In that case, the plan won't allow you to invest in real estate (or even rollover contributions to another retirement plan that would until you quit your job).2) If the plan allows you to take a 401k loan, that might be one option to access funds to invest in real estate (i.e. you would borrow the funds and then purchase in your own name or an entity that you own personally).Here are the general considerations regarding 401k loans.401k Participant LoansIf your 401k plan allows for 401k participant loans, the maximum loan amount is equal to 50% of the balance up to $50k.

@John MorganHere are the general considerations regarding 401k loans.401k Participant LoansIf your 401k plan allows for 401k participant loans, the maximum loan amount is equal to 50% of the balance up to $50k.

I missed yesterday but would like to participate in the next one.  

The community property exception does not require that the operations rise to the level of a trade or business or that either spouse materially participate in the operations.

Here’s why:1) Risk Reduction - for a typically small cost in terms of time and money you can gain a ton of context about an area and the surrounding areas that will help you to reduce the risk of getting into a poor investment2) Relationships - you can leverage your time there to meet with local market participants like property managers, brokers, other investors, contractors, potential tenants etc.3) Business expenses - you should be able to deduct the cost of the trip as a business expense4) Context / Perspective - you simply get better context and perspective by being there is personI don’t mean to say that you can’t do OK by investing remotely but I am 100% certain that you will get outsized benefits from visiting your assets periodically and definitely initially.When I invest in multifamily deals I always visit the area, the comps and the asset itself, this takes time but because we buy 100’s of units at a time it is an efficient use of time.I’d also be wary of anyone who isn’t personally invested in a deal alongside you telling you that you don’t need to visit, particularly if they get compensated by you making a transaction.Investing out of state allows us to find the best returns but don’t be mistaken into thinking that you shouldn’t plan on spending time in your target market.

You may wish to confirm that the new 401k provider will handle the ongoing compliance support such as any required 5500 filing (e.g. 5500-ez for a one-participant plan with assets in excess of $250,000), any required tax reporting (e.g. 1099-r in the event of a distribution or in-plan Roth conversion), mandatory plan updates and amendments, etc.4.

I am only interested in the broker fees for myself but I have high net worth investors who want to participate but they lack experience as well

How can one make sure that risks are mitigated as much as possible when participating in such online auctions?

If you are seeking a passive investments, you'll be better served to participate in a syndication where you can build relationship with the sponsor and have direct access to them. 

In order for it to be an investment, a purchase would have to be completed by said individual, who would hold the property for a period of time for rental income, capital appreciation, or both.Even experienced real estate participants confuse the real estate business with real estate investing.