I think it's perfectly fine to ask someone for a second opinion especial if the person your working with is not a specialist in the field.There are a lot of folks like you that come to me that been with accountants for a long time but their life changes or they start earning more or doing things differently that effect taxes and those are times you want to find someone who specializes in your field. 

Are there any recommendations for self directed IRA’s?

The property had been vacant for years and at some point the city had tagged it as effectively “condemned” until certain code violations were resolved.

No sub will be effective via email in the field, it's just too hard to be out on site and answer emails from you iPhone.

Does anyone have experience using a self directed IRA in the Bay Area for flips or real estate investing?

This is a deed from one person (grantor) to another (grantee) that takes effect only on death of the grantor. 

@Harrison CookYour post kindles lots of questions.In the "good old-days" most heating systems were vastly oversized for the building they were heating - energy was relatively cheap, insulation was non-existant to poor ... so it was easier and safer to {drastically} oversize.Today, while energy {in North America}  is still relatively cheap for the moment,  we have a much better understanding of how to make buildings more efficient {though you might not think so looking at the construction industry in the U.S.A. and Canada}  and there are often more cost-effective measures than simply replacing an old, over-sized heating plant with a new, over-sized heating plant.You really need to - or at lease should -  perform a heat load analysis to properly size your heating system, a component of which, is determining the rate of heat loss of the building envelope.  

You could do that now or wait until you think the market is more tilted towards buyers, the only effect on you will be rising interest rates. 

I’m also self employed so most of my purchases have been with alternative financing without going thru the banks.

I'm not sure I have the time to self-manage.