using your self-directed retirement plan?

Or, alternatively, have you used someone else's retirement plan to fund your deals?

I really want to know what kind of success stories, as well as failures people have endured using their self-directed retirement plans to invest in real estate.

If you don't want to post your responses online, please go ahead and private message me with your response, and I can contact you off-line.

Please be as specific as you can so that others and myself no how you and many other people have used retirement plans to fund real estate transactions, and what kind of profit or loss they have endured or experienced as a result. Many people have a lot of horror stories around using self-directed retirement plans, and I want to capture those as well if I can.

[Brad Johnson]

We've recently started accepting self directed retirement funds for our mobile home park investments. Thus far, it has been a smooth experience. 

A direct wire of the investment funds into escrow after the investor has reviewed the PPM (private placement memorandum) and signed the subscription agreement (part of a 506 Reg D private offering) is a little cleaner than taking SDIRA funds, which adds additional steps) but not by much. 

Our investment platform is geared towards longer term holds vs flips; therefore self directed IRAs and funds geared towards retirement are a good fit for us. This is especially true of properties that we plan to refinance and return investor principal (vs. an outright  sale) as under that scenario the investors would no longer have equity at risk and could hold the cash flowing property indefinitely - which is my favorite type of retirement investment (playing with house money). 

No SDIRA horror stories yet.