Hey @Matt Agnew I would get a friend or someone who knows you to lend THEIR IRA money to YOUR IRA.

Additionally, add in the ambiguity/risk of the due on sale clause or ramifications on the conventional loan of transferring the property from your individual name to an LLC - the economics don't make sense, and the headache isn't worth it even if it did, in my opinion!

I'm going to do new post referencing insurance - this has been a big topic amongst my California friends. 

I cant imagine where you'd find better than conventional unless you have a crazy friend with a lot of money.   

Make sure they are "investor friendly" and well connected in the neighborhood.

It depends on where you want to live, income, personality, and other factors.You could buy a large home and rent out the individual rooms to cover expenses, but this comes with problems.

My humble advice to anyone attempting to do creative finance is:Creative finance is for experienced investors who have access to capital if anything goes wrong.Learn the lawsDon't use a contract "off the internet", laws vary by state and are also regulated on a federal levelLearn the financing techniques correctlyDon’t skip parts of the processDon’t ever do a “kitchen table” closingUse the proper deedAn attorney can help you with the legal work, but the rest you are on your ownYour guru will not bail you out“Investing” in someone else’s deal by providing a small 2nd loan so the “investor” can pay for “cash to the seller” and for “closing costs” so he can do the deal is a very bad planKnow what problems can ariseLearn the responses and solutions to problems before they are neededKnow everything there is to know about Title and what that meansKnow who a "protected class" individual isLearn the "back doors"Learn human natureUnderstand timelinesUnderstand regulation enforcement (some of these "mistakes" have a 10 year statue of limitations ( they can charge you 10 years AFTER you do the transaction) and carry hefty fines and possible imprisonmentThe court doesn't accept "I didn't know" for an answer"Know that the source of the lead plays a serious role in some states and federallyKnow how much of a "profit" pushes the boundaries to invite an investigationYou can be sued by the seller if you don’t do things correctlyYou are automatically at fault if an investigator or attorney or regulator gets involved.

@Mario MoralesI think this is a common question and the value that an agent will bring will vary by individual needs.

Quote from @Colby Burns: You can also partner with an Investor friendly Realtor who has a team of PMs, GCs etc for you.  

I have an 18 year old friend who plays competitive baseball and is a beast in real estate with his mentor.