An IRA or 401k could not lend to you or an entity you own.Notes are a nice asset for self-directed retirement plans, because they are simple and clean, and can provide solid, predictable returns.The ownership of income property can also be very beneficial for a self-directed IRA or Solo 401k, but can introduce a greater degree of complexity depending on the strategy.  

Any predictable maintenance such as gardener or pool care6.

(more the trends)plenty of smart investors around, still no one can accurately predict the market. short term debt cycle is ~8 years, long term debt cycle is ~40, and as someone said about real estate is somewhere in between. 6 months is not enough time to analyze long term RE trends, and trends aren't hard and fast rules.

They can't predict their future and neither can you.

maybe a bunch of things.......but do know that flippers are like starving piranhas, particularly with anything MLS listed. in that, they attack deals, and know a deal vs a non deal. in their predictability, lays information.

I ran the numbers and it looks like renting a property would have me basically break even but I would be purchasing for the potential higher selling price I predict in a few years.

These qualities (safe, predictable, tax free) make them good options for retirees living on a fixed income.

I'm tempted to apply "George Costanza" logic when it comes to Harry Dent's predictions:

I can predict what will happen.

You'll be able to improve on the list and/or see where the end results should have been predictable at screening time.