I would greatly appreciate some guidance with respect to creative or non conventional mortgages.

Respectfully advise that this will be followed or they will have to vacate. 

In addition, if you are self-employed with no full-time employees you may wish to consider opening a Solo 401k instead of a self-directed IRA as it has several advantages over an IRA LLC such as much higher contribution limits, direct checkbook control (i.e. no need to have the account at a specialty trust company), ability to take a 401k loan, exclusion from unrelated debt finance income tax with respect to investment in real estate acquired with non-recourse financing, etc.In addition, please note if you purchase debt-financed real estate with your IRA, unrelated debt finance income tax should apply to the income attributable to debt-financed real estate held by your IRA.

Change the LLC operating agreement with respect to shares. 

The only special considerations the IRA brings to the table are that A) you avoid disqualified persons and B) any debt instrument be non-recourse with respect to the IRA.Other than that, you are only constrained by what makes sense for partners in a real estate transaction and what banks are willing to do.Your IRA is either a lender or it has equity.  

I am just trying to find the guts and get comfortable with reading the numbers to find a good deal, and creatively borrow to put a respectable down payment on our home.  

Respectfully, no amount of motivation is going to make this happen.        

Elliot Smith has a fair bit to say about negotiating and selling a 'solution' and just addressing people respectfully and being real with them in negotiations.

Former Connecticut guy, and someone who's respected here on BP for his knowledge of the Columbus, OH market. 

If you’re not willing to be calm, respectful, pleasant and patient this will likely just get worse.