Forbes has a habit of putting something like this out every few years.The "bad" thing about investing your IRA in real estate is that the main Wall Street players do not have control over your funds and the means to earn commissions selling financial instruments.His arguments are entirely tilted towards to negative and not providing any context or perspective.I could just as easily pick 3 or 4 historically bad stock investments (Enron) or high fee annuities, and make it sound like that was all that you could expect if you went to a conventional brokerage - which is clearly not the case.For someone who understands real estate as an asset class, there is the potential to have your IRA produce consistent returns and have true diversification away from the news-cycle volatility of conventional financial products.

These are big players though with lot's of money and properties.An investor with less experience there can be more risk in leveraging especially with limited assets as a mistake can be greatly amplified.

BuildingA at Example.com => Bank Account ABuildingB at Example.com => Bank Account BI've checked with some of the major players and they seem to only be able to route to a single account. 

In the meantime, in my preliminary search for a one stop platform these struck me as two of the better players.

Maybe that's how I'm perceived at this point from the players that could actually bring me the deals I want.

This is the moment to become a bigtime player or simply build a safe portfolio of passive income. $500K gives you so many options. 

A player is risking his whole capital every minute during a poker night. 

Networking groups are also a great way to gain exposure.Break through the “Rookie Wall”This sports metaphor refers to first-year players who suddenly stop having the kind of success they did before they made it to the professional level.

Find the key players who are actively buying properties.

I’d narrow your search to one maybe two max and seek to build relationships with the tips @Theo Hicks provided.It pays to be a player in the market so breaking in will cost you more at first than those who have been there before you.