it is also difficult to engage in wholesaling with your IRA without providing services to the IRA, which may be why your current custodian is not willing to process such deals.Short term gap funding to an unrelated wholesaler or other such strategies may better fit within an IRA, where everything needs to be very much at arm's length, and where passive income is tax favored (as opposed to trade or business income such as this).

Just put in your offer with some proof of funds and see what they give you.

Then take whatever funds are remaining and use maximum debt to buy a SF rental. 

Does anyone have experience or know any reputable brokers, small banks, or attorneys in Cincinnati, Ohio that I could meet with about using retirement funds to purchase an investment property?

Researching private and hard money lenders online, all lenders want a house under contract before releasing funds, however, working with a realtor, they want proof of funds prior to showing a house, let alone putting one under contract.

Also, if I have a deal how do I go after it without already having the funds available, is there an way to start an offer without having the funds slated yet?     

@Frankie Betancourt Your best bet at this point in the process in my experience is to attend the Sheriff Sale and be sure to have the funds available, all sheriff sales I know of, like Jon said, are cash only and 'as is' obviously.

I'd like to just save the cash flow and not touch most of it for the first several years to build up an emergency fund.

I'm trying to create a long term bond and could use a few recommendations. 

It used to be mutual funds where there was a day long redemption period, now it's effectively real time.