Investing from an IRA

[Daniel Fenn]

What firms are out there that allow you to invest in real estate from a self directed IRA?

I have an existing Scottrade traditional IRA into which I had rolled over my 401(K) from previous employers for consolidation.

Once I find a financial company that allows investing in real estate, should I specify that the new account should be a Roth IRA or is there a choice? I've been told that its better to convert a bit at a time to avoid tax consequences based on the income bracket.

Thank you.