From what I hear from active participants (and read) for those doing deals in the DFW metro region, it is hard, but not impossible.

BUT  Self Storage in my opinion can be a tremendous asset class to participate in right now. 

Do you want to provide some upside in terms of equity participation?

Hi @Nick ZiasI've actually written an article about this for the BiggerPockets blog:https://www.biggerpockets.com/renewsblog/lessons-l...There's also a really good forum thread I participated in from a few years back that I think you might find helpful:https://www.biggerpockets.com/forums/61/topics/786...

It is a duplex in Westland mi $87500 sale price leveraged through a bank loan that will rent for 850 per side and cash flow very nicely ($250 per unit after all expenses) Im also starting my first flip. its a sfr in Wayne mi. i got this deal through seller financing with no money down (Im kinda proud of that lol).

My long term goals are to participate in multiple Multifamily investment.

First off, Thank you for your service, My daughter is in the military also, she makes me proud. 

With self-directed IRA the sky is the limit.Of course you must be aware of the IRS prohibited transactions and be sure to stay away from those:https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-particip...Selecting appropriate investment option depends on many different factors such as your age and investment horizon, your risk tolerance, investment experience, etc.

If from anyone other than your spouse, the IRA will need to be setup as beneficiary IRA and annual distributions based on your life expectancy will apply, so keep this in-mind when investing the beneficiary IRA in real estate. https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-particip...

I would also recommend participating in some of the very useful weekly webinars here on BP.