Angela, if you already have an IRA you can establish self-directed IRA and transfer your current IRA into it.

A major road crosses the tracks a couple of blocks from me, and the horn starts blowing a half mile away and continues through the neighborhood.Fortunately, the city has established a quiet zone through my neighborhood.

I think the main thing to take from this thread is establish a relationship with a local lender and try and get the shortest seasoning time possible.

@Bobby Hughes,I'm not sure what your options are with an annuity that has already been established, but I would ask your financial adviser / annuity account representative if you have the option to convert that annuity to another form of tax-deferred retirement account. 

Again, this is how the lenders think of these - there might not be much logic involved, just rules and policies established over time (likely from having been burned too often in the past).

If you choose to stay in SF to invest,  seek out JV partnerships with other established investors in the area. 

@Sarah Miller The following is from the Ohio law link from above:Title [53] LIII REAL PROPERTYChapter 5322: STORAGE FACILITIES5322.01 Storage facility definitions.As used in sections 5322.01 to 5322.05 of the Revised Code:(A) "Self-service storage facility" means any real property that is designed and used only for the purpose of renting or leasing individual storage space in the facility under the following conditions:(1) The occupants have access to the storage space only for the purpose of storing and removing personal property .(2) The owner does not issue a warehouse receipt, bill of lading, or other document of title, as defined in section 1301.201 of the Revised Code, for the personal property stored in the storage space"Self-service storage facility" does not include any garage used principally for parking motor vehicles, any garage or storage area in a private residence, an establishment licensed pursuant to sections 915.14 to 915.24 of the Revised Code, or any property of a bank or savings and loan association that contains vaults, safe deposit boxes, or other receptacles for the uses, purposes, and benefits of the bank's or savings and loan association's customers.If I'm understanding this correctly, then most of the advice above relating to Self Storage would be incorrect.

Lenders need tangible information to convey, establish credibility and present to people inside the bank operation.  

The classes I taught were: "Money Management Matters", "The Inquiry and Interview", and "How to Establish and Maintain Good Landlord-Tenant Relationships".3.

The only drawback with some of the more established neighborhoods is the amount of updating some of the homes need as I do the agent previews of the homes in the area.